Tajikistan: UPR Submissions Highlight Concerns about Civic Space, Torture and Vulnerable Groups

In autumn 2026, Tajikistan’s human rights record will be assessed through the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), a global peer-review process under the United Nations Human Rights Council. Three reports submitted by International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) and partners for this review highlight backsliding on civic freedoms, persistent problems with torture, and rights violations affecting vulnerable groups. IPHR urges UN member states to raise these concerns during the upcoming UPR and call for concrete steps to resolve them.

The first report, submitted by IPHR, Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights (HFHR) and CIVICUS, covers threats to civic space and fundamental freedoms.

During the previous UPR in 2021, Tajikistan received over 80 recommendations related to its obligations to protect civic freedoms and ensure a safe and enabling environment for civil society. The submission focuses on the current state of protection of the rights to freedom of expression and media freedom, association, and peaceful assembly.

It raises serious concerns about the systematic use of broadly worded criminal provisions on extremism, treason, and incitement to prosecute human rights defenders (HRDs), journalists, and lawyers, with Tajikistan ranking among the countries with the highest numbers of imprisoned journalists globally. Civic space has significantly deteriorated following the violent crackdown on protests in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO) in 2021–2022. State harassment continues to undermine freedom of association, while peaceful assembly remains severely restricted in law and practice. Civic space in Tajikistan is rated as ”closed” by the CIVICUS Monitor.

The joint submission details these troubling developments and provides recommendations for actions Tajikistani authorities should be asked to take.

The second report, submitted by the CSO Coalition against Torture and Impunity, IPHR, HFHR and World Organisation against Torture (OMCT) focuses on the fight against torture and ill-treatment.

During the 2021 UPR, Tajikistan received important recommendations related to prevention and eradication of torture and other forms of ill-treatment.

While the authorities have taken some welcome steps, including adopting the first National Strategy on Human Rights (NSHR) and allowing CSO independent monitoring of closed institutions, torture and ill-treatment remain widespread, particularly in the early stages of detention, while impunity persists. Legal safeguards are inconsistently applied in practice; prosecuting authorities often fail to carry out effective and impartial investigations; independent forensic medical examinations are lacking; judges rarely order thorough investigations into torture allegations; and mechanisms ensuring fair compensation and redress remain inadequate. Poor conditions in places of detention, as well as torture and ill-treatment in the army, also continue to give rise to serious concern. These issues are detailed in the submission, which concludes with a set of proposed recommendations to address to the Tajikistani authorities.

The report is based on monitoring conducted by CSO members of the Coalition against Torture and Impunity.

The third report, submitted by IPHR and HFHR, outlines concerns related to the protection of the human rights of vulnerable groups in Tajikistan.

During the 2021 UPR, Tajikistan received important recommendations aimed at improving the protection of people affected by domestic violence, LGBT+ persons, people living with HIV, persons with disabilities, homeless persons, and refugees and asylum seekers. The submission provides an overview of the current human rights situation in these areas, along with recommendations for measures the Tajikistani authorities should be requested to take.

The report is based on information gathered through ongoing cooperation with local partners.

All three reports can be downloaded below

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The UPR of Tajikistan, scheduled for November 2026, will assess the country’s human rights record based on input from the government, UN human rights bodies, CSOs, and other stakeholders. The three reports have been submitted to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) as input for a compilation of civil society concerns, which will serve as a key source of information for UN member state delegations participating in the review. The review will involve an interactive dialogue between Tajikistan and the member and observer states of the Human Rights Council, concluding with an outcome report that outlines recommendations to Tajikistan.