Tajikistan

In the first instance of criminalizing illegal electricity consumption in Central Asia, Tajikistan is introducing prison sentences up to 10 years.

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

With final documents ready for ratification and then presidential signatures, contemporary Central Asia’s bloodiest conflict nears a conclusion. 

Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are closing in on the conclusion of their long-running border dispute. What does the prospect mean to locals?

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.

The two sides say they’ve reached an agreement and fully completed the description of their mutual border. The next steps will be even more difficult.

Dushanbe’s door-to-door policy is part of an almost decade-long campaign to counter radicalization and religious extremism in the country. Is it effective?

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

Over the last decade, Tajikistan has pursued Group 24 activists around the world.

A member of the group, also kidnapped from Turkiye earlier this year, was given a 20 year sentence. The exact charges are unknown. 

After October 7, conspiracy theories have gained traction within Central Asian Salafi circles accusing Shias of acting as agents of the Jews in a coordinated effort to undermine Sunni Islam. 

Despite the potential for a conflict of interests on the transport and transit track, it is still beneficial for Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to cooperate rather than compete.

Typically, rationing in rural areas begins in late October, but this year the state power company announced the start of restrictions on electricity in late September.

South Korea and Tajikistan signed an agreement recently to start a feasibility study for a rail route that would connect Tajikistan via Afghanistan to routes both east and west.

New bills speeding up the deportation process and insisting on military registration for new citizens are predicted to spark a “migration crisis” that will largely impact Central Asia.

For the second year in a row, Central Asia’s leaders are making the trek to Moscow to mark a holiday of fleeting relevance in the region.

An interview with Malika Bahovadinova on the complexities of the Tajik migration experience in Russia.

While Tajiks in Russia have and will likely continue to face mistreatment and repression, this is not their first time weathering such a storm. 

In the aftermath of the Crocus City Hall attack, Tajiks find their world shrinking further.

In less than a month, two prominent Group 24 activists have disappeared in Turkey, raising concerns that they have been or will be sent back to Tajikistan. 

At the highest level, the problem lies unaddressed: powerful representatives of state bodies have failed to strongly and publicly condemn domestic violence.

Tajikistan confronts many of the same issues as neighboring Kyrgyzstan, where water levels at critical reservoirs are approaching dangerous lows.

The Tajik authorities portray themselves as protectors of morality, and adopt harsh measures to prevent LGBTQ+ people from living their lives.