On 18 July 2026, independent journalists Zavqibek Saidamini and Abdusattor Pirmuhammadzoda were released from prison following the application of an amnesty law adopted in June 2026. Both journalists were sentenced to seven years of imprisonment in 2022 on charges related to their alleged participation in a banned organisation. Their convictions were widely criticised by civil society and international organisations as part of broader concerns regarding increasing restrictions on freedom of expression, media freedom, and the shrinking space for independent journalism in Tajikistan.
On 26 December 2022, journalist and blogger Abdusattor Pirmukhammadzoda was sentenced by a Dushanbe court to seven years in prison following a closed trial. In autumn 2022, a handwritten letter from Pirmukhammadzoda was smuggled out of prison where he described the torture and ill-treatment he had suffered at the Vahdat police station following his detention. Independent journalist Zavqibek Saidamini was sentenced to seven years in prison after being convicted of alleged collaboration with banned organisations, including the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) and Group 24 on 4 November 2022.
Both journalists had spoken out openly against the imprisonment of their colleagues Abdullo Gurbati and Daler Imomali in June 2022. According to relatives, Abdullo Ghurbati is expected to be released later in autumn 2026, while journalist Daler Emomali is expected to be released in 2027 following the application of the amnesty provisions.