Visit of the Attorney General to Turkey and the extradition of Tajik citizens

A delegation from the General Prosecutor’s Office of Tajikistan, led by the General Prosecutor of Tajikistan Yusuf Rahmon, departed for Turkey on May 2.

The General Prosecutor of Tajikistan Yusuf Rahmon met with his Turkish counterpart Bekir Şahin in Istanbul. It was reported that during the meeting, the parties discussed issues of cooperation between the prosecutor’s offices of the two countries “in interaction in the fight against crime, particularly extremism and terrorism, drug trafficking, transnational organized crime groups, as well as the issue of recognizing dangerous organizations as terrorist on the territory of both countries.”

During the negotiations, the parties agreed to continue the practice of the two countries in the field of instant information exchange and combating undesirable phenomena, including preventing informal religious teachings, conducting operational-search activities, and also discussed issues of providing intergovernmental mutual legal assistance in criminal cases, extradition of criminals, repatriation of convicts, and other important issues in this area,” the statement noted.

Sources from Azda TV reported that in the last two days, law enforcement officers and staff from the Tajikistan embassy in Istanbul have been visiting religious schools (madrasas) and centers for training Quran hafiz, which are officially registered in Turkey, photographing Tajik citizens studying there and threatening them with extradition to their homeland.

A source from Azda TV sent a video showing three law enforcement officers and embassy staff from Tajikistan photographing the building of one of the educational institutions in Istanbul.

Another source reported that several students from the madrasas and Quran hafiz training centers have already been detained and deported to Tajikistan. This information has not yet been confirmed.

According to our source, who is closely familiar with the situation, the General Prosecutor of Tajikistan is making efforts during his visit to Turkey to return to Tajikistan those against whom criminal cases have been initiated on fabricated charges.

“Another issue that greatly concerns the government of Tajikistan is the increasing number of Tajik students in religious schools or madrasas and centers for training Quran hafiz in Turkey. The authorities are trying to prevent this phenomenon, just as they do in Tajikistan,” our interlocutor stated.