The Tajikistan government puts intense pressure on all “deviating” groups, which includes Christians. Increasingly restrictive legislation has been imposed in the past few years. A youth law, in particular, has left Christians in legal limbo, as it is not obvious what is allowed. Churches that are active in evangelism endure raids, threats, arrests and fines, especially if they have not registered with the government.
Tajik pastor freed after 3 years in prison for ‘singing extremist songs in church’
A Protestant pastor sentenced to three years in prison for “singing extremist songs in church and so inciting religious hatred” has been freed three months early (he was due to be freed in March 2020). Bakhrom Kholmatov, 42, was sentenced in July 2017 and has served his term in a […]
Tajikistan: Children barred from attending church, 5,000 Christian calendars burned
Tajik authorities implementing a new religion law are barring children from attending religious services and have burned thousands of calendars with Bible verses. Amendments to Tajikistan’s Religion Law came into force in January last year, giving the state greater control over religious education, and increase the amount of information religious organisations […]
Tajikistan: Christian convert’s burial delayed as relatives call for husband to return to Islam
When an elderly Christian woman from a Muslim background died last week in a Tajikistan hospital, her husband Mihrab* and children – all of them Christians – organised a funeral ceremony and invited people from their church. But Mihrab’s Muslim relatives also invited local Muslims, including a cleric, who demanded […]
Tajikistan’s new Religion Law ‘represents total control’
Amendments to Tajikistan’s Religion Law, which came into force in January, have given the state a “total control” over religious freedoms, reports regional news agency Forum 18. “Instead of improving the Law, the amendments worsened it and made it more restrictive. The Law represents total control and is unjust,” human […]
Tajikistan pastor jailed for singing religious songs ends appeal
A Protestant pastor serving three years in prison for “singing extremist songs in church and so inciting religious hatred” has chosen to make no more appeals against his sentence, reports regional news agency Forum 18. Bakhrom Kholmatov, 42, was sentenced in July and began serving his three-year prison term in […]
Tajik pastor placed in solitary confinement in prison 350km from home
A Tajik Protestant church leader serving a three-year sentence for “singing extremist songs in church and so inciting religious hatred” has been moved to a prison 350km from his home and placed in solitary confinement. Bakhrom Kholmatov, 42, was sentenced in July under the Tajik Criminal Code Article 189 (“inciting […]
Tajikistan: three-year sentence for pastor for ‘singing extremist songs’
A Protestant church leader in Tajikistan has been handed a three-year sentence for “singing extremist songs in church and so inciting religious hatred,” reports regional news agency Forum 18. The agency reports that the Tajik authorities have also threatened family, friends and other church members if they reveal any details […]
Trial ‘imminent’ for Tajikistan pastor, on unspecified charges
The trial of Tajik protestant pastor Bakhrom Kholmatov, whose charges have not been revealed by the authorities, “is expected to begin imminently”, according to regional news agency Forum 18. Kholmatov was arrested during a raid on the Good News of Grace Protestant church in the northern city of Khujand on […]
Tajikistan to ‘tighten restrictions’
The World Evangelical Alliance predicts religious restrictions will tighten in Tajikistan as a response to expected Taliban attacks in neighbouring Afghanistan as the number of US troops there falls from 66,000 to 34,000 in February. In a report issued on Jan. 31, the alliance says an “anticipated resurgence of the […]