Authorities are searching for nearly 3,500 Tajik nationals through Interpol

The authorities of Tajikistan primarily use Interpol mechanisms to issue wanted notices for political dissidents and religious citizens who have no ties to terrorist groups.

The French investigative project Disclose revealed in its article that as of September 2024, Tajikistan had issued 3,493 “Red Notices” to its citizens through the International Criminal Police Organization, Interpol. In this regard, Tajikistan surpasses the USA, France, and even China, which has a population of nearly one and a half billion.

Tajikistan sends a significant portion of its requests for Interpol Red Notices under the pretext of combating terrorism, including “ISIS-Khorasan Province.” This investigation, based on an analysis of internal Interpol data, shows that under the guise of fighting terrorism, Tajik authorities have used Interpol mechanisms to pursue political opposition in exile, as well as practicing Muslims who had no connections to armed groups.

The article specifies that Tajikistan has been a member of Interpol since 2004, but despite violations of the organization’s charter, it has not been subjected to any enhanced control measures by the organization.

The authors of the article point out that Interpol could strengthen oversight by applying “corrective measures” to the country, as was done in the case of Belarus or Syria, but this has not yet occurred.

As an example, the authors of the investigation cite the case of human rights activist Shabnam Khudoydodova. It is reported that in 2015 she left Russia and was detained at the Polish-Belarusian border. Khudoydodova spent eight months in a Belarusian pre-trial detention center. After her release, she managed to flee to Poland and obtain refugee status. Shortly thereafter, Interpol removed the Red Notice. The organization took almost a year to realize the political fabrication of the case.

However, the problem was not fully resolved, and the persecution continued even after the Red Notice was removed. The activist claims that from 2018 to 2023, she was detained three times in European airports, after which she was released due to her refugee status.

According to the investigation, Poland added her name to an Interpol file called “CT CAF,” related to counter-terrorism efforts. She remained in this database for over three years—from August 2019 to November 2022—without any explanation for the reasons. The Interpol General Secretariat later acknowledged the error and corrected it.

In its investigation, Disclose highlights the case of a family of supporters of the Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan (IRPT). According to the investigation, the father, mother, and children were issued “Red Notices” on charges of links to the “Islamic State.” As a result, the father was detained in Turkey in 2016, where he was held for two months. The son was detained in 2022 in one of the European countries and held for 40 days, while the mother was detained in 2024 in Turkey but later released without charges.

The Interpol file control commission stated in its findings from October 2023 that there is no specific information regarding the detained individual’s involvement with the Islamic State, and the case had a political or religious context. Nevertheless, the case was under review for several months.

The Disclose project identified at least thirteen other instances where opposition members or Muslim believers in Tajikistan were unjustly pursued through Interpol. Despite these serious violations of the organization’s charter, it has taken no action against Tajikistan.

One of the authors of the investigation, French journalist Mathieu Martinière, stated in an interview with Azda TV that they only have access to data from individuals who themselves file complaints about Interpol’s red notices. According to him, few people file complaints because they are accepted only in English or French, which is difficult for Tajik citizens. Additionally, the legal fees for filing complaints can cost between 10,000 and 12,000 euros, leading many to prefer not to file a complaint against Interpol’s red notices.

He also reported that, according to his information, about 15 applicants were placed on the lists for political and religious reasons, but they do not want their names to be made public.

Recall that earlier the authorities of Tajikistan issued a request for an Interpol “red notice” against the leader of the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan, Muhiddin Kabiri, but later Interpol removed his name.