The Parliament of Tajikistan has introduced amendments to the country’s Criminal Code, increasing penalties for hunting and capturing snow leopards. The changes were reported by the parliamentary newspaper Sadoi Mardum.
Under the revised provisions, Article 232(1) now reads, “Hunting, intentional destruction, as well as the illegal acquisition, possession, transfer, or sale of snow leopards (Central Asian leopards).” The article was previously titled “Hunting and intentional destruction of snow leopards.”
The updated version of the Criminal Code stipulates fines ranging from 1,200 to 1,800 calculation points or imprisonment for up to three years for such offenses. In the prior version, the penalties were a fine of 800 to 1,200 calculation points, corrective labor for up to two years, or imprisonment for up to three years.
Repeated offenses now carry a fine of 2,000 to 3,000 calculation points (up from 1,500 to 2,000) or imprisonment for a period of 4 to 8 years (formerly 3 to 5 years), along with a ban on holding certain positions or engaging in specific activities for up to 5 years.
Additionally, the Criminal Code’s Article 236, which deals with violations of the regime of specially protected natural areas and objects, now includes a provision that if the damage caused is of an especially large scale, the fine will be 500 calculation points (up from 300).
The new amendments reflect Tajikistan’s increasing commitment to protecting its endangered wildlife, especially the snow leopard, a symbol of the country’s natural heritage.
