President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon has signed a law amending the Criminal Code to eliminate criminal liability for expressing support for social media content — including likes, reposts, and other reactions, Asiaplus.tj reports.
The newly adopted amendments remove penalties for approving or endorsing materials that authorities had previously considered extremist or threatening to public order.
Until now, such actions could fall under Article 179 of the Criminal Code of Tajikistan — "Public calls for committing terrorist crimes and/or public justification of terrorist activities." In 2018, amendments extended the scope of this article to cover online activity, including likes and reposts. The punishment ranged from 10 to 15 years of imprisonment.
Additionally, Article 307 of the Criminal Code was also applied to prosecute users who interacted with content related to banned organizations, including through reposts or likes.
Local and international human rights organizations have repeatedly criticized such legal provisions, citing violations of freedom of expression. In 2024, President Rahmon publicly criticized law enforcement agencies for unjustified criminal proceedings based on online activity. He emphasized that “this practice must be stopped.”
His statement came amid a series of high-profile cases in which Tajik citizens were sentenced to prison for liking, commenting on, or viewing posts by religious or opposition figures on social media.
The adoption of the new law marks a significant step toward easing digital regulations and protecting civil liberties in Tajikistan.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
May 14, 2025