Tadjikistan
Human Rights Watch released its 2025 report on Tajikistan, detailing significant legal and human rights issues. The report highlights the government's consolidation of power through parliamentary elections held without independent observers and the continued crackdown on dissent, including the sentencing of public figures and journalists to long prison terms. Notably, there has been no independent investigation into the deadly government crackdown on peaceful protesters in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO) in 2021 and 2022. Members of the Pamiri ethnic group continue to report harassment and pressure from authorities. Additionally, the report criticizes the lack of accountability for crimes committed by Tajik armed forces during the 2022 border conflict with Kyrgyzstan. The government's control over freedom of belief and the decriminalization of domestic violence are also highlighted as areas of concern.
In March 2025, the ruling People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan secured 49 out of 63 seats in the lower house of parliament. These elections were conducted without independent observers, as the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) was denied accreditation. Independent media outlets were also barred from covering the elections. Following the elections, the Supreme Court convicted several prominent figures of high treason, sentencing them to between 18 and 27 years in prison. Among those convicted were human rights lawyer Shokirjon Khakimov and former Foreign Minister Khamrokhon Zarifi.
The report documents the continued imprisonment of journalists and civil society activists. In February 2025, investigative journalist Ruhshona Khakimova was sentenced to eight years in prison on classified charges following a closed trial. Additionally, five ethnic Pamiri activists died in custody in the first half of the year, all of whom had been detained after the May 2022 protests. The report also notes that at least six civil society activists of ethnic Pamiri origin remain imprisoned, including Ulfatkhonim Mamadshoeva and Manuchehr Kholiqnazarov.
The government continued to tightly control freedom of belief. In February 2025, authorities prevented Ismaili Shia Muslims in Khorog and Dushanbe from properly mourning the death of their spiritual leader, the Aga Khan IV. The report also highlights instances of transnational repression, including the deportation and subsequent imprisonment of Tajik opposition activists from Germany and Sweden.
In March 2025, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan signed an agreement over the contested border between the two countries. The agreement includes plans for land swaps and shared management of water resources. However, there has been no accountability for apparent war crimes committed during the 2022 border conflict, which resulted in the deaths of at least 37 civilians. Additionally, in July 2025, Tajik authorities deported a number of undocumented Afghan nationals, claiming they had entered the country illegally.
The Human Rights Watch report underscores the need for comprehensive legal reforms and accountability measures to address these ongoing human rights violations in Tajikistan.
