In Geneva, authorities in Tajikistan were urged to stop persecution and ensure press freedom

Britain and Norway at the UN Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva urged Tajikistan to ensure the free activity of journalists and to stop politically motivated persecutions.

These recommendations were voiced on November 5, 2026, during the latest review of the human rights situation in Tajikistan at the UN Human Rights Council.

The Tajik delegation was headed by Minister of Justice Muzaffar Ashuriyon. According to official reports from the Tajik side, 98 delegations from UN member states asked questions and made recommendations to the Tajik delegation.

It was reported that the representative of Norway, Lykke Brent, urged the authorities of Tajikistan to stop political persecutions against journalists, human rights defenders, lawyers, and opposition representatives. She also recommended releasing individuals who have been subjected to arbitrary detention, stopping the persecution of Tajik citizens abroad, and ending the liquidation of civil society organizations for political reasons.

Britain, in its official statement, published on November 6, called on Dushanbe to ensure the free activity of all media and journalists both online and offline by providing legal guarantees.

London also urged Dushanbe to align the Criminal Code with Articles 19 and 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and to include clear and specific definitions of crimes related to extremism, terrorism, and national security, so that peaceful expressions of dissent and the exercise of media freedom do not lead to criminal penalties.

The Tajik delegation at the UN Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva attempted to justify itself by citing the activities of more than 200 independent and state publications, television channels, and news agencies as evidence of the free activity of journalists.

However, according to human rights organizations, the reality of press freedom differs from how it was portrayed by the Tajik delegation.

The Committee to Protect Journalists in its report dated April 10, 2026, states that the situation regarding press freedom in Tajikistan has worsened since the previous assessment in 2021.

The organization reported the conviction of 9 journalists to prison terms ranging from 7 to 10 years during the reporting period. The main reasons cited in the organization’s report include the rise of self-censorship, limited access to information, and the use of anti-extremism laws as a tool to pressure journalists.

The organization also noted the cases of Ulfatkhonim Mamadshoieva, Daler Imomali, Abdullo Gurbati, and Rukhshona Hakimova.

The report also mentions pressure on journalists based abroad, including employees of Azda TV. The Committee to Protect Journalists urged the authorities of Tajikistan to stop persecuting journalists for their professional activities, to end the pressure on their relatives, and to transparently review the cases of convicted journalists.

Other issues were also discussed at the UN Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva, including domestic violence, child marriage, and prevention of torture.

Britain called on Tajikistan to criminalize all forms of domestic violence, ban child marriages, ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture, and establish an independent national preventive mechanism.