Cases of threats and insults against opposition members have increased

After the demonstrations in Berlin, organized by the Tajik opposition, opposition activists faced harassment on social media.

On September 28 and 29, the Tajik opposition organized protests in front of the Tajik Embassy in Germany and the residence of the German president in Berlin against the backdrop of Tajik President Emomali Rahmon’s visit to Germany.

On September 28, the President of Tajikistan, along with other heads of state from Central Asia, was in Germany for a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. However, he did not meet with representatives of the opposition.

The political movement “Group 24” was the first to announce the protest action. In the organization’s announcement, it was stated that on September 28, a protest would take place in Berlin, opposite the Tajik Embassy in Germany. The organizers called on Tajiks living in Europe, especially in Germany, to participate in this action.

On September 27, the National Alliance of Tajikistan, a coalition of opposition groups and parties abroad, also called on all compatriots to join the protests alongside demonstrators from other Central Asian countries, which would take place in the German capital on September 29.

During the protests, activists from the “Group 24” threw eggs at the motorcade of the President of Tajikistan, particularly at Emomali Rahmon’s car. One of the eggs hit the window where Rahmon was sitting. During other demonstrations, dozens of people chanted slogans, including “Dictator resign.” Rahmon heard these shouts.

In over 30 years of his rule, Emomali Rahmon had never encountered such a “treatment,” and he had never personally seen or heard that the citizens of Tajikistan hated him so much. Of course, this upset him greatly, and he was furious.

The protests of the Tajik opposition in Berlin were conducted in accordance with the norms of civil protests and rallies in Europe and other countries around the world, including Tajikistan. However, these peaceful protests did not sit well with Emomali Rahmon and the security forces of Tajikistan, and they were enraged.

Following these demonstrations, on September 29 and 30 of this year, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the State National Security Committee, and the Prosecutor’s Office in Tajikistan began a wave of pressure, threats, insults, detentions, and abductions of people considered to be criminals under the country’s laws, targeting the relatives and close ones of opposition activists, particularly participants of these protests.

Simultaneously with this wave of pressure and detentions, there was a sharp increase in cases of direct and indirect threats and insults against participants of the protests on social media and through the media. Trolls, who use fake accounts on social networks and are controlled by the government and law enforcement agencies, particularly stood out.

At the same time, hundreds of supporters of the authoritarian regime of Emomali Rahmon, many of whom are well-known in society, including cultural and artistic figures, writers, scholars, and government officials, have unleashed criticism and insults on participants of the protests in Berlin, with direct threats to kill, neutralize, or destroy them. Moreover, they encouraged the authorities to repress their relatives and loved ones in Tajikistan so that “others would think twice.”

If pro-government users and trolls use fake accounts for threats and insults, some pro-government figures openly support them and also insult and threaten opposition activists. However, the relatives and followers of the opposition, detained in recent days, have been subjected to moral and physical torture and have been used as a means to incite hatred.