Freedom For Eurasia condemns the decision of German authorities to force the 29-year-old Tajik citizen Rahmonov Saidazam to return to Tajikistan whiсh resulted in his violent death at the hands of the Tajik State Committee for National Security and calls for an immediate, independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding his disappearance and death. According to reports, Rahmonov arrived in Germany in 2018 and officially applied for asylum in 2022. He was also married to a German citizen.
The German immigration officials brushed off his urgent warnings that Tajikistan was unsafe and that his return could be dangerous and insisted that he needed to travel back to Tajikistan to obtain a visa through the German embassy, citing family ties. Four months ago, Rahmonov returned to Tajikistan, submitted the necessary documents, and was awaiting his visa.
On October 6, while attempting to travel to Russia to a friend’s wedding, he was detained at Dushanbe airport at departure by officers of the Tajik State Committee for National Security and taken to an unknown location. The authorities later claimed he committed suicide on October 13. Sources close to the case allege he was tortured, and his body was buried under tight security.
According to one of Rakhmonov’s relatives, who spoke with Radio Free Europe on conditions of anonymity, when the body was handed over to relatives in Dushanbe, numerous signs of torture were found on his body, including “traces of electric shocks, bruises, and a broken leg.”
Relatives tried to record his body but were prevented by the security officers. These details, coupled with reports of torture and abuse, highlight ongoing human rights violations, arbitrary detention, and the brutal repression of individuals returning from abroad. His German citizen wife told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that all her attempts to seek justice regarding her husband’s arrest over the past week had been unsuccessful. She wrote to the German Embassy in Dushanbe and the Tajik Embassy in Berlin, but as of October 13, she had received no response from either.
Despite the well-documented facts about widespread torture and the lack of respect for human rights in Tajikistan, German courts and authorities continue to consider the diplomatic assurances from the Tajik authorities, claiming they are sufficient to guarantee that returnees will not be subjected to torture or inhuman treatment.
If no action is taken, Germany risks gaining a reputation as an accomplice of a brutal dictatorship, as its current policies enable the forced return of individuals like Rahmonov Saidazam—people who face torture, persecution, and death upon return. Without strengthening safeguards, conducting thorough risk assessments, and ensuring protections for those at risk, Germany will effectively be complicit in human rights abuses. Only through comprehensive reforms and enhanced international responsibility can Germany uphold its commitments to human rights and avoid further complicity in grave violations. We call on the German government and international organizations to conduct a transparent investigation into the circumstances of Rahmonov’s denial of asylum, arrest and death to prevent future tragedies and uphold the country’s integrity.
Video from relatives recording at the burial of Rahmonov Saidazam. Officer in the background forces the relatives to stop recording.
