Stories about Tajikistan
Podcast: Central Asia adjusts to the effects of geopolitical turmoil
Central Asia Editor Zhar Zardykhan explains how the turmoil in Afghanistan and Ukraine are both affecting Central Asian countries.
Central Asia celebrates Victory Day amid Russian pressure
In Putin's Russia, the victory over Nazi Germany became instrumental in legitimizing the regime, suppressing political dissent, and pursuing an aggressive foreign policy, including the war in Ukraine.
Central Asia’s fears of rising militancy in Afghanistan as Moscow invades Ukraine
Since the Taliban takeover in August 2021, the three Central Asian states that border Afghanistan intended to defend their borders through security reinforcement and diplomacy, primarily relying on Russian initiatives.
Public opinion in Central Asia: A pioneering Kyrgyz NGO ventures into uncharted territory
While the five Central Asian nations share borders and history, they rarely view themselves as part of the same region. A Kyrgyz NGO tries to survey them as one group.
Blood, tears, and anger in Khorog
A first-hand account of a Pamiri woman and her participation in protests in a region of eastern Tajikistan that for decades has witnessed state violence and oppression.
In Tajikistan's mountainous region of GBAO, the power struggle with the capital extends to internet shutdowns
A long-standing conflict between the Pamiri population and the central government of Tajikistan has suffocated both opposition and local politics. leading to further isolation of the region with internet shutdowns.
The Soviet Union existed for 70 years, but don’t expect to find it as a location in the world of comic books
Only a handful of mainstream comics published during the existence of the Soviet Union actually take place within its borders, and those that did often promoted stereotypes.
The long-lasting conundrum in Tajikistan's Pamir region
A violent clash between the police and local protesters in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region have deep roots in tense center–periphery relations in Tajikistan
Small but complex: the unexpected political ramifications of enclaves
Often a source of overlapping spatial and human conflicts, enclaves are a peculiar geographic configuration that put into question sovereignty and identity in several regions of the world.
‘Our homeland is where the money is': pragmatic citizenship in Tajikistan
Every year, thousands of Central Asian citizens try to overcome the restrictions attached to the citizenship they acquired at birth and apply for a Russian passport.
Can the Eurovision Song Contest change Russia's views on migrants from Central Asia?
Russia has nominated Tajik-Russian singer Manizha as its representative for the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest. But many Russians reject her as the chosen face of their country at the international event.
In Tajikistan, online critics land behind bars as alleged ‘extremists’
In Tajikistan, several outspoken bloggers and activists have been sent behind bars and online freedom of expression is seriously curtailed.
Larisa Pak is the last Korean standing at Tajikistan's hardscrabble border with Afghanistan
Up to 200,000 ethnic Koreans were deported to Central Asia from the Russian Far East by Soviet authorities during the 1930s.
‘Even by leaving us she gave us a lesson': Fearless rights defender's death shocks Tajikistan
"She was not silent when others buried their heads in the sand. She risked her life every day and knew the value of this risk."
Tajikistan releases whistleblower but leaves conviction in place
The #FreeKhayrullo campaign did its job and the government backed down. Now fearless Mirsaidov says he will appeal the conviction.
#FreeKhayrullo: Human rights groups demand justice for Tajik journalist facing trial
A bold and popular journalist is appealing a 12 year-sentence he received after speaking out against official corruption.
‘Internet is not for the Tajik language'? A crowdsourced soccer blog marks 10 years
"I had volunteers. Many of them!"
Hijabs and mini-skirts: What not to wear in Tajikistan
Tajikistan issued a pictorial guide showing the "recommended" dress for women, and promised to do the same for men as well.
On World Poetry Day, Some Verses Straight From Persia's Heart
"The sadness in my heart, like a mountain/The heart under your chest, like a stone."
‘Singing the Tale of Our Pain': Tajikistan's Migration Phenomenon Finds a Home in Music
"Why am I here, in an alien place, far from my mother?"
Veto Viber? Tax Telegram? Such Are Tajikistan's Tech Company Conundrums
Once asked why the government was raising a tax on mobile phone companies, the tax chief responded: "Now even barefooted ones have a mobile phone."
