How is the law enforcement reform going in Tajikistan? Are these the opinions of experts whose professional activities are directly related to the system?
Positive changes
The police reform has brought some improvements, especially in terms of interaction with citizens and professional development of employees.
Sadriddin Saidov, chairman of the regional body of the Union of Lawyers in Sughd region, notes that citizens' access to law enforcement agencies has become easier. "Now applications are accepted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs hotline, as well as electronically, which allows citizens to apply at any time," – he emphasizes.
A mobile police operates in a number of regions, it is a minibus equipped for office space, designed to receive citizens and provide them with legal assistance.
Gulchehra Kholmatova, director of the NGO "World of Law", also sees the changes.
"There are more opportunities for dialogue with government agencies. Previously, interaction was extremely limited, but now NGO representatives are more often invited to discuss human rights issues," – she notes.
According to the expert, in some cases, public organizations have managed to gain access to places of detention, which has become an important step towards greater openness. In addition, amendments to the legislation have strengthened guarantees for the protection of the rights of detainees, secured access to a lawyer and limited the risk of unlawful treatment.
Regular trainings on human rights and the prevention of torture for police officers, conducted with the support of international partners, are gradually changing the culture within the system.
ИЗОБРАЖЕНИЕ Activities of public councils
Larisa Alexandrova, a lawyer and human rights defender working in the field of protection against discrimination, domestic violence and the rights of people living with HIV, notes some progress in dealing with the problem of domestic violence.
"The number of complaints to the police regarding domestic violence has increased, and the statistics on receiving applications have improved,"- she shares.
According to the monitoring conducted with the participation of an expert, the number of inspectors for the prevention of domestic violence has increased from 14 to 22 in recent years. This made it possible to better respond to citizens' appeals, although progress, according to Alexandrova, is still insufficient.
Unjustified expectations
Despite the positive changes, many expectations from the reform remain unfulfilled.
Bakhtiyor Nasrulloev, a lawyer, is skeptical: "In practice, I don't see any changes for the better. What is called police reform looks more like degradation to me."
According to Nasrulloev, citizens' access to police stations has become more difficult due to multi-level controls, including armed guards and those on duty.
"This creates the feeling that the police are shutting themselves off from society, instead of being closer to people," – the expert adds.
ИЗОБРАЖЕНИЕ
Nasrulloev believes that the reform is limited to cosmetic changes, such as changing uniforms or names, without real improvements in human rights protection, treatment of detainees, or openness to society.
Gulchehra Kholmatova also points to ongoing problems.
"Access to places of detention is still limited, and the system's public monitoring mechanism has not yet been activated,"- she notes.
Issues of compensation and rehabilitation of victims of torture require more attention, and cases of torture by employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs do not always entail responsibility.
Sadriddin Saidov emphasizes that reforms are being hampered by insufficient citizen engagement.
"The reforms will be successful only if citizens actively express their opinions and suggestions," – he believes, adding that there are few such initiatives from the population now.
Larisa Alexandrova expresses disappointment at the lack of significant changes in the system.
"I would like the slogan "My police is taking care of me" to really work, but it doesn't feel like this," – says the expert.
ИЗОБРАЖЕНИЕ Activities of public councils
According to Alexandrova, the reforms remain half-hearted, and the professional and honest work of individual employees is often suppressed by the system.
"Nothing changes dramatically, even if someone wants to work in good faith, it will not work because of the system of control and subordination. And also because of the slogan "the boss is always right," even if he is wrong, dependence on the prosecutor's office, the reporting system left over from Soviet times – this is when the quality of police work depends on the number of criminal cases initiated and brought to court, while the quality of the investigation is not always a priority and many other factors," – the expert adds.
In addition, Alexandrova notes that the reform strategy does not include sufficient measures to increase the gender sensitivity of employees to problems of discrimination and domestic violence, which limits its effectiveness in working with women, girls, and the most vulnerable segments of the population.
Proposals for successful reform
Experts agree that in order to achieve real results, the reform must be deep and systematic. Bakhtiyor Nasrulloev suggests separating the investigation from the Interior Ministry and creating an independent investigative body beyond the control of the prosecutor's office to ensure the objectivity of investigations.
The expert also considers it necessary to transfer the functions of district inspectors, police officers and order protection to municipalities so that these services work in the interests of local residents.
In addition, Nasrulloev points to excessive duplication of functions in the structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs: "The Criminal Investigation Department, the Department for Combating Drug Trafficking and the Department for Combating Organized Crime perform similar tasks, which creates bureaucracy and confusion. It is more logical to combine the structures and reduce parallel divisions." Sadriddin Saidov emphasizes the need for an active dialogue with the population.
"We should increase the number of meetings with citizens, study their proposals and problems, using them to improve the system," – Saidov suggests.
ИЗОБРАЖЕНИЕ Activities of public councils
According to the expert, meetings should be held not only with famous personalities, but also with a wide range of people.
Gulchehra Kholmatova emphasizes the importance of transparency and independent public oversight, especially in places of detention.
"It is necessary to strengthen the accountability of police officers, introduce training in international standards and actively cooperate with civil society," – she said. This will help build trust between the police and the public, which is a key factor for successful reform.
Larisa Alexandrova suggests specific measures to increase transparency and accountability. "It is necessary to install cameras and keep records in interrogation rooms and offices of investigators, as well as equip police officers with cameras during detention," – the expert emphasizes.
According to Alexandrova, all actions without recording should be considered illegal, and employees should be held accountable.
In addition, she insists on continuous training of employees with mandatory exams, which must be taken into account during certification.
"We need clear algorithms of actions, the so-called standards of operational procedures approved by the Ministry of Justice," – adds Alexandrova.
ИЗОБРАЖЕНИЕ Activities of public councils
The expert also points to the problem of the lack of independent expertise, which prevents a fair investigation of cases, and emphasizes the need to improve the material and technical base, including equipping criminology rooms and transport for visits to crime scenes / incidents, especially in the regions.
Conclusion
During the 12 years of reform that began in 2013, the Tajik police have taken significant steps to simplify citizens' access to law enforcement agencies and strengthen legislative guarantees for the protection of human rights.
However, the half-hearted nature of the reform, limited transparency and weak public engagement do not allow achieving the stated goal of the Interior Ministry leadership – the creation of a truly people's police.
ИЗОБРАЖЕНИЕ
This requires deep institutional restructuring, increased accountability, the introduction of modern standards and the active participation of citizens. Only under these conditions will the police be able to overcome bureaucratic barriers and become a service that people trust.
