Human Rights Watch: repression of dissent in Tajikistan continues

The human rights organization Human Rights Watch expressed concern over the cessation of the closed review of a confidential complaint regarding Tajikistan at the UN Human Rights Council.

The human rights organization Human Rights Watch emphasized that Tajik journalists, activists, prominent public figures, and government critics remain imprisoned. Representatives of Human Rights Watch stated this on September 22 at the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

The statement discusses the human rights situation in Tajikistan, as well as in China and Venezuela. Human Rights Watch stated that a large number of journalists and well-known public figures are still in prison for expressing their civic positions. The organization noted that most of them did not benefit from the recent amnesty for prisoners, and their sentences were only slightly reduced.

Pressure on civil society continues

The organization also stated that hundreds of non-governmental organizations have been liquidated, and pressure on representatives of ethnic minorities in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region continues. The Human Rights Watch statement notes that Tajikistan continues transnational persecution of critics and opposition figures abroad. It also points out that movements and political parties deemed a threat by the authorities have been declared illegal, and their members have been sentenced to long prison terms.

The organization urged the UN Human Rights Council to hold an open meeting with victims of rights violations, representatives of civil society, and human rights experts to discuss the issue of fulfilling the commitments that, according to Human Rights Watch representatives, the Tajik government has undertaken.

In its annual report on Tajikistan, Human Rights Watch writes that in 2025, pressure on dissenters continued and 7 journalists were imprisoned. The organization also reported on long prison sentences for several well-known political figures and civil society activists.

At the same time, the Tajik authorities rejected earlier criticism from international and human rights organizations, emphasizing that all cases involving activists, journalists, and opposition representatives are handled within the framework of the law.