TAJIKISTAN USCIRF–RECOMMENDED FOR COUNTRIES OF PARTICULAR CONCERN (CPC) KEY FINDINGS I n 2020, the Tajikistani government’s record on religious freedom showed little improvement. The regime of President Emomali Rahmon maintained its authoritarian policies, suppressing displays of public religiosity by individuals of all faiths and persecuting minority communities—especially actual and alleged Salafi Muslims, a term authorities apply broadly and indiscriminately. Authorities have banned Salafi Islam since 2009, calling it “extremist”; as a result, the mere performance of Islamic rituals in ways the authorities deem “foreign” or inconsistent with the government’s interpretation of the Hanafi school of Sunni Islam is subject to criminal prosecution. As detailed in USCIRF’s recent issue update, Tajikistan has legitimate concerns about violent extremism, but its current policies only exacerbate the problem—such as its extremism law that fails to define the category clearly and often leads to arbitrary detention. Extremist, terrorist, or revolutionary activities are punishable without requiring acts that involve violence or incitement of imminent violence, while trials under these charges lack due process and procedural safeguards. In January, the government amended legislation that expanded anti-extremism efforts and dramatically increased penalties for managing or funding the activities of unregistered religious organizations as well as for religious communities that establish relations with foreign groups. In a surprising move, the government reduced the penalty for inciting “religious hatred,” replacing prison sentences of up to five years with an administrative fine or 10 days imprisonment. However, prison overcrowding remains a critical issue, and prisons constitute a major vector of Islamist radicalization. Religious prisoners are singled out for harsh treatment by both authorities and fellow prisoners, while general conditions are inhumane and torture is endemic. State repression of the country’s Muslim majority persisted as in prior years. Since 2017, authorities have closed more than 2,000 mosques, converting many into cafes, garment factories, and other public facilities. Remaining mosques are frequently outfitted with security cameras that allow government surveillance of attendance and the content of sermons. In January, the government ordered the conversion of a popular mosque in Khujand, the nation’s second-largest city, into a movie theater due to the region’s relative lack of cinemas. In February, the head of the Department of Women’s and Family Issues publicly linked hijabs with terrorism and vowed that the government would do everything in its power to “preserve the national culture” and “defend the people” from the threat posed by female religious clothing. The authorities continued to torment former members of the banned opposition Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) under the guise of a struggle against religious extremism and terrorism, harassing and even imprisoning their family members. In June, one alleged IRPT member was sentenced to 20 years in prison after his illegal extradition from Austria. Many religious minorities hide their affiliations for fear of government scrutiny and social backlash, expressing concern over government plans to document individual religious affiliation in the October 2020 census. Social tolerance for religious minority communities continued to decline. For example, in January a Shi’a Muslim was imprisoned and allegedly tortured for sharing his faith, an act authorities characterized as spreading “extremist ideas.” Jehovah’s Witnesses have been illegal in Tajikistan since 2008; there are currently two members imprisoned for their faith, including a 70-year-old man who is serving a five-and-a-half-year sentence. RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE U.S. GOVERNMENT • Redesignate Tajikistan as a “country of particular concern,” or CPC, for engaging in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom, as defined by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA), and lift the waiver releasing the administration from taking otherwise legislatively mandated action as a result of the designation; • Condition U.S. assistance to the Tajikistani government, with the exception of aid to improve humanitarian conditions or advance human rights, on 1) reform of the 2009 religion law and the improvement of conditions for freedom of religion or belief, and 2) mandated religious freedom training for Tajikistani officials, including education about the benefits of religious freedom for countering and preventing violent extremism, as part of all U.S. security assistance to Tajikistan; • Impose targeted sanctions on Tajikistani government agencies and officials responsible for severe violations of religious freedom by freezing those individuals’ assets and/or barring their entry into the KEY USCIRF RESOURCES & ACTIVITIES • Hearing: Religious Freedom in Russia and Central Asia • Issue Update: Promoting Religious Freedom and Countering Violent Extremism in Tajikistan • Issue Update: The Global Persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses 48 U S C I R F | A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 2 1 United States under human rights related financial and visa authorities, citing specific religious freedom violations; and • Press the Tajikistani government at the highest levels to identify and immediately release individuals imprisoned in Tajikistan for their peaceful religious activities or religious affiliations; account for the whereabouts of all prisoners of conscience, including those imprisoned on religious grounds; and allow international observers to monitor conditions in Tajikistani prisons.