Emomali Rahmon and Donald Trump. Photo: sputnik.tj
Exiled leaders of Tajik opposition movements have called on U.S. President Donald Trump to press Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon to release political prisoners. An open letter addressed to the White House was published on the website of the Movement for Reforms and Development of Tajikistan.
The opposition expressed hope that during the upcoming November 6 meeting between the two presidents in Washington — held within the framework of the “Central Asia–U.S.” (C5+1) summit — Trump will urge Rahmon to free political prisoners and begin a dialogue based on international law and human rights principles.
They also asked the U.S. president to raise the issue of systematic political repression in Tajikistan. According to the letter’s authors, the Central Asian republic is undergoing a deep crisis, as three decades of authoritarian rule have turned the country into a “space of total control, fear, and persecution.”
“Thousands of citizens have been subjected to political repression, hundreds to torture and enforced disappearances. More than 8,500 political prisoners — journalists, lawyers, human rights defenders, religious leaders, activists, and members of the democratic opposition — are being held behind bars. Among them are women, elderly people, and relatives of opposition members who are punished solely because of family ties,” the letter stated.
The opposition representatives claim that deaths in custody, torture, denial of medical care, and humiliation have become systemic. The absence of political competition and the destruction of civil society are leading to radicalization, posing a security threat to the region — including the interests of the United States and its allies. Ignoring this crisis, they warn, could result in a rise in extremism and destabilization in Central Asia.
The letter also referenced the U.S. president’s role in securing the release of political prisoners in Belarus, describing it as an example of global American leadership in defending freedom and human dignity.
The open letter was signed by Sharofiddin Gadoev, head of the Movement for Reforms and Development of Tajikistan (Amsterdam), Ubaidullo Saidi, leader of Youth for the Revival of Tajikistan (London), and Muhammadikboli Sadriddin, leader of the Movement of Reformers of Tajikistan (Paris).
