A lawyer who defended members of the opposition Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (HNIT) is going on trial in Dushanbe on charges of forgery and fraud.
Buzurgmehr Yorov was arrested on September 28. He has denied any wrongdoing.
On September 29, Tajikistan's Supreme Court ruled that the HNIT was an "extremist and terrorist organization" and banned it.
Police then arrested 13 leading members of HNIT on suspicion of taking part in a coup led by Deputy Defense Minister Abduhalim Nazarzoda.
Party leader Muhiddin Kabiri, who now lives in exile, has rejected the accusations.
In October, several human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and others called on Dushanbe to release Yorov, saying his arrest and the case against him were politically motivated.
