TAJIKISTAN

General Information about the Country
• Population, Capital, Official Languages, Religion, and Geography
The Republic of Tajikistan is a landlocked country located in Central Asia. According to government estimates, Tajikistan’s population exceeds 10.3 million people. The capital and largest city is Dushanbe. The official language is Tajik, a variant of the Persian language, while Russian is widely used in governmental institutions, business, and international communication.

According to local scholars, over 90% of the country’s population adheres to Islam. The majority follow the Hanafi school of Sunni Islam. Approximately 3–4% of Muslims are Ismaili Shias, most of whom reside in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) in the eastern part of the country.

The primary state body responsible for enforcing legislation on religious matters is the Committee on Religious Affairs (CRA). The Center for Islamic Studies, under the Executive Office of the President, plays a critical role in shaping state policy on religion.

Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east. More than 90% of the country’s territory is mountainous, dominated by the Pamir and Alay ranges. The climate is continental, with cold winters and hot summers.

Political System
• Form of Government, Key Political Parties, and Leaders
Tajikistan operates as a presidential republic characterized by a centralized authoritarian regime.

Political Parties:
1. People’s Democratic Party of Tajikistan (PDPT): Founded in 1994, the ruling party is the dominant political force in the country. It promotes a nationalist agenda and strongly supports the policies of President Emomali Rahmon. The PDPT emphasizes stability and economic development, closely collaborating with the president.
2. Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT): Once the only legal Islamic political party in Central Asia, the IRPT played a significant role during the 1990s. However, after the civil war and subsequent government crackdowns, the party was banned in 2015. Its leaders faced persecution, and the party largely dissolved, now operating in exile.
3. Other Parties: A few minor parties, including the Social Democratic Party of Tajikistan and the Communist Party of Tajikistan, exist but wield limited influence. They are often considered ineffective. Political opposition is heavily suppressed, with the state maintaining strict control over political activities.

Emomali Rahmon:
Rahmon assumed power in November 1992, with armed support from the National Front and Russian military forces, during the civil war. Elected chairman of the Supreme Council, he became president in 1994 and has been re-elected multiple times in elections criticized by international observers for lacking democratic standards. His rule has been marked by aggressive repression, mass killings, extrajudicial executions, and imprisonment of political opponents, including arbitrary arrests and lengthy prison terms for activists, journalists, and human rights defenders. Authorities have also targeted lawyers and citizens posting government criticism on social media. Despite achieving relative stability after the civil war, Tajikistan remains one of the poorest countries in the region, facing corruption and entrenched authoritarianism.

Recent Elections and Their Results

In 2020, parliamentary and presidential elections were held in Tajikistan. The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) election observation mission noted “systemic violations of fundamental political rights and freedoms,” effectively eliminating the possibility of pluralistic political debate. The report stated that genuine opposition had “disappeared from the political scene.”
• In 2014, the Supreme Court of Tajikistan declared the opposition movement Group 24 an extremist organization, banning its activities.
• In 2015, the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) was outlawed and labeled a terrorist organization.
• In 2019, the authorities banned the National Alliance of Tajikistan, also labeling it a terrorist organization.

Opposition groups and observers criticized the elections as largely symbolic, with predetermined results favoring the incumbent president. Registered competitors were individuals loyal to or aligned with the authorities. Rahmatillo Zoirov, leader of the only officially registered opposition party, the Social Democratic Party of Tajikistan, called for an election boycott.

State of Democracy
• Freedom of Speech and Media Independence
In May 2024, Reporters Without Borders published its Press Freedom Index, highlighting the deteriorating state of media freedom across Central Asia. Tajikistan’s score fell from 39.06 to 33.31 points, reflecting a worsening crisis. Recently, writer Abdulhalil Holikzoda, editor Abduqodir Rustam, and publisher Suhrob Rajabzoda were sentenced to 6.5, 4.5, and 1 year of imprisonment, respectively, for publishing the book Events of My Life, which discussed corruption and migration in modern Tajikistan.

In June 2023, the Supreme Court of Tajikistan banned the New Tajikistan 2 website, affiliated with Group 24, labeling it extremist. Pages of its authors on Telegram, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram were also blocked. Collaborating with the website is punishable by up to eight years of imprisonment.

Independent journalist Khurshed Fozilov was detained in March 2023 on charges of collaborating with banned organizations. In May, a district court sentenced him to seven years in prison.

On January 10, 2025, the court in Kulob sentenced Ahmad Ibrohim, editor-in-chief of Paik, the only independent newspaper in the Khatlon Province, to 10 years in prison.

Over a dozen journalists remain imprisoned on fabricated terrorism charges intended to silence dissent. Those incarcerated include Daleri Imomali, Abdullo Gurbati, Zavkibek Saidamini, Ulfatkhonim Mamadshoeva, Muhammadi Sultan, Khushruz Jumayev, Abdusattor Pirmukhammadzoda, and others. These charges are widely viewed as tools used by Emomali Rahmon’s regime to suppress any dissenting voices, leveraging false accusations of extremism and terrorism against those who dare to speak the truth.
• Freedom of Assembly and Association
Opposition parties and international observers have reported selective arrests and persecution of political opponents. NGOs and opposition groups estimate that there are approximately 2,000 political prisoners in the country.

In May 2022, protests erupted in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO), driven by public dissatisfaction with government actions. In response, security forces launched a brutal “anti-terrorism operation” that, according to the UN, resulted in approximately 40 deaths. Over 200 individuals, including journalists, activists, and human rights defenders, were arbitrarily detained and subjected to severe torture. Charges against them often relied on vague terms such as “extremism,” “terrorism,” and “attempting to overthrow the constitutional order.” International organizations condemned these actions as egregious human rights violations.

In August 2023, the Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that over 1,000 citizens were wanted on charges related to terrorism and extremism. Such laws are frequently used to criminalize political expression, peaceful association, and participation in protests, violating constitutional rights.

Political Persecution and Repression

Repression of independent and critical voices in Tajikistan persisted in 2023. Hundreds of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) were forced to cease operations, dozens of bloggers were detained for expressing opinions on government policies, and religious organizations were either banned or subjected to severe restrictions. Several political movements and parties deemed a threat by the authorities remain banned, including the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) and Group 24. Many members of these organizations are serving lengthy prison terms or have been forcibly extradited from abroad.

On October 10, 2024, a court in Dushanbe sentenced Suhrob Zafar, leader of the opposition movement Group 24, to 30 years in prison, and his associate Nasimjon Sharifov to 20 years. The trial was held behind closed doors, with no access for relatives or the public. The charges included “calls for the violent overthrow of the constitutional order.” Zafar and Sharifov, who had been residing in Turkey, disappeared in early 2024 and later reappeared in Dushanbe under unknown circumstances.

In the first half of 2023, Tajik authorities announced the closure of 239 NGOs, continuing a trend from 2022, when over 500 organizations were shut down, either by court order or through so-called “self-liquidation” under government pressure.

In January 2023, a district court in Dushanbe ordered the dissolution of the Independent Center for Human Rights Protection (ICHPR), an organization addressing sensitive issues such as housing rights, legal support for journalists, and victims of torture. The decision followed a Ministry of Justice inspection citing formal violations, such as delayed financial reports and the absence of regional offices required by the organization’s charter.

To date, 205 residents of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) have been sentenced to various prison terms for participating in peaceful protests in 2021 and 2022. Eleven individuals received life sentences, 85 were sentenced to 10–29 years, and 53 received terms of 1.5–9 years. At least 20 human rights defenders, lawyers, and journalists who criticized the government’s actions in GBAO in 2022 remain imprisoned, serving lengthy sentences. Many have reported torture and mistreatment to their relatives.

In July 2023, the Vahdat City Court extended the sentence of lawyer Buzurgmehr Yorov by an additional 10 years, bringing his total sentence to 31 years. Yorov, who was imprisoned in 2015 for representing members of the banned IRPT, was tried behind closed doors without legal representation.

Leaders and members of the IRPT, previously sentenced to long or life terms, remain imprisoned despite numerous international calls for their release.

On May 26, 2023, journalist Khurshed Fozilov, who reported on social issues in the Zerafshan Valley, was sentenced to seven years in prison for alleged involvement in banned organizations. The trial took place in a detention facility and was closed to the public. According to Human Rights Watch, around 50 family members in Tajikistan were detained and questioned after their relatives protested during President Emomali Rahmon’s visit to Germany in September.

In the first six months of 2023, courts reviewed 5,543 cases without issuing a single acquittal, as reported by Supreme Court Chairman Shermuhammad Shohiyon during a press conference on August 14. Similarly, no acquittals were recorded in 2022. The lack of access to court proceedings for media, diplomatic representatives, and relatives of defendants remained a significant issue throughout the year.

Torture and other forms of ill-treatment remain widespread. Security agencies, particularly the State Committee for National Security and the so-called Sixth Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, reportedly use torture to extract “confessions” and incriminate others. Methods include inserting needles under nails, electric shocks, beatings, sexual violence, sleep deprivation, suffocation with plastic bags, and the injection of drugs.

On January 2, 2023, Abdukodhor Rozikov died in police custody in the city of Kulob. His death was attributed to torture, with photos and videos of his body substantiating these allegations. In a rare instance of accountability, three former police officers were sentenced to 14 years in prison on July 25 for their involvement in his death.

Prisoners continue to report abuse, including beatings, insufficient food and water, and cold, damp conditions in cells. Many inmates suffer from tuberculosis without receiving adequate medical treatment.

Human Rights:
• Key Human Rights Violations

Domestic violence remains a pressing and unresolved issue in Tajikistan. Authorities have failed to effectively implement the 2013 law on the prevention of domestic violence. In the first half of 2023, the Committee on Women and Family Affairs received 1,075 complaints related to domestic violence. Social stigma, economic dependency, impunity for perpetrators, and a lack of shelters hinder survivors’ access to assistance, particularly women with disabilities and those in rural areas.

In June 2024, President Emomali Rahmon signed a new law, On the Regulation of Ceremonies and Traditions, which bans the “import, sale, and wearing of clothing alien to national culture” in public spaces. The law directly impacts Muslim women, prohibiting the wearing of the hijab and leading to widespread discrimination and persecution. Police conduct raids, and women who refuse to remove their hijabs face fines and public humiliation. These actions violate their rights to freedom of religion and gender equality. Men are similarly prohibited from growing beards.

Additionally, since 2010, Tajik authorities have closed over 2,500 mosques and madrasas under the pretext of administrative violations. Islamic scholars, imams, and preachers have been subjected to arrests, torture, and lengthy prison sentences. Repressive laws are routinely used to suppress independent religious voices.

In April 2023, President Emomali Rahmon reportedly signed a decree allowing authorities to bury the bodies of individuals killed during so-called “anti-terrorist operations” in unmarked graves at locations determined by the state. These locations were not disclosed to relatives, and religious burial rites were ignored.

Civil and Political Rights:
Law enforcement agencies continued to arrest and detain individuals suspected of membership in, or support for, groups banned by the government. These groups often promote Islamic political goals and position themselves as political opponents of the government. During an August 11 press conference, Minister of Internal Affairs Ramazon Rahimzoda announced 195 arrests of alleged members of “extremist” and “terrorist” organizations in the first half of 2023, 66 fewer than during the same period in 2022. Due to the close interconnection between religion, ethnicity, and politics, it is often difficult to classify such incidents as solely religious.

According to Forum 18, at least 19 prisoners of conscience were known to be in detention for exercising their freedom of religion or belief as of December 2023.

The central government continues to systematically discriminate against Pamiris.

Reports by International Organizations

International human rights organizations remain effectively barred from operating in Tajikistan. This, combined with severe reprisals against local human rights monitors, has significantly constrained information-gathering efforts.

On July 4, 2023, UN experts urged Tajikistan to demonstrate genuine commitment to improving the situation for human rights defenders and expressed concern about their convictions. “We would like to remind the government that criminalizing the legitimate and peaceful work of human rights defenders is incompatible with Tajikistan’s international human rights obligations. Conflating human rights defenders with extremists and terrorists is a very dangerous practice,” the experts stated.

On December 29, 2023, the U.S. Secretary of State re-designated Tajikistan as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) but waived the mandatory sanctions accompanying the designation, citing “important national interests of the United States.”

Reforms and Prospects

Ongoing or Planned Reforms in Democracy and Human Rights:
Tajikistan has initiated negotiations with the European Union for an Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, which emphasizes democratic development and the protection of fundamental rights. Additionally, the country applied for the EU’s Generalized Scheme of Preferences (GSP+) trade program, which requires adherence to 27 core international conventions covering labor rights, human rights, environmental and climate protection, and good governance.

In 2023, Tajikistan consolidated two laws—“On Licensing Certain Types of Activities” and “On the Permit System”—making all media permits indefinite. This measure is expected to facilitate the work of journalists and reduce corruption risks. However, in January, the head of the State Control Inspectorate for Television and Radio Broadcasting reported that five out of six applications for new television channels were denied.

On the international front, Tajikistan and the EU reiterated their commitment to the Paris Agreement and pledged continued collaboration on the Water Action Agenda, a joint initiative launched by Tajikistan and the Netherlands at the 2023 UN Water Conference.

Prospects for Improvement in the Near Future
1. Guaranteeing Civil Freedoms:
• Ensure that no individuals are criminally charged, declared wanted, arrested, or imprisoned for expressing discontent, engaging in civic activities, or maintaining contact with foreign-based groups and activists.
• Promptly review convictions handed down in retaliation for the legitimate exercise of freedoms of expression, association, and assembly.
2. Addressing Torture:
• Apply the Criminal Code’s provisions on torture effectively and ensure that allegations of torture and ill-treatment are promptly, thoroughly, and impartially investigated. Perpetrators must be prosecuted and face penalties commensurate with their crimes, while victims should receive adequate compensation.
3. International Support:
• Provide financial assistance and capacity-building support to independent human rights organizations, activists, and journalists working under threats and repression.
• Organize educational and training programs to empower local communities and activists to promote and protect human rights.

Recommendations for the Foundation
1. Initiating Independent Investigations:
• Advocate for independent investigations by international organizations and governments into systematic human rights violations in Tajikistan, including the repression of religious and political activists.
2. Promoting Internet Access:
• Work to improve internet accessibility, speed, and affordability while safeguarding citizens’ rights to access, share, and disseminate information freely.
3. Creating Dialogue Platforms:
• Establish formal and informal platforms for discussing violations of freedom of speech and the rights of journalists and political activists, ensuring their active participation in such initiatives.
4. Advancing Legal Reforms:
• Advocate for the reform of repressive laws and policies, including those regulating freedom of speech, assembly, and media. Promote enhanced protections against torture, arbitrary detention, and gender-based violence. Collaborate with legal experts and reform-oriented policymakers to facilitate incremental progress toward legal and policy improvements.

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