Tajikistan Accused of Systematic Religious Repression in 2025 U.S. Report: Ismaili Shi’a Muslims Among the Most Targeted

April 16, 2025

Tajikistan's Main Mosque propogating state’s preferred interpretation of Hanafi Sunni Islam

In its 2025 Annual Report, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has once again designated Tajikistan as a “Country of Particular Concern (CPC)”, citing systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. The report paints a bleak picture of religious life under the authoritarian rule of President Emomali Rahmon, documenting a year of heightened repression against religious minorities, particularly Ismaili Shi’a Muslims, and continued enforcement of restrictive legislation targeting all forms of independent religious expression.

According to the report, the Tajik government has continued to enforce Soviet-era style repressive and draconian laws. These laws—most notably the Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations—restrict religious education, prohibit unregistered religious activity, and tightly control the appointment of clergy. Religious groups outside the state's narrow interpretation of Hanafi Sunni Islam were subject to surveillance, arrests, and intimidation.

One of the most targeted communities were the Ismaili Shi’a Muslims, especially in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO). Authorities harassed relatives of exiled human rights activists, meddled in leadership appointments at the Dushanbe Ismaili Center and the Ismaili National Council, and reportedly surveilled prayer spaces without respecting basic cultural norms. Notably, State Committee on National Security (SCNS) agents are said to have purposefully entered prayer halls without removing their shoes, in many cases used as an intimidation tactic to show disrecpect to sacred places.

Dushanbe Ismaili Center, the main Center for Ismailis Shia's in Tajikistan

The government also expanded enforcement of the Law on Parental Responsibility, banning children from participating in religious activities, and amended the Traditions Law to prohibit minors from engaging in Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha traditions such as collecting sweets from neighbors. The same amendments outlawed clothing deemed "foreign to national culture," further tightening cultural and religious expression.

USCIRF also flagged the government’s control over the Hajj pilgrimage. Citizens were discouraged from traveling to Mecca, with the government instead urging the redirection of funds to local infrastructure. Those permitted to go on pilgrimage were required to pay through a bank reportedly linked to the president’s relatives.

In light of these violations, USCIRF recommends not only the continuation of the CPC designation but also calls on the U.S. government to impose targeted sanctions on State Committee on National Security (SCNS) officials, deny waivers that would otherwise absolve mandated actions, and condition military cooperation with Tajikistan on tangible legal reforms. It also urges the U.S. Congress to hold hearings and reintroduce the TRAP Act to counter Tajikistan’s transnational repression, including the abuse of INTERPOL Red Notices to pursue exiled dissidents and religious figures.

Tajikistan, under the leadership of President Rahmon, remains one of the most closed religious environments in Central Asia. While the government has consistently dismissed international criticism as politically motivated, USCIRF’s latest report underscores that religious repression in the country is not incidental—but systematic and deliberate.