Tajikistan

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.

The Gaza war has opened an unprecedented chapter in the bitter Shia-Sunni sectarian struggle. 

The potential for AI to bring about closer regional integration lies in its ability to address some of the traditional barriers to economic cooperation.

Yet again, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan – alongside Saudi Arabia and Pakistan – have been granted waivers from sanctions related to their religious freedom violations.

The Soviet Union’s collapse 32 years ago led to rapid change, economic collapse, and violence. In Tajikistan, that violence slid rapidly into civil war.

Tajikistan is the strongest critic of the Taliban in Central Asia and continues to host dialogues featuring a diversity of Afghan voices.

On December 9, 2022, after a closed-door trial, the lawyer and human rights defender was sentenced to 16 years’ imprisonment.