In Tajikistan, the “hunt for bearded men” has begun again

After the bloody events in the Moscow region, the security forces of Tajikistan have resumed their campaign of forced beard shaving in the capital of the country.

It is reported that this decision was made by Tajik law enforcement after the arrest of about 15 people on charges of preparing terrorist acts in Tajikistan (which was later denied by the State Committee for National Security). The authorities have not yet commented on reports of a “hunt for bearded men.”

Users on social media are complaining about these actions of law enforcement. Some users write that a hunt for bearded men has begun in Dushanbe, with law enforcement detaining young men, insulting them, and “shaving their beards to zero.” Users have called these actions of law enforcement against citizens illegal and believe they are a reason for the emergence of extremist groups.

Previously, employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in cooperation with other government agencies, conducted similar campaigns from 2013 to 2016. Videos published at that time show police officers detaining young men with beards right on the street and forcibly shaving them.

At that time, these campaigns were referred to as “explanatory work” or “preventive measures for regulating men’s beards and women’s headscarves,” but everyone knew that the goal of these illegal actions was to combat beards and hijabs.

Even the country’s president, Emomali Rahmon, supported these actions in his speeches, stating that the goal of these campaigns for forced beard shaving and the removal of hijabs was “to combat manifestations of extremism and terrorism.”

However, at the same time, experience has shown that conducting such illegal campaigns has harmed Tajikistan’s reputation on the world stage in several areas.

According to official data, the number of those who joined extremist and terrorist groups in Tajikistan has increased several times.

The bloody events in the Moscow region, where the investigation into the attack on the concert hall is still ongoing, have already sparked numerous debates regarding the justification of the Russian authorities’ accusations related to this incident.