In a statement delivered at the 13th session of the Majlisi Milli (Tajikistan’s upper chamber of parliament), Tajik Prosecutor-General Yusuf Rahmon revealed on March 18 that 97 alleged criminals, including 18 criminals charged with committing terrorism and extremism crimes, were extradited to Tajikistan in 2022, the Prosecutor-General’s Office’s official website says.
According to him, 1197 crimes of terrorist and extremist natures were registered in the country last year, which is 18.5 percent, or 222 cases, fewer than in 2021.
“Of them, 37 crimes are classified as terrorism, 308 others ae classified as crimes of terrorist nature, 790 crimes are classified as extremism and 62 others are classified as crimes of extremist nature,” Tajik chief prosecutor noted.
He further claimed that noted that “crime stats have increased mainly due to previous crimes committed by leaders and members of organized criminal groups in the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region.”
Tajik chief prosecutor also noted that the Prosecutor-General’s Office last year issued regulations on blocking 17 extremist-operated websites.
Rahmon also noted that 124 cases of involvement of minors in illegal religious education were registered in the country last year.
It was noted that most cases of illegal religious education last year were registered in the cities of Istaravshan, Isfara and Vahdat as well as Yovon, Kushoniyon, Vakhsh, Nourobod, Rasht, Faizobod, Tojikobod, Roshtqala and Shugnan districts.
Concerning the issues of international cooperation of the Prosecutor-General’s Office, Rahmon noted that cooperation with the Prosecutor-General’s Office of the Islamic Republic of Iran is expanding. According to him, two representatives of the Prosecutor-General’s Office of Tajikistan visited Iran last year in order to identify Tajik citizens involved in illegal religious education.
According to him, they revealed 58 Tajik students studying in madrasahs in Iran. “Seven of them have returned to homeland and the work to return the rest is under way,” Tajik chief prosecutor added.
According to data from the Prosecutor-General’s Office, 8,631 people have been wanted by police as for early January this year; 2,483 of them have already been detained.
In 2022, there were 22,481 crimes reported in Tajikistan, which is 12.6 percent, or 1,637 cases, fewer than during 2021. 76.7 percent of all the crimes were reportedly solved in 2022.