A report last year by the U.S.-based human rights watchdog Freedom House declared that Tajikistan was among the world's 10 most repressive countries. It said the Tajik government severely restricted people's rights and civil liberties, and showed little tolerance for dissent.
Tajik authorities have increased pressure on opponents of the government, both at home and abroad, in recent weeks. Several activists, government critics, and suspected supporters of banned opposition groups have been jailed.
By the government's own admission, 10 people were arrested in January alone for allegedly "collaborating" with Tajik opposition groups based abroad.
Prosecutor-General Yusuf Rahmon said those detained had provided "deceitful" information to "agitators abroad" -- information that he said was critical of the government and aimed at destabilizing the country.
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Isloh, an independent news and analysis website, claims that the number of arrests in the crackdown is much higher. It reported that "dozens" of opposition supporters had been detained in recent weeks, including at least 25 people taken into custody in the capital, Dushanbe, alone.
The term "agitators" is often used by Tajik officials to describe members of two banned opposition movements -- Group 24 and the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT).
Isloh said 25 Dushanbe residents were detained in January in connection with political graffiti that had been sprayed by unidentified people on the walls of a public school in Dushanbe.
The graffiti reportedly called for the resignation of President Emomali Rahmon, the authoritarian ruler in power since 1992.
Another set of graffiti appeared on concrete pavement and walls in the northern city of Khujand, Isloh reported. The website posted images of graffiti that read: "Rahmon resign," "Rahmon must end brutality," and "Revolution is near."
RFE/RL could not independently verify the authenticity of the video, which Isloh said it was sent from Khujand.
https://www.ozodi.org/a/31034941.html
https://www.rferl.org/a/tajikistan-increases-pressure-on-opposition-at-home-abroad/31090343.html
