The obligation of the state to assist in the return of the bodies of deceased citizens abroad has been enshrined in the legislation of Tajikistan for the first time.
These and other provisions were included in the law “On Migration.” The new law was published on October 23 in the parliamentary newspaper “Sadoi Mardum” (Voice of the People). It is reported that Emomali Rahmon signed the law on October 21. The migration law of 1999 is now invalid.
According to Article 35 of the new law, henceforth, authorized state bodies in the field of foreign policy, as well as diplomatic missions and consular institutions of Tajikistan abroad, are obliged to assist in the return of the bodies of deceased citizens from abroad. Such provisions were not included in the previous version of the law.
Every year, dozens of bodies of deceased citizens are returned to Tajikistan from abroad. Most of them are labor migrants, primarily working in Russia. Usually, the transportation of “cargo-200” to their homeland is organized by relatives and close ones of the deceased. According to authorities, only in the first half of 2026, 13 “cargo-200” were returned from Russia to Tajikistan through the international airport of Kulyab.