Frank R. Wolf FoRB Victims List: Tajikistan

www.uscirf.gov/victims-list

USCIRF Recommended for Country of Particular Concern

Tajikistan

Updated September 2023

Independent Muslims

The government tightly controls religious activity in 

Tajikistan and regularly penalizes those who practice 

religion independently of the state, an issue that particularly 

impacts Muslims. Those who engage in unauthorized 

religious activity, such as giving or listening to sermons not 

provided by the state, may face fines or even imprisonment.

Mahmadsodyk Sayidov

religion or belief:

Sunni 

arrested:

March 5, 2021

sentence:

5 Years’ Imprisonment

reason for persecution:

Refused to give a state-provided sermon

Abdugafor Rajabov

religion or belief:

Sunni 

arrested:

March 5, 2021

sentence:

5 Years’ Imprisonment

reason for persecution:

Attended Sayidov’s mosque

Aslamkhon Karimov

religion or belief:

Sunni 

arrested:

March 5, 2021

sentence:

5 Years’ Imprisonment

reason for persecution:

Attended Sayidov’s mosque

Ismaili Muslims

In 2022, a violent state crackdown on protests in GornoBadakhshan Autonomous Province (GBAO), where 

predominantly Ismaili Shi’a Muslim Pamiris reside, led to the 

arrest of more than 200 individuals on charges of “extremism” 

and association with banned groups. Some saw this as a state 

attempt to rein in religious and political opposition. 

Muzaffar Davlatmirov

religion or belief:

Ismaili Shi’a

arrested:

August 4, 2022

sentence:

6 Years’ Imprisonment

religious leader:

Yes 

reason for persecution:

Leading a funeral for a GBAO community 

leader killed during protests

Activists Abroad and their Family Members

The government regularly engages in transnational repression 

of human rights activists and political dissidents who criticize 

the government’s record on human rights, including religious 

freedom. Authorities also retaliate against activists’ family in 

Tajikistan in order to intimidate them and coerce the activists 

to return to the country to face charges. 

Shohida Mahmadjonova

religion or belief:

Sunni

arrested:

February 2022

sentence:

6 Years’ Imprisonment

reason for persecution:

Mother of a religious freedom activist 

living abroad

FoRB Victims List Stats

13 out of 2,125

Religion or Belief # of Victims

Sunni 7

Jehovah’s Witness 3

Protestant 1

Shi’a 1

Unspecified/Other Muslim 1

Total 13

Type of Abuse # of Victims

Imprisoned 11

Detained 2

Total 13

Average Prison Sentence

5 Years, 3 Months

Reports of # of Victims

Torture 2

Medical Neglect 1

Total 3
Frank R. Wolf FoRB Victims List: Tajikistan

www.uscirf.gov/victims-list

USCIRF Recommended for Country of Particular Concern

Tajikistan

Updated September 2023

Frank R. Wolf FoRB Victims List Background

The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA), as amended by the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act of 2016, 

requires USCIRF to:

make publicly available, to the extent practicable...lists of persons it determines are imprisoned or detained, have 

disappeared, been placed under house arrest, been tortured, or subjected to forced renunciation of faith for their religious 

activity or religious freedom advocacy by the government of a foreign country that the Commission recommends for 

designation as a country of particular concern [CPC]...or by a nonstate actor that the Commission recommends for 

designation as an entity of particular concern [EPC]. 

USCIRF developed the Frank R. Wolf Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) Victims List—an online public database—to implement this 

provision for countries USCIRF recommends for Country of Particular Concern (CPC) or Special Watch List (SWL) status. The list also 

includes such victims located in the de facto territories of nonstate actors that USCIRF recommends for Entity of Particular Concern (EPC) 

status, according to the same criteria.

Due to limited resources, USCIRF is unable to identify and document all victims that meet the statutory requirement to be included on 

the FoRB Victims List and generally relies on receiving submissions from outside individuals and organizations. As such, the information 

contained in the database does not reflect country, regional, or global trends. Furthermore, percentages highlighted in this section should 

not be used for extrapolation purposes nor interpreted as a particular group experiencing greater violations than another or a particular 

country committing violations at a greater rate than others. To support this project, USCIRF invites those with credible information on 

victims to submit information using the Victims List Intake Form at www.uscirf.gov/form/uscirf-victims-list-intake-form. 

FoRB Victims List Stats Overall

Perpetrator Victims Documented

Algeria 5

Azerbaijan 11

Burma 5

China 770

Cuba 11

Egypt 18

Eritrea 50

Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) 2

Houthis 3

India 55

Indonesia 8

Iran 339

Iraq 2

Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) 1

Kazakhstan 15

Malaysia 4

Nicaragua 15

Nigeria 9

North Korea 9

Pakistan 90

Russia 449

Saudi Arabia 46

Sri Lanka 1

Tajikistan 13

Turkmenistan 30

Uzbekistan 87

Vietnam 77

Total 2,125

Religion or Belief Victims Documented

Adivasi 1

Baha’i 163

Bon 1

Buddhist – Hoa Hao 6

Buddhist – Theravada 3

Buddhist – Tibetan 76

Buddhist – Unspecified/Other 28

Christian – Catholic 46

Christian – Church of Almighty God 236

Christian – Jehovah’s Witness 258

Christian – Orthodox 17

Christian – Protestant 130

Christian – Unspecified/Other 66

Duong Van Minh 4

ECKist (Eckankar) 1

Erfan-e Halgheh Practitioner 2

Falun Gong 213

Hindu 10

Humanist 1

Jewish 1

Muslim – Ahmadiyya 23

Muslim – Qur’anist 1

Muslim – Shi’a 39

Muslim – Sufi 63

Muslim – Sunni 385

Muslim – Unspecified/Other 237

Santeria 5

Scientologist 1

Shaman 1

Sikh 1

Yarsani 37

Unknown/Unspecified 69

Total 2,125
Frank R. Wolf FoRB Victims List: Tajikistan

www.uscirf.gov/victims-list

USCIRF Recommended for Country of Particular Concern

Tajikistan

Updated September 2023

Not Released

Khayriddin Dostakov

Shohida Mamadjonova

Abdugafor Rajabov

Aslamkhon Karimov

Mahmadsodyk Sayidov

Mukhammadi Mukharramov

Muzaffar Davlatmirov

Sadriddin Mulloyev

Sirojiddin Abdurahmonov

Released

Bakhrom Kholmatov

Jovidon Bobojonov

Rustamjon Norov

Shamil Khakimov