The celebrations marking 34 years since the country regained its independence with the end of the Soviet Union were an opportunity in Dushanbe to rediscover the meanings behind the flag, the country's coat of arms and its national anthem, whose melody draws on a long local musical tradition.
The case of a 15-year-old boy who died in Tajikistan as a result of “exemplary corporal punishment” inflicted by his father has reignited the spotlight on the issue of domestic violence. According to some data, 60% of children under the age of 14 in the country are victims of domestic violence. And despite the prohibitions introduced by law, the problem is exacerbated today by ‘demonstration videos’ sent to relatives or uploaded to social networks in search of social approval.
Of the five countries, only Turkmenistan is not a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), in keeping with its traditional international neutrality, but President Serdar Berdymukhamedov was nevertheless present at the parade in Beijing. Trade between the region and China grew by 5% last year and will soon exceed 0 billion. Russia is now forced to play a secondary role.
In Tajikistan, human rights groups accuse the Tajik government of grave abuses in its crackdown against protests in the Gorno-Badakshan Autonomous Region. They point to the deaths of four jailed activists in recent months. Prisoners in the rebel region are reportedly subjected to systematic torture to obtain forced confessions or information to indict other activists who have fled abroad.
It is increasingly difficult for residents to move, with central streets cleared waiting for the motorcades to pass, while cars are lined up in columns on the side streets. Citizens are forced to walk in the scorching heat. In Tashkent, the ‘clean-up’ of the city center can take ‘extreme’ forms, with armored vehicles opening fire on cars that block the way.
