More than 1000 citizens are wanted on charges of terrorism and extremism

The Minister of Internal Affairs of Tajikistan, Ramazon Rahimzoda, stated at a press conference on August 11 that more than 1,000 citizens of Tajikistan have been declared wanted on charges of terrorism and extremism.

According to the minister, in the first six months of 2023, 32 of them were detained, and another 130 returned to their homeland “voluntarily.”

Ramazon Rahimzoda also informed journalists that 36 citizens of Tajikistan, members of terrorist and extremist organizations, were detained abroad, including 18 people in Russia, 15 in Turkey, and others in Germany, Poland, and other countries, all of whom have been returned to their homeland.

The minister also reported that as a result of “conducting explanatory work,” 150 members of terrorist organizations who participated in hostilities in foreign countries were “voluntarily and of their own accord” returned to their homeland. Of these, 131 were returned from Russia, 7 from Turkey, 5 from Kazakhstan, 6 from Syria, Iraq, and Egypt, and 1 from Kyrgyzstan.

Ramazon Rahimzoda stated that illegal religious education abroad is the main reason for attracting youth and adults to terrorist organizations, and law enforcement agencies have returned 18 of the 52 wanted citizens of Tajikistan to their homeland.

At the press conference, the recording of which was published on social media and is of low quality, Ramazon Rahimzoda did not name the terrorist and extremist organizations, nor did he specify in which foreign countries Tajik citizens fought. The minister also did not disclose how many of the returned citizens are in prison and how many are free.

During the press conference, the minister was asked about the extradition of Nizomidin Nasriddinov from Belarus; however, Rahimzoda did not provide details on this case. He only stated that Nasriddinov had been declared wanted internationally on charges of committing extremist crimes, had been detained, and is currently under investigation by the State Committee for National Security.

Experts believe that among those detained and declared wanted on charges of committing extremist crimes are many opposition members and civil society activists, as the authorities of Tajikistan primarily consider them to be extremists.