HRW recorded an increase in human rights violations in Tajikistan

In 2025, the regime in Tajikistan strengthened the power of the ruling party and continued to persecute dissenters, public figures, and journalists. The authorities did not allow an independent investigation into high-profile cases of gross human rights violations.

As noted by the international human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) in its report World Report 2026: Tajikistan, parliamentary elections in Tajikistan were held in March 2025 without the participation of independent observers. As a result of the elections, the ruling People’s Democratic Party of Tajikistan received 49 out of 63 seats in the lower house of parliament. The remaining seats went to small pro-government parties.

The authorities did not allow international organizations, including the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), to observe the elections. Independent media, including Radio Ozodi, also did not receive accreditation to cover the elections.

As noted in the organization’s report, the persecution of dissenters in Tajikistan continues, with public figures, civil society activists, and journalists being sentenced to long prison terms.

For instance, in February of last year, the Supreme Court of Tajikistan found several prominent political and public figures guilty of treason, allegedly expressed in a conspiracy to seize power, and sentenced them to prison terms ranging from 18 to 27 years. Among them, Shokirdzhon Hakimov, a human rights lawyer, publicist, and deputy chairman of the opposition Social Democratic Party of Tajikistan, was sentenced to 18 years in prison, while former Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi and former deputy and leader of the opposition Democratic Party of Tajikistan Saidjafar Usmonzoda received 27 years each. Former deputy chairman of the Democratic Party of Tajikistan Ahmadshoh Komilzoda, former chairman of the Supreme Council of Tajikistan Akbarsho Iskandarov, and retired Colonel of the State National Security Committee Nuramin Ganizoda were sentenced to 18 years in prison.

The HRW report notes that the authorities deprived Ismailis in Khorog and Dushanbe of the opportunity to hold a mourning ceremony for the death of their spiritual leader Aga Khan IV. In Khorog, law enforcement agencies prohibited the broadcast of the ceremony through loudspeakers, cut off electricity, and issued threats. The authorities also banned Ismaili athletes from participating in the Ismaili Games in Dubai, citing an “unspecified threat.”

As noted by the human rights organization Human Rights Watch, the second International Conference of Women Journalists of Central Asia was supposed to take place in Dushanbe but was suddenly canceled just a day before it was scheduled. The organizers urgently found another venue, but during the opening remarks, the ambassadors of EU countries asked the participants to leave the premises.

The report also provides an example of the criminal prosecution of journalists due to their professional activities based on politically motivated charges. Thus, journalist Ahmad Ibrohim, the editor-in-chief of the independent weekly “Payk,” was sentenced to 10 years in prison, while investigative journalist Rukhshona Hakimova was sentenced to eight years in prison during a closed court session.

In March of last year, under the amnesty law, President Emomali Rahmon pardoned 897 prisoners, but none of the convicted journalists, civil activists, or opposition politicians were released.

In the first half of the year, five ethnic Pamiris died in detention facilities after being arrested following the protests in May 2022. Some died due to the denial of medical assistance. The death of one of the men, which occurred in February, was only reported at the end of August 2025.

Also in September, 83-year-old former member of the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan Zubaidullo Rozik died in prison after a prolonged heart illness.

In February, Dilmurad Ergashov, a Tajik opposition activist and asylum seeker deported from Germany in November 2024, was convicted for “public calls for extremist activities” and sentenced to eight years in prison. In May, social media activist Farhod Negmatov, deported from Sweden along with his three minor daughters, was sentenced to eight years in prison for participating in the banned organization “Hizb ut-Tahrir.” Negmatov himself did not admit his guilt and denied the charges.

According to the organization, after the attack on “Krokus City Hall” in Moscow in March 2024, in which Tajik citizens were accused of involvement, Tajik migrants working in Russia are facing even more intense repression. In 2025, Russian authorities imposed additional restrictions and bans on work for labor migrants.

In October, Tajikistan hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court.