Tajik oppositionist kept in Brest prison since June 2015 freed

On February 22, the activist of Tajik opposition, Shabnam Hudaydodova, was  released from the detention center in Brest. BelaPAN learned it from the Brest human rights activist Raman Kislyak, who followed the fate of the detainee.

The Tajik citizen was arrested on June 13, 2015 at the Brest train station on the way to Poland. Once it was established that Hudaydodova was internationally wanted, border guards handed her over for further consideration by the police. The human rights activist was first placed in the temporary detention center of the Leninsky district police department of Brest, and later -- in the detention center.

After detention, Hudaydodova addressed the Belarusian authorities with a request to give her shelter. Pending a decision on the status of detained woman, the extradition procedure to Tajikistan was suspended. "Based on the fact that Hudaydodova was released, it can be assumed that she had received a refugee status in our country. By law, information about such status is not disclosed by the authorities in the interests of the refugee. Only the refugee can tell about this status, if desired. We cannot disclose her current whereabouts in the interests of security," said human rights activist from Brest.

Kislyak noted that according to guards Hudaydodjva is internationally wanted for extremist activities on the territory of her country. "The fact that Hudaydodova in Tajikistan was not engaged in extremist activities is easy to check. She joined the "Group 24", being already in the territory of the Russian Federation, where she had been lived in recent years. Since then, she has never been in Tajikistan. All what she was doing was criticize the Tajik government for its policies," said Kislyak.

He recalled that the Tajik authorities proclaimed the organization "Group 24" extremist in October, 2014. Since then, a number of activists of the group have been arrested, abducted or killed.