On May 28, 2022, Manuchehr Kholiknazarov was arrested along with 13 other members of Commission 44, a civic group investigating police brutality in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) in Tajikistan.  Mr. Kholiknazarov is a human rights lawyer from Tajikistan, leading the Lawyer’s Association of Pamir. He also serves as a member of the NGO Coalition against Torture in Tajikistan.

On December 9, 2022, The Supreme Court of Tajikistan sentenced Mr. Kholiknazarov to 15 years in prison. The trial was held behind closed doors and did not meet international fair trial standards.