NATO and “Vatandor” are united in their opinion on the issue of combating extremism

Leaders of the National Alliance of Tajikistan (NAT) and the “Vatandor” movement expressed unanimity on the issue of combating extremism in Tajikistan.

On January 11, 2024, the leader of the political movement “Vatandor,” Dododjon Atovulloev, and the leader of the National Alliance of Tajikistan (NAT), Mukhiddin Kabiri, criticized the policy of the Tajik government led by Emomali Rahmon in an interview with the BBC, calling it a major factor in the youth’s inclination to join terrorist groups.

The leaders of Tajik opposition groups stated that the main factors pushing Tajik youth to join extremist groups in the region and beyond are poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, as well as the pressure from the Tajik authorities on civil, political, and religious freedoms.

Mukhiddin Kabiri and Dododjon Atovulloev noted that despite the high contribution of Emomali Rahmon’s government to the radicalization of society and youth, representatives of the intelligentsia and opposition are also considered partly guilty in this process, as they prioritize other issues and do not pay adequate attention to this societal problem.

In this analytical program dedicated to the incident in Kermane and the excessive inclination of Tajik youth to join ISIS and other extremist groups, in addition to the leaders of NAT and “Vatandor,” other experts from London and Washington participated, emphasizing that the aforementioned factors have facilitated extremist groups in recruiting youth from Tajikistan.

Experts emphasized that under the current conditions in Tajikistan, young Tajiks can be easily recruited into any extremist groups by promising money and property, using religious agitation and propaganda through social networks. Even if 4-5 other extremist groups emerge in the region instead of ISIS today, they will also be able to easily recruit Tajiks into their ranks.

Opposition leaders, observers, and experts from Tajikistan and the region noted that one of the most effective ways to prevent the rise of extremism in society and the inclination of youth to join extremist groups is to change the government of Emomali Rahmon, respect the law, and ensure civil, political, and religious freedoms in society.

In recent months, media reports have emerged about an increase in the number of Tajik youth in the ranks of terrorist organizations in regional countries, particularly in Iran, Afghanistan, and several European Union countries. Tajik opposition leaders accuse Emomali Rahmon’s government of turning the country into a “producer of terrorists.”

Despite the fact that a week has passed since the bloody incidents in Kerman, Iran, which resulted in the deaths of more than a hundred people and over two hundred injured, the Iranian authorities have not yet completed the investigation into the incident. At the same time, the Iranian authorities announced the identity of one of the individuals who organized the explosions at the cemetery in Kerman. According to available information, the suicide bomber was a citizen of Tajikistan.

It was also previously reported that in the case of the armed attack on the “Shahcheragh” mausoleum in Shiraz in August of last year, citizens of Tajikistan – Rahmatullo Navruzov and two others – are involved. The head of the Supreme Court of Iran stated that Navruzov has been sentenced to death, while the other two have received five years of imprisonment followed by deportation from Iran. The sentence will be carried out this week or next.