Sharipov, Namunjon [Numoniddin]

Gender: .
State of concern: .

Who, Why and How exiled:

Sharipov was an active member of the Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan and left Tajikistan for Turkey after the country’s Supreme Court declared the party a terrorist organisation and banned its activities in the country (RFERL, 2018).

 

Category of exile: . (Definitions here.)

Which stages experienced: Stage 1   Stage 2   Stage 3. (Definitions here.)
Date of most serious incident: 2018.
Violence experienced: .

Stage 1 details (accusations/ charges/ Interpol notice/ extradition requests):

According to Sharipov’s son, the consul of the Tajik consulate in Istanbul had visited Sharipov at the tea house he ran, encouraging him to return to Tajikistan, on three consecutive days (Human Rights Watch, 2018). On the second and third days, the diplomat threatened and intimidated Sharipov, telling him that there would be “problems for him” if he did not agree to return (Human Rights Watch, 2018).

 

Stage 2 details (arrest/ detention/ extradition):

On February 5th, Turkish police detained Sharipov and took him to Istanbul’s removal centre (Human Rights Watch, 2018). He was told that Tajikistan was seeking his arrest on charges of terrorism, but that he was not facing immediate deportation (Human Rights Watch, 2018).

Stage 3 details (attack/ abduction/ rendition/ torture/ assassination/ death):

On the 16th February 2018, Tajik officials “took custody of Sharipov from an Istanbul detention facility where he had been held for 11 days” (Human Rights Watch, 2018). They forced him on a plane to Tajikistan where he faces charges of terrorism (Human Rights Watch, 2018).

International arrest warrant: .

Countries of transit, asylum and/or residence: .

Current status:

Sharipov called Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty’s Tajik service and made a statement saying that he had “returned voluntarily” and was “freely going about his affairs” (Human Rights Watch, 2018). However, Sharipov’s relatives living in Tajikistan have told his lawyer that Sharipov is detained in Dushabe and is being forced to make these statements (Human Rights Watch, 2018).


Press sources:

Human Rights Watch. (2018). Tajikistan: Activist Forcibly Returned From Turkey. Available: https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/02/20/tajikistan-activist-forcibly-returned-turkey. Last accessed 28 Feb 2018.

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty (RFERL). (2018). Nuomondjon Sharifov said that he voluntarily returned to Tajikistan. Available (in Russian): https://rus.ozodi.org/a/29050803.html. Last accessed 28 Feb 2018.