“Raids” against beards and hijabs in Tajikistan

The law enforcement agencies of Tajikistan have once again begun conducting “raids” against beards and hijabs in Dushanbe and the surrounding areas.

According to sources from Azda TV, on April 30 of this year, law enforcement officers in the capital are walking through the streets, shops, trading pavilions, and even entering public transport, forcibly making women in hijabs remove their head coverings and men with beards shave their beards. They did not explain or justify their actions with any law or decree.

A source from Dushanbe, speaking on condition of anonymity, reported to Azda TV on Tuesday, April 30, that they witnessed such an incident.

“Today I witnessed how in the 46th microdistrict of the capital, police and other officials pulled women in hijabs out of minibuses and forcibly made them remove their scarves and hijabs, throwing them into a nearby trash bin,” the source reported.

According to the source, law enforcement officers insulted women in hijabs. The source stated that they said: “If you don’t take off your hijab, we will fine you up to 5,000 somoni, in addition to detaining you for 15 days, and in the end, you will still take off your hijab.”

So far, Azda TV has not been able to confirm this information from other sources.

However, past experience shows that the country’s law enforcement agencies make such decisions independently, do not provide reliable information to the media, and do not explain the reasons for their unlawful actions.

Some users are writing on social media that after the bloody events in Krasnogorsk, the law enforcement agencies of Tajikistan have intensified pressure on their citizens, just like the law enforcement agencies of other countries.

Azda TV urges readers and viewers to provide us with any information, or if you have witnessed such incidents, to record everything on camera and send us photo and video materials. The anonymity of the sender is guaranteed.