The Supreme Court of Tajikistan has sentenced Abdughalil Kholikzoda, the author of the book "Events of My Life," to 9 years in prison. According to the court's information department, Kholikzoda, a businessman and the head of the Ibn Sina clinic, was found guilty under articles 189.2 and 289.2 of the Criminal Code of Tajikistan. He was sentenced to 9 years in prison and a fine of 1200 calculation indexes, equivalent to 76800 somoni.
Additionally, Tajik researcher Rustam Abdulkodir, whose name is mentioned in the book "Events of My Life," was sentenced to 4 years and 6 months in prison under article 189.2 of the Criminal Code of Tajikistan.
Publisher Sukhrob Toir Rajabzoda, who printed the book, was sentenced to 1 year in prison under article 295.1 of the Criminal Code of Tajikistan.
The opinions of the convicted individuals' lawyers and relatives regarding the court's verdict are not available.
Earlier, sources from "Asia-Plus" reported that Kholikzoda was sentenced to 6.5 years, and Abdulkodir Rustam was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison.
Regarding the director of the publishing house "Ergarf," where the book was printed, there were conflicting reports about Sukhrob Rajabzoda.
An anonymous source from "Asia-Plus" stated that Rajabzoda was released after paying a fine, but Radio Ozodi, citing its sources, reported that he was sentenced to 1 year in prison.
Relatives of the convicted individuals confirmed that the trial took place, but they do not have information about its outcome. Their lawyers also declined to comment on the verdict to journalists.
The author of the book "Events of My Life," Abdughalil Kholikzoda, was detained on August 7, 2023. The Prosecutor General's Office announced this at a press conference on August 15. It was stated that Kholikzoda was arrested on charges of "inciting social, racial, national, regional, and religious hatred."
In late August, the well-known writer and literary critic Abdulkodir Rustam was also arrested. The Tajikistan Prosecutor General's Office informed "Asia-Plus" that a case was initiated against him under article 189.2 of the Criminal Code (incitement of social, racial, national, regional, religious hatred or discord).
The content of the book "Events of My Life" underwent linguistic examination in four state institutions and agencies: the Ministry of Culture, the Committee on Religion, the Academy of Sciences, and the Tajik National University.
The country's Prosecutor General's Office stated in a letter on December 1 of the previous year that the book underwent "computer, religious, literary-political, and psychological expertise," without specifying the results or the specific institutions that conducted the examination.
Abdughalil Kholikzoda's memoir was presented to readers in March of the previous year. In it, the 57-year-old entrepreneur reflects on events in Tajikistan, offering his perspective on the civil war of the 1990s, entrepreneurship and the economy, the issue of corruption hindering societal development, as well as cultural and artistic matters and the level of development in different regions of Tajikistan.
Critics on social media frequently raised concerns about regionalism in the book. They accused the author of making offensive remarks about people from certain regions of the country. However, prior to his arrest, Kholikzoda denied these allegations, stating, "I am concerned not with regions, but with the fate of the people and the country's development in secure conditions."
Immediately after the entrepreneur's arrest, all copies of the book "Events of My Life" were confiscated from bookstores nationwide.
