Russian Commissioner for Human Rights Tatyana Moskalkova stated that she received a positive response from Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon to her letter, in which she requested the repatriation of 200 Tajik women serving sentences in Russian prisons, reports TASS.
In her appeal, she wrote that “foreign female prisoners in Russian prisons face many problems, including the inability to meet with their relatives in a timely manner.”
In February of this year, the ombudsman in Tajikistan, Umed Bobozoda, announced at a press conference in Dushanbe about Moskalkova’s letter to the President of Tajikistan. At that time, the number of Tajik women requesting extradition was estimated to be more than 150 people.
The Tajik ombudsman stated that this issue was first discussed during Moskalkova’s visit to Tajikistan in October 2025, after which she wrote a letter to the President of RT regarding the extradition of female prisoners from Russia to Tajikistan.
Umed Bobozoda at the press conference also mentioned the preparation of places for women whose extradition is under consideration.
“To receive them, we need to prepare prisons so that we can accommodate them,” he said.
Meanwhile, no information or statistics on the exchange of prisoners between Russia and Tajikistan have been disclosed in recent years. It is unknown how many Tajik citizens are serving sentences in Russia and how many Russians are held in Tajik prisons.
During last year’s visit to Tajikistan, Tatyana Moskalkova visited the correctional colony YAS 3/1 of the Ministry of Justice of RT, where she communicated with Russians serving sentences there. It was reported at the time that some convicts asked her for assistance in transferring to Russian correctional facilities for further serving of their sentences.
According to the latest data, 471 women are currently serving sentences in Nurek prison. There are also 11 children under the age of three with their mothers. The children remain here with their mothers until they reach the age of three, after which they are handed over to the women’s relatives.
