Continuation of the chain of detentions: 5 natives of Yazgulam detained in a mosque

The law enforcement agencies of Dushanbe detained five natives of Yazgulam on charges of membership in an extremist organization.

Later, three of them were released. This was reported on September 16 by Radio Ozodi, citing sources close to the relatives of the detainees.

According to sources, all five were detained on September 7 in a mosque. They are all natives of the village of Yazgulam in the Vanj district of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, where criminal cases have recently been initiated against residents on charges of extremism.

It is reported that two of the detainees, who are currently still in custody, lived in the Abdurakhmoni Jomi area of Khatlon Province. The other three, who were released, lived in the neighborhoods of “Hayoti Nav” and “Guliston” in the Firdavsi district of Dushanbe. All detainees were aged between 20 and 25 years.

This is not the first case where natives of Yazgulam in Tajikistan are mass detained or sentenced to prison. In May 2026, a court in Dushanbe sentenced three Yazgulam natives living in the capital to imprisonment on charges of membership in the banned movement “Salafiya.” Earlier, in December 2024, the Supreme Court of Tajikistan sentenced 31 residents of the Vanj district, most of whom were natives of Yazgulam, to prison terms ranging from 2 to 20 years on charges of extremism.