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A leader of a banned Islamic party in Tajikistan has voiced concern over the fate of 16 opposition leaders, who are currently in government custody.

Muhiddin Tilloevich Kabiri, head of the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan, who is in self-imposed exile, told Al Jazeera on Sunday that five of his colleagues face life imprisonment, while the rest could get 30 years in prison for an alleged conspiracy to bring down the country’s government.

“The situation in Tajikistan is dire.

We now know that the state prosecutors, who are subservient to the political establishment, have asked the court to condemn five of our top leaders to life imprisonment and the rest to 30 years,” Kabiri said.

“The courts are not independent.

We know that this unjust and politically motivated condemnation will pass through the court at ease,” Kabiri added.

Among the opposition members in custody are the two deputies of the party, Sayed Omar Hosseini and M