Tajikistan has introduced administrative responsibility for contacting fortune tellers, sorcerers and magicians. The Code of Administrative Offenses (CAO) of the Republic of Tajikistn has introduced Supplement 1 to Article 482 ("Using the services of a sorcerer, magician or fortune teller"), according to which clients of esoteric practitioners will be fined in the amount of 50 to 60 indicators for calculations, according to the Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Dushanbe.
"According to the requirements of this article, an administrative fine in the amount of 50 (3750 somoni) to 60 (4500 somoni) calculated indicators is provided for citizens who turn to fortune tellers and use such services (1 indicator = 75 somoni. – Editor's note)," the message says.
It is noted that the changes to the Administrative Code came into force on July 31, 2025, but it has only now become known about this. Previously, only a government decree dated July 31 was made publicly available, which invited Parliament to approve these amendments to the administrative code.
It should be noted that over the past year, the Tajik authorities have intensified their fight against fortune tellers and sorcerers, as well as their clients. Back in the summer of 2024, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tajikistan announced that people visiting fortune tellers and sorcerers would be summoned to the authorities and their names and photos would be entered into the database of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The authorities stated that "the purpose of this measure is to prevent superstition and the use of the services of fortune tellers and sorcerers, as some citizens, by contacting them, contribute to the spread of magic and witchcraft." The exact number of people who turned to fortune tellers and sorcerers and were called to the authorities is unknown.
Last year, penalties for practicing fortune-telling and witchcraft were also increased. The country's Parliament has amended paragraph 2 of Article 482 of the Code of Administrative Offences, increasing the amount of an administrative fine to 80-100 calculated indicators, as well as adding administrative arrest for a period of 10 to 15 days.
Previously, this article provided for a fine of 60 to 100 calculated indicators.
In addition, according to the amendments to article 240 of the Criminal Code of Tajikistan, for practicing magic and fortune-telling (if such actions are repeated within a year after the application of administrative punishment), a fine of 1,500 to 2,000 calculated indicators or imprisonment for a period of one to two years is provided.
Previously, only administrative liability was provided for such actions.
According to the Interior Ministry, 495 cases of practicing magic and fortune-telling were identified in the first six months of 2025.
