More than 400 women are currently serving their jail terms in a women’s penal colony in Nurek, according to Ms. Bunafsha Fayziddinzoda, Chairperson of the Committee on Women and Family Affairs under the government.
She said that most criminal cases involving women are related to economic offenses.
Fayziddinzoda also reported that representatives of the Committee visited correctional facilities in November last year to assess the conditions under which convicted women are held. According to her assessment, detention conditions are satisfactory, with women provided with the necessary living and social amenities.
“During the meetings, a number of appeals were received from convicted women and reviewed in accordance with current legislation. Some of the issues raised, however, did not fall within the Committee’s mandate,” she said.
The head of the Committee did not specify the content of the appeals but noted that the cases of journalists Rukhshona Hakimova and Ulfatkhonim Mamadshoyeva, who are serving sentences in a penal colony in Nurek, fall under the jurisdiction of other state bodies.
According to Fayziddinzoda, overall crime among women has declined, while crime among girls has increased. In 2025, a total of 1,590 crimes committed by women were recorded, including 19 committed by girls. Compared to 2024, crimes committed by women decreased by 175 cases, while those involving girls rose by five.
At the same time, the number of crimes against women and girls increased in 2025. Authorities recorded 3,423 crimes against women, up from 3,246 in 2024, and 288 crimes against girls, compared to 208 the previous year.
Committee data show that in 2024, a total of 483 women were held in Tajikistan’s correctional institutions. Of these, 349 were serving sentences in women’s colonies, 30 in settlement-type facilities, and 54 were held in pretrial detention centers. Eight women were incarcerated together with their children. That year, 77 women were released from prison.
