The European Union asked the authorities of Tajikistan to bring to justice the perpetrators of human rights violations in Badakhshan Mountainous Autonomous Region.
Their request was heard on November 27 in Brussels and at the meeting of the Cooperation Committee of the European Union and Tajikistan.
Although not fully mentioned in the statement of the European Union, Badakhshan Mountainous Autonomous Region witnessed the protest of a group of residents and their suppression by the Tajik forces in the spring of 2022. In that incident, 34 people were killed , dozens of people were arrested and imprisoned for a long time.
Western organizations and countries consider the behavior of Tajik authorities to be a violation of human rights. Officials said that these people were members of criminal groups. Relatives of those killed and imprisoned in Badakhshan always emphasize their innocence.
At the November 27 meeting, the European Union emphasized the “need to improve basic human rights and freedoms” in Tajikistan and expressed concern over the detention of rights defenders, independent journalists and bloggers.
Tajik authorities arrested eight journalists and bloggers over the past year and sentenced them to prison terms of 7 to 21 years. Several human rights defenders are also in prison.
The response of representatives of Tajikistan to the requests and criticisms of the European Union is not known.
The press representative of the European Union said on November 28 that the delegations of the two sides discussed regional and international issues, including water and energy, climate change, the situation in Afghanistan, and Russia’s aggression on the territory of Ukraine.
Source : Радио Озоди