Emomali Rahmon

Dushanbe’s parliamentary polls, held on March 2, took place without external scrutiny and turned up an expected landslide for the ruling party.

Without guarantees that observers would be accredited, and an apparent lack of engagement by Dushanbe, the OSCE has chosen to cancel its monitoring mission.

Given the classified nature of the trial, the details of the alleged plot are unknown.

Prosecutors are asking for 20-30 year sentences for eight defendants presumably accused of a coup plot about which there are very few details available.

The alleged coup plot features every one of President Emomali Rahmon’s personal bêtes noires.

As long as people have limited opportunities in the socioeconomic and political arenas, and adherence to a religious lifestyle is restricted, pilgrimages will remain as an accessible means of self-fulfillment. 

Although they don’t share a border, budding autocratic dynasties Turkmenistan and Tajikistan are close political neighbors.

Conflicts have intensified across the former Soviet Union, now in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. It’s a worrying and disillusioning development for the region. 

The recent outbreak of hostilities on the Kyrgyz-Tajik border represents a dangerous escalation from previous tension and skirmishes to a distinct act of aggression.

Tajik President Emomali Rahmon is expected to make a visit to GBAO in early September, though no official announcement has been made.

The world has changed profoundly since the last Central Asian Consultative Meeting, yet the new regional grouping carries on.

European leaders concerned with Afghanistan’s security situation may see Tajikistan as a useful partner to limit refugee flows to Europe.