The Government of Tajikistan has proposed to the country's parliament to introduce fines for visiting fortune tellers, magicians and sorcerers and using their services. If the proposal is accepted, clients of fortune tellers and sorcerers will face a fine of up to 750 somoni.
The government proposes to supplement Article 482 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of Tajikistan with a clause "Using the services of a sorcerer, magician, fortune teller." According to these changes, persons who contact a sorcerer, magician or fortune teller will be fined from 5 to 10 calculated indicators (from 375 to 750 somoni).
It is worth noting that over the past year, the Tajik authorities have stepped up the fight against people engaged in esoteric practices. Last summer, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tajikistan announced that it would summon citizens who visit fortune tellers and sorcerers to government agencies and post their names and photographs in the agency's database. The ministry explained that this is being done with the aim of depriving fortune tellers and sorcerers of clients and ultimately stopping their activities.
It is unknown how many people turned to fortune tellers and sorcerers and were summoned to the authorities.
In 2024, the punishment for fortune telling and witchcraft was also toughened. The country's parliament amended Part 2 of Article 482 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, increasing the fine to 80-100 times the fine for the population and adding administrative arrest for a period of 10 to 15 days.
Previously, this article of the Code of Administrative Offenses provided for a fine of 60 to 100 times the fine for the population.
Also, amendments were made to Article 240 of the Criminal Code of Tajikistan, according to which witchcraft and fortune telling (if this act is committed within a year after the imposition of an administrative penalty) provides for a fine of 1,500 to 2,000 basic units or imprisonment for a term of one to two years. Previously, only administrative punishment was provided for this act.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, 495 cases of witchcraft and fortune telling were identified in Tajikistan in the first 6 months of this year.
