President Emomali Rahmon has signed an amnesty law covering 18,038 convicted people as Tajikistan prepares to mark 35 years of independence. The measure provides full release for 11,305 people and reduces the unserved terms of 6,733 others. The 11,305 figure includes prison and settlement-colony sentences, along with punishments that do not involve custody.
Women and minors will receive wider relief. Of 507 women serving sentences, 248 will be released, and 259 will receive shorter terms. Of 134 minors, 99 will be freed, and 35 will have their sentences reduced.
Rahmon submitted the bill to the lower house of parliament on June 16 and signed it after adoption. The anniversary falls on September 9. His office said the measure would allow offenders to “return to their families and relatives, and engage in constructive work.”
The published law gives broad eligibility to women, minors, men over 55, foreign citizens, people with disabilities, and people with specified serious illnesses. War veterans, certain mobilized personnel, Chornobyl victims and cleanup workers, and holders of state awards also qualify, subject to the law’s exclusions.
People convicted of negligent offenses can also receive full release, subject to the law’s restrictions. Several groups serving deferred, suspended, or non-custodial sentences can qualify, as can people in settlement colonies or on parole.
For intentional offenses, people sentenced to up to five years for minor or medium-severity crimes may qualify for release. People convicted of serious crimes may qualify after serving one-third of their terms. Those convicted of especially serious crimes may qualify after serving three-quarters. Exclusion clauses still apply.
The law restricts full release for a long list of offenses, including provisions on murder, rape, terrorism, extremist activity, and serious drug trafficking. It also excludes life prisoners, especially dangerous repeat offenders, people whose death sentences were commuted, and prisoners convicted of intentional crimes while incarcerated. Some specified convictions can still receive fixed reductions of one, two, or three years.
Eligible cases still under investigation or before the courts can be closed when the offense occurred before the law’s adoption. The measure also removes criminal records for people convicted of minor or medium-severity offenses committed before June 16.
The authorities must decide every case individually. Investigators, military commanders, and prison authorities need a prosecutor’s approval. Courts must consider applications with a prosecutor present. The amnesty does not cancel additional penalties or duties to compensate victims.
Local governments must help released people find work and return minors to their families or arrange education and care. Medical and social institutions must accommodate people who need treatment or supported housing.
The law took effect after official publication. State bodies have two months to complete its implementation, after which the prosecutor general must report to Rahmon.
Nurullo Mahmadullozoda, a legal scholar at Tajikistan’s National Academy of Sciences, said: “A person cannot be reformed through punishment alone.” He called for employment support, legal advice, psychological help, and restored social ties after release.
The law names categories and Criminal Code provisions rather than individual beneficiaries. Whether any jailed journalists qualify will depend on their conviction articles and the required case reviews.
Tajikistan has regularly linked broad amnesties to state anniversaries. An independence amnesty in 2016 affected more than 12,000 people. A 2021 law was projected to cover about 16,000, with 10,700 full releases and 5,300 sentence reductions. Rahmon used a separate pardon decree in March 2025 to free 897 prisoners for Navruz.
