Tajikistan Justice - The Times Of Central Asia

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Crypto-mining

Tajikistan Introduces Prison Terms for Crypto Mining Using Stolen Electricity

Tajikistan has formally introduced criminal liability for the unauthorized use of electricity to mine cryptocurrency. On December 3 the country’s parliament approved amendments to the Criminal Code, adding Article 253(2): “Illegal use of electricity for the production of virtual assets.” Under the new law, violators face penalties ranging from fines of $1,650 to $8,250 or prison sentences of two to eight years, depending on the severity of the offense. The base-level offense, using stolen electricity for mining, carries a fine equivalent to $1,650 to $4,070. If committed by a group acting in coordination, penalties increase to $4,125-8,250 or two to five years' imprisonment. In cases involving organized groups and “particularly large-scale” electricity theft, offenders may face five to eight years in prison. Presenting the bill to parliament, Attorney General Khabibullo Vokhidzoda warned that unregulated mining has already contributed to regional power outages and an uptick in related crimes. “The illegal circulation of virtual assets contributes to a number of crimes, such as electricity theft, damage to state infrastructure, and the laundering of criminal proceeds,” Vokhidzoda said. He reported that damages from illegal mining operations have reached $3.52 million to date, with four to five criminal cases currently under investigation. Law enforcement officials have recorded cases of mining equipment being smuggled into the country and illegally connected to the national grid. Member of Parliament Shukhrat Ganizoda outlined the technical challenges posed by such operations. “A typical ASIC consumes up to 3.5 kWh, while more powerful models use 5–6 kWh. Large farms run thousands of these devices, placing an enormous strain on the electrical system,” he said. Ganizoda added that perpetrators often bypass meters or make illegal connections to reduce operating costs and maximize profits. The new legislation, he said, aims to deter tax evasion schemes, unauthorized data encryption, and attempts to circumvent commodity tracking systems. The law will take effect after it is signed by President Emomali Rahmon and officially published in state media. Tajikistan had already strengthened penalties for illegal electricity use and non-payment. Currently, such offenses are punishable by fines ranging from $2,970 to $9,900 or prison terms of three to ten years. The legislative crackdown comes amid the country's annual autumn-winter energy crisis. This year, electricity shortages are particularly severe, with some regions receiving just two to four hours of power per day. Authorities hope the new measures will ease pressure on the national grid and help prevent further outages.

Tajik-Afghan Border

Taliban Arrests Suspects After Deadly Attacks on Chinese Citizens Near Tajik-Afghan Border

The Taliban has announced the arrest of two suspects following two deadly attacks on Chinese workers in Tajikistan’s border regions, which left five dead and several others injured. Afghan media, citing Taliban officials, reported that two individuals were detained in connection with the killings of Chinese nationals in Tajikistan. According to Ehsanullah Kamgar, a spokesperson for the Taliban’s security department in Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province, the arrests took place in the Maymay district. The identities of the suspects have not been disclosed. Tajikistan’s security services believe that the militants crossed the border from this area before launching an assault in the Darvaz district on November 30. The attack targeted Chinese workers from a road construction company in the village of Shodak, killing two and injuring two more. Authorities said the assault occurred around 6:45 p.m. local time. The border situation has deteriorated rapidly. Within one week, two armed attacks were carried out from Afghan territory targeting Chinese nationals in Tajikistan. The first incident occurred on November 26 in the Shamsiddin Shokhin district, where three employees of the Shokhin-SM company were killed and one other was injured in a drone strike. The second attack took place on November 30, when a terrorist group crossed from Ruzvayak, a village in Badakhshan, Afghanistan, and targeted workers from the China Road and Bridge Corporation. The outcome was again tragic: two Chinese workers were killed and two were wounded. Tajik border guards emphasized that these attacks have occurred despite heightened security in the border regions. “Criminal groups continue to destabilize the situation,” the border agency said in a statement. Following the violence, the Chinese embassy in Dushanbe issued a strong demand for the Tajik authorities to “take all necessary measures” to protect Chinese citizens and employees of companies operating near the Afghan border. On December 1, Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon convened an emergency meeting with the heads of the country’s law enforcement agencies. He “strongly condemned the illegal and provocative actions of Afghan citizens” and ordered tighter security controls to prevent further cross-border attacks.

Migrants

Number of Tajik Citizens on Russia’s “Controlled Persons” List Surpasses 150,000

The number of Tajik nationals included in Russia’s registry of “controlled persons” has risen sharply, according to new figures released by the Representative Office of Tajikistan’s Ministry of Labor, Migration and Employment in Russia. Citing the latest update, Asia-Plus reports that more than 150,000 Tajik citizens were listed as of November, an increase of approximately 30,000 since the last official count. The previous figures, published in October 2024, placed the number at over 120,000. Since then, the Tajik authorities have repeatedly urged migrants in Russia to legalize their status and take steps to be removed from the so-called “blacklist.” However, no updated statistics had been released until now. Russia’s controlled persons registry, which came into force on February 5, 2025, encompasses individuals accused of various administrative violations. These range from minor offenses such as unpaid utility bills and traffic infractions to failure to appear at state agencies despite repeated summonses. Russian authorities gave migrants until September 10 to regularize their documents and avoid inclusion in the system. In September, Russia’s Interior Ministry announced that around 770,000 people were registered nationwide, one-third of them women and children. Foreign nationals on the list face wide-ranging restrictions, including bans on changing their place of residence without permission, leaving their region, operating vehicles, purchasing property, or conducting specific financial transactions. Since the registry’s introduction, numerous migrants have reported being added to the list in error. Many only discovered their status after receiving bank notifications about frozen accounts or blocked transactions. Tajikistan’s migration office in Russia continues to advise citizens to verify their status through the Russian Interior Ministry’s online platform. Migrants whose names appear on the list are encouraged to contact local migration offices for assistance. Those unable to resolve their situation are urged to leave Russia within the legally mandated timeframe. Earlier this year, The Times of Central Asia reported that the Tajik authorities had called on labor migrants in Russia to renew their documents before the deadline when Russia's updated migration regulations came into effect. The Tajik Interior Ministry has reminded citizens that maintaining legal residency is essential for continued employment in the country.

Drug Trafficking

Tajik Border Guards Deploy Drones to Intercept Afghan Smugglers

Tajikistan’s border service has reported the elimination of a group of drug smugglers attempting to cross into the country from Afghanistan, according to a broadcast by Tajik state television on November 22. The State Committee for National Security stated that the incident occurred late on November 20 in the Hamadoni district, where border guards detected an illegal crossing at 22:50. Afghan smugglers were located and targeted using a domestically produced drone, marking the first time Tajik border forces have used locally developed unmanned aerial technology in such an operation. Authorities said that on the morning of November 21, officers discovered the bodies of two Afghan nationals at the site, along with five sacks containing 116 packages of narcotics. The fate of the other members of the group remains unclear, as the report did not specify whether they were detained or escaped. State television noted an uptick in confrontations with Afghan drug traffickers over the past six months. The border service recorded ten armed incidents during this period, up from six in the first half of 2024. Four Afghan citizens were killed in these encounters. Most clashes occurred near Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province, a region where smugglers are known to carry weapons and modern equipment. Tajikistan continues to serve as a critical transit route for narcotics originating in Afghanistan. In the first half of 2025, authorities seized 1.69 tons of drugs in border regions, accounting for more than half of all narcotics confiscated nationwide. Officials attribute the increased smuggling activity to ongoing instability in Afghanistan, which has prompted Tajikistan to tighten border security and deepen international cooperation in anti-narcotics efforts.

Crime

Tajik Citizens Arrested in U.S. in Connection with ATM Cyberattack

U.S. authorities have charged two Tajik nationals and one Iranian citizen with orchestrating a cyberattack on ATMs to steal cash using a method known as "jackpotting." Two of the suspects have already been apprehended. Law enforcement in Lincoln County, North Carolina, identified the suspects as 26-year-old Nurmuhammad Rahmonzoda, 35-year-old Firdavs Rajabov, and 36-year-old Milod Avazdavani of Iran. The crimes reportedly occurred in February 2025 in the state of Maine. Investigators were able to identify the suspects using CCTV footage and license plate recognition systems. The group allegedly employed jackpotting, a cyber intrusion technique that manipulates ATMs into dispensing cash without recording a legitimate transaction. The investigation was launched after multiple banks reported technical issues with their self-service terminals. Authorities later determined the cyberattacks had been premeditated and synchronized across several ATM locations. In total, the group is accused of stealing more than $10,000. Avazdavani was arrested on March 13, 2025, in Charleston, South Carolina. Rahmonzoda was detained two weeks later in Florida and transferred to Maine. Authorities have not confirmed whether Rajabov has been taken into custody. Rahmonzoda has been formally charged with theft. A court has ordered him to pay $38,480 in restitution to the victims. If he fulfils the court’s compensation order, the felony charge may be downgraded to a misdemeanor, though full criminal liability will still apply. Further proceedings in the case are set to continue in Florida. Previously, U.S. media reported the arrests of other Tajik citizens in unrelated cases involving terrorism and immigration violations.

Human Trafficking

Tajikistan Improves Ranking in U.S. Human Trafficking Report

Tajikistan has improved its standing in the U.S. State Department’s 2025 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, moving up from the Tier 2 Watch List to Tier 2. This designation means the country still does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking under U.S. legislation, but is making significant efforts to comply. According to the report, released on the State Department’s official website, Tajikistan’s progress reflects expanded anti-trafficking efforts in 2024. Authorities initiated 57 criminal cases related to human trafficking, down slightly from 60 in 2023 but the number of identified victims surged from 47 to 272. Of these, 238 were victims of forced labor, and 34 were victims of sexual exploitation. In the first half of 2025 alone, Tajik law enforcement registered 39 new cases, including five involving the sale of children. Tajikistan’s shift to Tier 2 signals a positive trajectory. However, the report notes persistent shortcomings. Authorities, for instance, often fail to clearly distinguish between labor exploitation and sexual violence, frequently conflating these with irregular migration or illegal adoption cases. Despite an official ban, the report highlights that schoolchildren and university students in Tajikistan continue to be mobilized for cotton harvesting under the guise of “hashar” or community work days. The TIP Report also raises concerns about coercive recruitment tactics used in military conscription, though it does not elaborate on specific methods. Refugees and stateless individuals are another focus of concern. According to the report, some citizens of Afghanistan and Bangladesh have been subjected to forced labor at construction sites in Tajikistan. U.S. estimates indicate that more than 12,000 refugees and asylum seekers live in the country, the majority of whom are Afghan nationals. Tajikistan’s Criminal Code criminalizes human trafficking-related offenses such as kidnapping, trafficking in persons, the sale of minors, and the use of children in the production of pornography. It also covers crimes such as organizing illegal migration, forging documents, and misusing official seals and stamps. While the U.S. report acknowledges improvements in victim identification and data collection, it emphasizes that Tajikistan must strengthen victim protection measures, improve transparency in investigations and expand its prevention strategies to continue advancing in the global anti-trafficking effort.