Sirs and Madams,

I am Mahmudjon Faizrahmonov, head of the Tajik center for human rights, Vienna.

In Tajikistan, all stages of the trial process are unfair, non-transparent, and non- independent, and unfortunately, for the last 30 years fair and transparent trials have been unfamiliar in Tajikistan.

When all branches of the government, including the judiciary, are in the hands of one person and all judges are appointed by one person, how can we talk about a fair trial?

When the lawyers are pressured and prosecuted and if they act a little bit independently and present reasons and evidences for the innocence of the accused ones, such as Buzurgmehr Yorov and Nuriddin Mahkamov have done, they will be imprisoned for many years, can the Tajik lawyers do their duties independently and without fear? Never.

When the cases of all political activists and journalists are sealed as secret and they are held behind closed doors, and none of the representatives of the civil society, journalists and foreign diplomats can participate in these trials, and the details of these cases are not publicly published, so which transparent trial is possible to talk about in Tajikistan?

Unfortunately, forced confessions and tortures are common tools used by the government of Tajikistan.

In short, there is no fair and transparent trial in Tajikistan, and what is ordered by the political authorities, the same is done at all stages of the trial process and heavy sentences are issued against political activists and journalists.

This is why Abdullo Ghurbati, an independent journalist, was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison yesterday without a fair trial, and before that, tens of Pamir minorities were sentenced to long years and some of them to life sentences on political motivated charges.

Therefore, it can be said that in Tajikistan there is fake trial, not fair trial.

Thanks for your attention!

Thank you for your attention!

Mahmudjon Faizrahmonov at the OSCE/ODIHR conference, 05/10/2022. Warsaw