The USA criticized Tajikistan for violations of religious freedom

The U.S. authorities have once again criticized Dushanbe for restricting freedom of religion. This was stated on November 17 by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in his annual report on the state of religious freedom worldwide.

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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated on November 17 that Tajikistan has been included in the list of countries of “particular concern,” alongside Myanmar, China, Iran, Pakistan, Russia, and Saudi Arabia. The governments of these countries are involved in “systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom.”

According to him, the U.S. will continue to pressure all governments to correct deficiencies in their laws and practices and hold those responsible for violations accountable.

The authorities of Tajikistan have not yet commented on the statement from the high-ranking American official, but in previous years, they have referred to such assessments as “unobjective and unfair.”

Every year, Tajikistan, along with other countries, is accused of restricting freedom of religion and faces criticism for it. However, the country’s authorities always reject these accusations, stating that “these claims are unfounded,” and cite the existence of more than 3,000 mosques in the country as evidence.

Experts believe that the government always denies facts and reality, trying to evade accountability; however, as evidence of these accusations, it can be pointed out that hundreds of clergy and teachers of Islamic educational institutions face persecution, pressure, and imprisonment, hundreds of mosques and madrasas are closed, women in hijabs are persecuted, and hundreds of men complain that the police forcibly shave their beards.