The Tajik Supreme Court’s officials groundlessly denied a request of a local journalist who needed information about the number of individuals convicted to life imprisonment.

On 12 August, Mahina Davronova, correspondent of the Imrouz radio approached Mahmadali Yusupov, the Tajik Supreme Court’s press secretary with a request to provide her with information on the number of individuals convicted to life imprisonment in Tajikistan.

Davronova told the NANSMIT monitoring service that the press secretary denied her request saying that the Supreme Court does not have such information on record, and, secondly, these data refer to National Security Information.

The journalist then approached the National Association of Independent Media to find out whether the denial of her request is grounded. Our monitoring service consulted the Tajik Human Rights Bureau and the OSCE Center in Dushanbe, after which we came to the conclusion about the groundlessness of such denial since statistical figures on the number of convicted to life imprisonment has nothing to do with the State secrecy.

The Law of the Republic of Tajikistan “On the list of data constituting the State secrecy in the sphere of security and law enforcement” clearly defines the categories of such data. Article 9, Clause 22 of the present Law contains the following categories of State secrecy: “Data on the execution of sentences regarding those convicted to exceptional measure of punishment: arrangement of the execution and burial; the venue of execution; individuals executing sentences; places of burial of individuals convicted and executed”. The Law contains no provisions on the number of individuals convicted to life sentences. Article 6 of the Law of the Republic of Tajikistan “On State Secrecy” defines the data referring to the State secrets. According to this Law, information about law and order does not refer to State secrets.

NANSMIT Monitoring Service