Tajik Ex-Foreign Minister Arrested; Lawmaker Held for ‘Usurping Power’

Sources from Radio Ozodi report that Hamrokhon Zarifi, a former Tajikistan Foreign Minister and seasoned diplomat, has been detained. Multiple accounts from Radio Ozodi corroborate that Zarifi was arrested on June 12. One source indicated he was held at Tajikistan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs Detention Center in Dushanbe until June 16, after which his whereabouts became uncertain. While there were unconfirmed reports of his release following interrogation, authorities have neither affirmed nor refuted these claims.

Zarifi, aged 75 and retired, was allegedly detained in connection with economic misconduct and his involvement in the construction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building, as per a law enforcement source in Tajikistan. His arrest coincided with that of Saidjaafar Usmonzoda, a parliament member facing charges of government usurpation.

Although Tajikistan authorities have not commented on any link between Zarifi’s and Usmonzoda’s cases, opponents speculate a connection. Sources close to Radio Ozodi mentioned Zarifi had connections with Usmonzoda but couldn’t confirm the arrest’s exact relation to the former parliament member’s case.

On June 14, Tajikistan’s Prosecutor General Yusuf Rahmon requested parliament to strip Usmonzoda of his deputy status, a decision unanimously supported by attending deputies. Usmonzoda’s relatives dismissed accusations of government usurpation as slander.

Hamrokhon Zarifi served as Tajikistan’s Foreign Minister from 2006 to 2013. Following his tenure, he remained active on social media, sharing frequent updates from international trips and local outings. In 2015, he was appointed Tajikistan’s ambassador to Japan until his retirement in 2018. Prior to his diplomatic roles, Zarifi spent 19 years with the Soviet-era KGB in Tajikistan before joining the Tajik Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1993, holding various high-profile diplomatic posts thereafter.