Tajikistan

Tajikistan: Authorities Arrest Bloggers for “Immorality”

Harassment for posting allegedly obscene content seen as a means to further shrink freedom of speech.

14 Mar 23

(L to R) Natalia Tsoi, boxing referee from Kazakstan; Farida Abdueva, Muay Thai fighter from Kyrgyzstan; Shoira Zulkaynarova, boxer from Tajikistan; Aziza Yakubova, boxer from Uzbekistan. © Courtesy of N. Tsoi, F. Abdueva, S. Zulkaynarova and A. Yakubova.

Central Asia: Fighting, Inside and Outside the Ring

Women who dream of taking on combat disciplines have to first defy conservative traditions.

8 Mar 23

Members of the Russian military. © Igor Rudenko/Wikimedia

Tajik Migrants Coerced Into Russian Army

Reports grow that foreign workers are being forced to join Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

17 Nov 22

The sign of Isfara, a town in northern Tajikistan, on the border with Kyrgyzstan. The town lies in the homonymous valley which is crossed by the Isfara river. Media reported that the clashes in September broke out along the frontier between Tajikistan's Sughd and Kyrgyzstan's southern Batken provinces because of a dispute over a reservoir and pump, claimed by both sides, on the Isfara river. © IWPR

“We Don’t Want War,” Say Kyrgyz and Tajik Citizens

Over 100 people died in renewed violence along the border in September 2022 as long-standing issues remain unresolved.

24 Oct 22

On October 4, independent journalist and filmmaker Avazmad Ghurbatov, who works with the name of Abdullo Ghurbati, was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison on dubious charges of using violence, insulting police officers and having ties with the banned Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT). © Ghurbati's Facebook profile

Tajikistan’s Freedom of Expression Shrinks

Journalists get lengthy sentences on charges that rights groups say are groundless.

24 Oct 22

A village in the Leylek District of the Batken region after conflicts. © State Border Guard Service

Kyrgyz-Tajik Border Violence Spurs Calls for Compromise

Complex geography and domestic politics mean a solution remains elusive.

21 Sep 22

Tajikistan’s New Round of Media Repression

Detentions come amid a crackdown on street protests in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region.

30 Jun 22

Protests Reignite in Tajikistan’s Restive Region

Authorities struggle to contain anger over a citizen’s unexplained death in detention.

20 May 22

Tajik Society Divided Over Russian Invasion of Ukraine

With authorities remaining tight-lipped, emotions run high in Tajikistan as citizens argue over the ongoing conflict.

28 Apr 22

A lake in the scenic Pamir mountains.

Tajikistan: Women Mountain Guides Scale New Peaks

An almost unheard job for a woman in the conservative Central Asian country.

8 Mar 22

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