human rights defender
Faromuz Irgashov
© Asia-Plus
Urgent support needed
Legal and medical assistance
Organization affiliation
- Commission 44
HRD's year of birth
1990
HRD's Gender
Man
Type of HRD
- Lawyer
- NGO member
HRD's thematic area of engagement
- Civil and political rights
- Minorities’ rights
HRD's geographical origin
Semi urban
HRD's bio and work
Faromuz Irgashov is a Tajik human rights lawyer, political activist, and former regional lawmaker born in 1990 in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) of Tajikistan.
Driven by firsthand observations of state-sanctioned police abuse in Khorog, he boldly stepped into national politics in 2020 at just 30 years old, announcing his intent to run as an independent candidate in the Tajikistan Presidential Election. Though the state security services blocked his candidacy, Irgashov used his platform to publicly condemn the authoritarian regime of President Emomali Rahmon.
Following deadly clashes between state security forces and the Pamiri minority in late 2021, he became the leader and lead defense attorney of Commission 44, an independent coalition of civil rights defenders attempting to mediate between local communities and regional authorities.
In May 2022, amidst a severe government crackdown, Irgashov was arrested by Tajik authorities, held in closed-door pre-trial detention, and ultimately sentenced in December 2022 to 30 years in prison on politically motivated charges.
Current Status
In prison (sentenced)
Detained since
May 28, 2022
Charge(s)
- Financial crimes
- Membership in an illegal organisation
- Other
Sentence
30 years in prison
Latitude: 38.5635164
Longitude: 68.791194
Geolocation of detention
Country or area of detention
Region of detention
- Asia: Central Asia
Location of detention - City/Town
Dushanbe
Location of detention - Facility
High-security prison facility
Allegations / reports of ill-treatment
The Tajik authorities used coerced confessions, extended incommunicado isolation, and severe psychological duress against Irgashov and his fellow Commission 44 members. Reports from the region indicate that security forces systematically target Pamiri activists with physical torture to extract fabricated self-incriminations and force them to read pre-written statements prepared by the State Committee for National Security (SCNS).
Compounding the physical abuse, Irgashov was denied access to independent legal representation, held in a secretive, soundproof pre-trial facility in Dushanbe, and subjected to highly degrading conditions.
Recent case update / evolution
The case against Faromuz Irgashov stems from his involvement with Commission 44, an independent coalition of civil rights defenders formed to investigate police brutality following the killing of a local man by state authorities in November 2021. Although the group initially worked to facilitate public dialogue and monitor the official government investigation, the state abruptly derailed these efforts during a severe, violent security crackdown on the Pamiri ethnic and religious minority in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) in May 2022.
On May 28, 2022, Irgashov was arrested without a warrant after arriving at the GBAO Prosecutor's Office to inquire about other detained team members. He was transferred to a closed-door detention facility in Dushanbe, where he was subjected to a heavily criticized, secret trial at the Supreme Court of Tajikistan. Authorities barred his relatives from attending, restricted access to legal representation, and paradoxically forced Irgashov to act as defense counsel for other Pamiri detainees while he himself was locked in custody.
In December 2022, he was convicted on politically motivated charges—including participation in a criminal association (Article 187), organizing an unsanctioned rally, and receiving illegal funds from abroad—resulting in a 30-year high-security prison sentence.
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. 19/2024 concerning Faromuz Irgashov, Khursandsho Mamadshoev and Manuchehr Kholiknazarov (Tajikistan), A/HRC/WGAD/2024/19, https://docs.un.org/en/A/HRC/WGAD/2024/19
Documented by
