Residents of Vanj face prison due to “likes” on social media

The law enforcement agencies of Tajikistan have detained 4 residents of the Vanj district of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region. 

On August 11, 2023, Domullo Nazri, the imam-khatib of the mosque of the rural community of Mahmadullo Abdulloev in the Vanj district, stated during a sermon at the Friday prayer that 4 residents of this district had been detained, 3 of whom are residents of this rural community.

According to him, the detainees are “well-known and influential people” in society, and they face 4-5 years of imprisonment. During the Friday sermon, he urged the congregation not to join opposition groups located abroad. He also called on parents to monitor their children to prevent them from joining “banned organizations.”

The imam-khatib of the mosque of the rural community of Mahmadullo Abdulloev in the Vanj district, during the Friday prayer, read a sermon prepared by the authorities and also confirmed that the number of followers of opposition members and other banned organizations in Tajikistan is sharply increasing in this area.

Most residents of the Vanj district believe that mosques are one of the important means of influencing the population, particularly the youth.

At the same time, almost weekly during Friday sermons, imams of mosques dedicate a few minutes of their time to the “propaganda” of banned organizations, particularly opposition parties and groups located abroad. After this “propaganda,” the youth and residents of the district begin to search for videos of opposition groups on social media.