Ms. Bobonazarova is the first woman from Tajikistan to receive the International Women of Courage award from the U.S. Department of State (2014) and is also the first female candidate for President in Tajikistan’s history. In her work as an activist, Bobonazarova was arrested for “treachery” on the alleged charges of plotting a coup. Upon her release from prison, she served as a human rights counselor in the Tajik office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Later, she founded Tajikistan’s first independent prison monitoring program. Bobonazarova is presently serving as the head of Perspektiva Plus, a human rights group working on behalf of women, prisoners and Tajikistani labor migrants.
