Sulaimon Davlatov, a Tajik opposition activist, has been arrested in Lithuania and is reportedly facing two months of detention, according to his representatives. The State Security Department

(VSD) claims Davlatov has ties to terrorist organizations.

Sharfuddin Gadoev, a prominent figure in the Tajik opposition and leader of the Tajik Reform and Development Movement, informed LRT.lt that Davlatov has been residing in Lithuania since 2015 and was granted political asylum in 2016.

Gadoev asserts that Davlatov's detention was based on the VSD's assessment that he poses a threat to Lithuania's national security. He contends that Davlatov is being targeted for political reasons and fears persecution, including torture and death, if returned to Tajikistan. Gadoev emphasizes that under international law, Lithuania is obligated not to repatriate individuals to their home countries under such circumstances.

Davlatov became involved in the opposition movement Group 24 in 2014, leading to persecution in Tajikistan. In Lithuania, he owns a restaurant and resides with his three minor children and pregnant wife. Davlatov has reached out to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda seeking assistance.

Gadoev claims that proper legal procedures were not followed in Davlatov's case, denying him the opportunity to review charges or receive translations of the indictment and court decision.

Currently, Davlatov is held at the Foreigners' Registration Centre in Rukla, according to Gadoev.

The VSD responded to inquiries, stating that Davlatov is considered a threat to Lithuanian national security due to his purported connections with terrorist organizations, radical groups, and the dissemination of extremist ideologies.

Davlatov's lawyer, Ignotas Sungaila, announced plans to appeal his client's detention, asserting that Davlatov was apprehended on Friday under the pretext of posing a national security threat.

In 2015, Davlatov was previously detained in Finland at the request of Tajik authorities but was later released.

Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon, who has been in power since 1994, faces accusations from the opposition of power consolidation, nepotism, crackdowns on dissent, and widespread human rights abuses. Photo by DAVID HOLT, Wikimedia commons.