Photo: azda.tv
Tajik authorities have confiscated funds from the bank account of journalist Rukshona Hakimova, who was sentenced to eight years in prison in a high-profile coup attempt case. The money was transferred to the state, according to First Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Court Shavkat Lutfullozoda, as reported by Asia-Plus.
Lutfullozoda did not specify the amount confiscated, only noting that not all of the seized assets in the case were taken by the state.
“Only part of the seized property was confiscated; the rest was returned to the defendants’ families,” he said.
Asia-Plus previously reported that Hakimova’s relatives claimed authorities had withdrawn 230,000 somoni (about $25,000) from her account. According to her family, the journalist had been saving to buy an apartment and kept her savings in a single bank.
In 2024, a wave of arrests swept Tajikistan, targeting politicians and former security service personnel suspected of plotting a violent coup. Court hearings began in November and were held in a detention center in Dushanbe.
On February 5 of this year, the verdicts were announced. All defendants were found guilty, with most receiving lengthy prison terms.
Journalist Rukshona Hakimova was sentenced to eight years for treason. She had remained free until the verdict due to having two young children. She was taken into custody in the courtroom following the sentencing.
Tajik media reported that Hakimova’s case stemmed from a survey she conducted on “China’s influence in Tajikistan,” which included input from several people later convicted in the coup case — including her uncle Shokirdjon Hakimov and politician Saidjafar Usmonzoda, who were sentenced to 18 and 27 years, respectively.
In March, a group of Tajik women sent an open letter to President Emomali Rahmon requesting leniency for Hakimova.
The signatories expressed concern that Hakimova’s two daughters were left at home, one of them still breastfeeding. The authorities, however, did not respond to the appeal.
