human rights defender
Ulfathonim Mamadshoeva
© Pamir Daily News
Urgent support needed
Legal and medical assistance
Organization affiliation
- Nomus va Insof
- Pamir Plus
HRD's year of birth
1957
HRD's Gender
Woman
Type of HRD
- Journalist/Blogger
HRD's thematic area of engagement
- Civil and political rights
- Minorities’ rights
HRD's geographical origin
Semi urban
HRD's bio and work
Ulfathonim Mamadshoeva is a prominent Tajik independent journalist and human rights activist from the Pamiri ethnic minority group. Born in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO), she dedicated decades to civil rights advocacy, women's empowerment through her NGO Nomus va Insof, and independent reporting, notably founding the news platform Pamir Plus.
In May 2022, following a violent government crackdown on peaceful mass protests in GBAO, she was arrested by Tajik authorities and accused of organizing the unrest. Following a closed-door trial, Tajikistan’s Supreme Court sentenced her to 21 years in prison in December 2022 on fabricated anti-state and terrorism charges.
Current Status
In prison (sentenced)
Detained since
May 18, 2022
Charge(s)
- Membership in an illegal organisation
- Other
- Subversion
- Terrorism
Sentence
18 years in prison
Latitude: 38.3798077
Longitude: 69.273777
Geolocation of detention
Country or area of detention
Region of detention
- Asia: Central Asia
Location of detention - City/Town
Norak
Location of detention - Facility
Correctional facility YaS 3/8
Allegations / reports of ill-treatment
Throughout her pre-trial holding at the national security agency's Detention Center No. 1 and her subsequent transfer to the Norak women's prison colony, she was subjected to strict incommunicado-style restrictions, where authorities heavily restricted access to legal representation and forced her lawyers to sign non-disclosure agreements.
Recent case update / evolution
The case against Ulfathonim Mamadshoeva began on May 17, 2022, when the Tajik Ministry of Interior publicly accused her of co-organizing an "illegal rally" and inciting violence during anti-government protests by the Pamiri ethnic minority in the regional capital of Khorugh. The following day, May 18, security forces arrested her in Dushanbe. Authorities subsequently leveled multiple severe anti-state and criminal offenses against her, including public calls to violently overthrow the constitutional order, organizing a criminal group, murder, attempted murder, and terrorism.
Prior to her arrest, Mamadshoeva explicitly denied any involvement in the unrest; however, state television later broadcasted a controversial video of her delivering what rights organizations described as a coerced confession. State media further claimed she had orchestrated the plot at the behest of an unnamed foreign government, relying in part on a mischaracterized meeting she had with U.S. diplomats. On December 9, 2022, following a closed-door trial that completely barred access to public defense or evidence, Tajikistan’s Supreme Court sentenced her to 21 years in prison.
In July 2026, Ulfathonim Mamadshoeva's prison sentence was reduced by three years through a presidential amnesty.
Any other relevant documents
Joint communication, UN special procedures, Réf. :AL TJK 1/2023 , https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=28026
Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, Opinion No. 18/2024 concerning Ulfatkhonim Mamadshoeva and Sorbon Yunoev (Tajikistan), A/HRC/WGAD/2024/18, https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/issues/detention-wg/opinions/session99/a-hrc-wgad-2024-18-tajikistan-aev.pdf
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