Tajikistan’s authorities have wrongfully imprisoned human rights lawyer Buzurgmehr Yorov for 10 years due to his work representing political opposition leaders, according to 11 international organizations. Yorov is currently serving a 23-year prison sentence, which has been repeatedly extended through new, politically motivated charges. Human rights groups are calling for his immediate release, along with all other individuals arbitrarily detained for peacefully exercising their rights.
Yorov, 54, gained recognition as a fearless lawyer who represented clients prosecuted on politically motivated charges. In early September 2015, he began defending members of the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan, a formerly registered opposition party that was banned and labeled a terrorist organization that same month. On September 28, 2015, authorities arrested Yorov, raided his home and office without a warrant, and charged him with forgery, fraud, inciting hostility, and extremism—charges reportedly triggered by his public statements about client torture and his call for a coalition of lawyers to assist detained party members.
During his eight-month pretrial detention, Yorov was beaten, held in solitary confinement, and denied fair trial rights. In October 2016, he was sentenced to 23 years in a trial rife with due process violations. Subsequent trials and convictions, including one in July 2023, have extended his imprisonment to 2043. Throughout his detention, he has suffered torture, incommunicado confinement, and restrictions on family visits, with authorities reportedly pressuring his relatives not to advocate for him.
Yorov’s case reflects a broader human rights crisis in Tajikistan under President Emomali Rahmon’s decades-long regime. The country has seen a decline in rule of law, increased repression, and violent crackdowns on protests, particularly since November 2021. Independent media, civil society, lawyers, activists, and journalists have faced arrest and persecution, including notable figures such as Ulfatkhonim Mamadshoeva, Mamadsulton Mavlonazarov, Ruhshona Khakimova, and human rights lawyer Manuchehr Kholiknazarov.
International organizations are urging Tajikistan to release Yorov and all other prisoners held on politically motivated grounds, uphold human rights obligations, and ensure freedom of peaceful advocacy. They also call on Tajikistan’s international partners to engage diplomatically to press for Yorov’s release and address the broader human rights abuses in the country.
