Deputy Head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs urged opposition members to voluntarily return

The First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Tajikistan, Abdurakhmon Alamshozoda (Buzmakov), during a press conference of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tajikistan, called on opposition activists to voluntarily return to their homeland.

The Deputy Minister stated that relatives of individuals who are abroad and, according to the Deputy Minister, have joined “extremist groups” or participated in hostilities in other countries can voluntarily return home and continue to live peacefully.

Alamshozoda’s appeal was made on August 8 at a press conference of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tajikistan. The Minister of Internal Affairs of the country, Ramazon Rahimzoda, was not present at the meeting.

The Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Tajikistan announced that amendments have been made to Articles 307 (Extremism) and 401 (Mercenarism) of the Criminal Code of Tajikistan. Now, “if a person who has participated in armed actions in warring states or is a member of a terrorist group expresses a desire to voluntarily return home and repents, then in this case, he is exempt from criminal liability,” he noted.

Alamshozoda also stated that in the first six months of this year, 226 members of terrorist and extremist organizations were arrested, and another 220 people voluntarily returned from abroad as a result of explanatory work and were exempted from criminal liability.

Alamshozoda claims that a total of 1589 people were forcibly or voluntarily returned to their homeland.

The Deputy Minister did not name any group or organization specifically, but law enforcement agencies usually refer to opposition movements as terrorist or extremist organizations.

The First Deputy Head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tajikistan emphasized that in Tajikistan, 1381 wanted criminals were detained in the first six months of this year. Additionally, 44 individuals who were internationally wanted were detained in foreign countries. Of these, 22 have already been extradited to Tajikistan through Interpol, while another 22 are under consideration for extradition to Tajikistan, noted Alamshozoda, without mentioning any names.

From January to June of this year, 95 cases of financing terrorism and extremism were identified, totaling more than 500,000 somoni (approximately 50,000 dollars), of which 43 were solved, and 39 individuals were detained, added Abdurakhmon Alamshozoda at the press conference.

The Deputy Minister also reported that 10 organized criminal groups were established, consisting of 53 individuals, and a total of 19 cases of crime were identified.

According to him, in Tajikistan, three terrorist acts were registered and solved in the first six months of this year, as well as two more attempts to carry out attacks. During this period, the Ministry of Internal Affairs registered 582 crimes of a terrorist and extremist nature.

According to the deputy minister, terrorist attacks were prevented in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, Khatlon Region, and areas under republican jurisdiction.

Abdurahmon Alamshozoda did not provide details about the prevention of the terrorist attacks, nor did he disclose how many people were detained on these charges.

In response to journalists’ questions, the deputy head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tajikistan noted that in the Jamoat of Yazgulom in the Vanj District of GBAO, 27 people were detained for participating in the terrorist group “Ansarulloh,” and 4 others have been put on the wanted list.