Germany has deported a Tajik anti-government activist to Dushanbe despite warnings by rights groups and opposition politicians that he may face torture and imprisonment if returned to Tajikistan, RFE/RL reported.
Dilmurod Ergashev, 40, was handcuffed and had a black bag put over his head upon arrival in Tajikistan on November 7, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported on X, citing the activist’s friends.
Ergashev, a member of the Europe-based opposition movement Reform and Development of Tajikistan, has lived in Germany since 2011. He was previously a member of the Group 24 opposition organization, which Tajikistan banned in 2014.
A court in the German city of Kleve on October 28 ordered Ergashev’s deportation after his repeated requests for political asylum were rejected.
HRW quoted Ergashev’s lawyer as saying German immigration officials had questioned whether his commitment to opposition causes was genuine.
Several opposition members, political activists, and others linked to anti-government movements have been jailed in Tajikistan after they were either deported or forcibly returned to Dushanbe in recent years.
Ergashev’s deportation to Dushanbe has caused concern among other Tajik political asylum seekers in Europe who say they fear a similar fate amid widespread anti-migrant sentiment in Western countries.
