77-502: Hisar (also Gissar , Gisar , Hissar , or Hisor ) Valley in Tajikistan runs east–west along the southern slopes of Hisar Range and on the northern border of Khatlon Province . It is about 100 km long and up to 20 km wide in the middle, stretching from Vahdat district in the east to Tursunzoda district on the border with Uzbekistan in the west, with the capital Dushanbe and Hisar district at its center. The elevations in
154-616: A constituent republic of the Soviet Union on 5 December 1929. On 9 September 1991, Tajikistan declared itself an independent sovereign nation as the Soviet Union was disintegrating . A civil war was fought after independence, lasting from May 1992 to June 1997. Since the end of the war, newly established political stability and foreign aid have allowed the country's economy to grow. The country has been led since 1994 by Emomali Rahmon , who heads an authoritarian regime and whose human rights record has been criticised. Tajikistan
231-421: A cult of personality . Political opponents are repressed, violations of human rights and freedoms are severe, elections are not free and fair, and corruption and nepotism are rampant. Various important government positions are occupied by his family members, such as his 36-year-old son Rustam Emomali , who is the chairman of the country's parliament and the mayor of its capital city, Dushanbe . Rahmon
308-516: A collection of Yuezhi tribes, took control of the region in the first century AD and ruled until the fourth century AD during which time Buddhism , Nestorian Christianity , Zoroastrianism , and Manichaeism were practised in the region. Later the Hephthalite Empire , a collection of nomadic tribes, moved into the region and Arabs brought Islam in the eighth century. The Samanid Empire , 819 to 999, restored Persian control of
385-555: A completely different culture. You have to take that into account". During a 2010 Organisation of Islamic Cooperation session in Dushanbe , Rahmon spoke against what he called the misuse of Islam for political ends, claiming that "Terrorism, terrorists, have no nation, no country, no religion... Using the name 'Islamic terrorism' only discredits Islam and dishonors the pure and harmless religion of Islam." Membership in Hizb ut-Tahrir ,
462-790: A definitive shift from Iranian to Turkic predominance in Central Asia, and gradually the Kara-khanids became assimilated into the Perso-Arab Muslim culture of the region. In the 13th century, the Mongol Empire swept through Central Asia, invaded the Khwarezmian Empire and sacked its cities, looting and massacring people. Turco-Mongol conqueror Tamerlane founded the Timurid Empire , becoming
539-560: A militant Islamic party that aims to overthrow secular governments and unify Muslims under one Islamic state, is illegal and members are subject to arrest and imprisonment. The Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRP) is a banned Islamist political party and has been designated a terrorist organization since 2015. In 2017 the government of Tajikistan passed a law requiring people to "stick to traditional national clothes and culture", which has been widely seen as an attempt to prevent women from wearing Islamic clothing, in particular
616-628: A population of approximately 10.6 million people. The territory was previously home to cultures of the Neolithic and the Bronze Age , including the city of Sarazm , and was later home to kingdoms ruled by people of various faiths and cultures including the Oxus civilization , Andronovo culture , Buddhism , Nestorian Christianity , Hinduism , Zoroastrianism , Manichaeism , and Islam . The area has been ruled by empires and dynasties including
693-703: A relentless campaign against public displays of Islamic devotion. His suppression of Islamic expression includes banning beards, attendance at mosque for women and children under 18, hajj for people under 40, studying in Islamic schools outside Tajikistan , the production, import or export of Islamic books without permission, implemented in 2017, using loudspeakers to broadcast the adhan , veils , madrassas , Islamist political parties and Arabic -sounding names, implemented in 2016. Furthermore, mosques are heavily regulated, providing unofficial Islamic teaching can lead to up to 12 years of imprisonment, and an arduous process
770-443: A result praised as a successful United Nations peacekeeping initiative. The ceasefire guaranteed 30% of ministerial positions would go to the opposition . Elections were held in 1999 and were criticised by opposition parties and foreign observers as unfair; Rahmon was re-elected with 98% of the vote. Elections in 2006 were again won by Rahmon (with 79% of the vote) and he began his third term in office. Opposition parties boycotted
847-655: Is a Tajik politician who has served as the President of Tajikistan since 1994, having previously led the country as Chairman of the Supreme Assembly from 1992 to 1994 (the post of president was temporarily abolished during this period). Since 18 March 1998, he has also served as the leader of the People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan , which dominates the Parliament of Tajikistan . On 30 September 1999, he
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#1732771961034924-553: Is a neopatrimonial regime, characterized by a high degree of clientelism , corruption , and poor governance. In a diplomatic cable that was leaked in 2010, the U.S. ambassador in Tajikistan, reported that Rahmon and his family control the country's major businesses, including the largest bank. In November 2018, Rahmon launched a hydroelectric station to solve energy problems. During his presidency Tajikistan in 2011 cedes about 1,000 or 1,122 sq km or about 0,8% of its land to
1001-521: Is a presidential republic consisting of four provinces . Tajiks form the ethnic majority in the country, and their national language is Tajik . Russian is used as the official inter-ethnic language. While the state is constitutionally secular, Islam is nominally adhered to by 97.5% of the population. In the Gorno-Badakhshan oblast , there is a linguistic diversity where Rushani , Shughni , Ishkashimi , Wakhi and Tajik are some of
1078-560: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Tajikistan Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a landlocked country in Central Asia . Dushanbe is the capital and most populous city. Tajikistan is bordered by Afghanistan to the south , Uzbekistan to the west , Kyrgyzstan to the north , and China to the east . It is separated from Pakistan by Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor . It has
1155-469: Is required to obtain a permit to establish an Islamic organisation, publish an Islamic book, or go on pilgrimage to Mecca. In January 2016, Rahmon performed an Umrah with a number of his children and senior members of his government. That was Rahmon's fourth pilgrimage to Mecca. His reply to critics of the election standards of the 2006 Tajikistani presidential elections was: "In Tajikistan, more than 99 percent of those residing here are Muslim. We have
1232-500: Is tolerated and all direct protest is suppressed and denied coverage in the local media. In the 2020 Democracy Index by the Economist Intelligence Unit , Tajikistan was ranked 160th, after Saudi Arabia , while receiving the designation of "authoritarian regime". In July 2019, UN ambassadors of 37 countries, including Tajikistan, signed a joint letter to UNHRC defending China's treatment of Uyghurs in
1309-572: Is used. Tadzhikistan is the alternate spelling and is used in English literature derived from Russian sources. While the Library of Congress 's 1997 Country Study of Tajikistan found it difficult to definitively state the origins of the word "Tajik" because the term is "embroiled in twentieth-century political disputes about whether Turkic or Iranic peoples were the original inhabitants of Central Asia," scholars concluded that contemporary Tajiks are
1386-584: The Encyclopædia Britannica states: The Tajiks are the direct descendants of the Iranic peoples whose continuous presence in Central Asia and northern Afghanistan is attested from the middle of the first millennium BC. The ancestors of the Tajiks constituted the core of the ancient population of Khwārezm (Khorezm) and Bactria, which formed part of Transoxania (Sogdiana). Over the course of time,
1463-709: The Achaemenid Empire , Sasanian Empire , Hephthalite Empire , Samanid Empire , and Mongol Empire . After being ruled by the Timurid Empire and Khanate of Bukhara , the Timurid Renaissance flourished. The region was later conquered by the Russian Empire , before becoming part of the Soviet Union . Within the Soviet Union, the country's borders were drawn when it was part of Uzbekistan as an autonomous republic before becoming
1540-592: The Ayni Air Base , a military airport located 15 km southwest of Dushanbe, at a cost of $ 70 million, completing the repairs in September 2010. It is the main base of the Tajikistan air force. There have been talks with Russia concerning use of the Ayni facility, and Russia continues to maintain a base on the outskirts of Dushanbe. In 2010, there were concerns among Tajik officials that Islamic militarism in
1617-554: The Basmachi movement . Some industrial development occurred during this time along with the expansion of irrigation infrastructure. Two rounds of Stalin's purges (1927–1934 and 1937–1938 ) resulted in the expulsion of nearly 10,000 people from all levels of the Communist Party of Tajikistan . Ethnic Russians were sent in to replace those expelled and subsequently Russians dominated party positions at all levels, including
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#17327719610341694-598: The China as part of a deal of the 1999, which essentially constitutes the Treason by the regime. By the year 2024 the Salafi movement , which essentially are terrorists is widespread in the republic, in all corners of it, including the law enforcers, etc. governmental agencies, despite the organization being officially banned in the republic by the regimes's court since year 2009. Most open movement members can be seen on
1771-671: The Emirate of Bukhara and Khanate of Kokand . Russia was interested in gaining access to a supply of cotton and in the 1870s attempted to switch cultivation in the region from grain to cotton (a strategy later copied and expanded by the Soviets). During the 19th century, the Jadidists established themselves as an Islamic social movement throughout the region. While the Jadidists were pro-modernization and not necessarily anti-Russian,
1848-554: The Google Maps , and are supressed in the media, ignored by the regime. Since time the republic was declared independent from the Soviet Union , civil war and the Rahmonov presidency there is increasing trend of leaving the Tajikistan by its citizens primarily to Russia , since very tough living conditions made by the regime, the family of the president. The migrations in general have three phases: Tajikistan under Rahmon
1925-733: The Islamic State . Khalimov was allegedly killed on 8 September 2017 during a Russian airstrike near Deir ez-Zor , Syria , although Tajikistan authorities express doubts whether he has died. In 2021, following the Fall of Kabul , Tajikistan allegedly got involved in the Panjshir conflict against the Taliban on the side of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan . In September 2022 armed clashes , including
2002-652: The Turkic rendition of the Arabic ethnonym Ṭayyi’ , denoting a Qahtanite Arab tribe who emigrated to the Transoxiana region of Central Asia in the 7th century AD. Tajikistan appeared as Tadjikistan or Tadzhikistan in English prior to 1991. This is due to a transliteration from the Russian : "Таджикистан" . In Russian, there is no single letter "j" to represent the phoneme /d͡ʒ/ , and therefore дж , or dzh,
2079-592: The Xinjiang region. In October 2020, President Emomali Rahmon was re-elected for another seven-year term with 90% of the vote, following a largely ceremonial election. In April 2021, a conflict over water with Kyrgyzstan escalated into one of the border clashes between the two countries since independence. Emomali Rahmon President of Tajikistan Government parliamentary election Family Emomali Rahmon ( Tajik : Эмомали Раҳмон ; born Emomali Sharipovich Rahmonov , born 5 October 1952)
2156-643: The civil unrest . That same month, the Supreme Soviet met in Khujand for its 16th session and declared Tajikistan a parliamentary republic. Rahmon was then elected by the members of the Supreme Soviet as its chairman—as the Parliamentary republican system adopted by Tajikistan did not provide for a ceremonial president, he was also Head of State—and the head of government. Former Interior Minister Yaqub Salimov later recalled that Rahmon's appointment
2233-411: The 19th century, for the second time in world history, a European power (the Russian Empire ) began to conquer parts of the region. Russian Imperialism led to the Russian Empire 's conquest of Central Asia during the 19th century's Imperial Era . Between 1864 and 1885, Russia gradually took control of the entire territory of Russian Turkestan , the Tajikistan portion of which had been controlled by
2310-788: The 2006 election and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) criticised it, while observers from the Commonwealth of Independent States claimed the elections were legal and transparent. Rahmon's administration came under further criticism from OSCE in October 2010 for its censorship and repression of the media. OSCE claimed that the Tajik Government censored Tajik and foreign websites and instituted tax inspections on independent printing houses that led to
2387-761: The Danghara Sovkhoz , Rahmon was appointed chairman of the sovkhoz in 1987. In 1990, Rahmon was elected a people's deputy to the Supreme Soviet of the Tajik SSR . President Rahmon Nabiyev was forced to resign in the first months of the Civil War in August 1992. Akbarsho Iskandrov , Speaker of the Supreme Soviet, became acting president. Iskandarov resigned in November 1992 in an attempt to end
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2464-722: The Islamist-led opposition, a central government began to take form, with peaceful elections in 1999. "Longtime observers of Tajikistan often characterize the country as profoundly averse to risk and skeptical of promises of reform, a political passivity they trace to the country's ruinous civil war," Ilan Greenberg wrote in a news article in The New York Times before the country's November 2006 presidential election. The parliamentary elections of 2005 aroused accusations from opposition parties and international observers that President Emomali Rahmon corruptly manipulates
2541-502: The Nation", in full — "Founder of peace and national Unity — Leader of the Nation". Following the results of the last national constitutional referendum in 2016 , amendments were adopted that lifted the restrictions on the number of re-elections to the post of President of Tajikistan and lowered the age limit for those running for the post of president from 35 to 30 years. Rahmon heads an authoritarian regime in Tajikistan with elements of
2618-689: The Russians viewed the movement as a threat because the Russian Empire was predominantly Christian. Russian troops were required to restore order during uprisings against the Khanate of Kokand between 1910 and 1913. Further violence occurred in July 1916 when demonstrators attacked Russian soldiers in Khujand over the threat of forced conscription during World War I . While Russian troops brought Khujand back under control, clashes continued throughout
2695-599: The Samanid state under one ruler, thus putting an end to the feudal system used by the Samanids. It was under him that the Samanids became independent of Abbasid authority. The Kara-Khanid Khanate conquered Transoxania (which corresponded approximately with what later would be Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, southern Kyrgyzstan, and southwest Kazakhstan) and ruled between 999 and 1211. Their arrival in Transoxania signalled
2772-714: The cessation of printing activities for a number of independent newspapers. Russian border troops were stationed along the Tajik–Afghan border until summer 2005. Since the September 11, 2001 attacks , French troops have been stationed at Dushanbe Airport in support of air operations of NATO 's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan . United States Army and Marine Corps personnel periodically visit Tajikistan to conduct joint training missions of up to several weeks duration. The Government of India rebuilt
2849-552: The country's east, and the military operation in the Rasht Valley was concluded in November 2010. Fighting erupted again, this time in and around Gorno-Badakhshan, in July 2012. In 2015, Russia sent more troops to Tajikistan. In May 2015, Tajikistan's national security underwent a setback when Colonel Gulmurod Khalimov , commander of the special-purpose police unit (OMON) of the Interior Ministry, defected to
2926-789: The descendants of the Eastern Iranic inhabitants of Central Asia , in particular, the Sogdians and the Bactrians and possibly other groups. In later works, Frye expands on the complexity of the historical origins of the Tajiks. In a 1996 publication, Frye explains that "factors must be taken into account in explaining the evolution of the peoples whose remnants are the Tajiks in Central Asia" and that "the peoples of Central Asia, whether Iranic or Turkic speaking, have one culture, one religion, one set of social values and traditions with only language separating them." Regarding Tajiks,
3003-467: The difficult socio-economic situation, lack of housing, and youth unemployment. The nationalist and democratic opposition and supporters of independence joined the strikes and began to demand the independence of the republic and democratic reforms. Islamists began to hold strikes to demand respect for their rights and independence. The Soviet leadership introduced Internal Troops in Dushanbe to eliminate
3080-475: The early part of this conflict in 1992, after Nabiyev was forced at gunpoint on 7 September 1992 to resign from office. Rahmon defeated former prime minister Abdumalik Abdullajanov in a November presidential election with 58% of the vote. In 1997, a ceasefire was reached between Rahmon and opposition parties under the guidance of Gerd D. Merrem, Special Representative to the Secretary General,
3157-481: The east of the country was on the rise following the escape of 25 militants from a Tajik prison in August, an ambush that killed 28 Tajik soldiers in the Rasht Valley in September, and another ambush in the valley in October that killed 30 soldiers, followed by fighting outside Gharm that left three militants dead. The country's Interior Ministry insisted that the central government maintained full control over
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3234-601: The eastern Iranic dialect that was used by the ancient Tajiks eventually gave way to Tajiki . Cultures in the region have been dated back to at least the fourth millennium BC, including the Bronze Age Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex , the Andronovo cultures and the pro-urban site of Sarazm , a UNESCO World Heritage Site . The earliest recorded history of the region dates back to about 500 BC when most, if not all, of Tajikistan
3311-565: The election process and unemployment. Elections in February 2010 saw the ruling PDPT lose four seats in Parliament, yet still maintain a majority. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe election observers said the 2010 polling "failed to meet many key OSCE commitments" and that "these elections failed on many basic democratic standards." The government insisted that only minor violations had occurred, which would not affect
3388-516: The first ruler of the Timurid dynasty in and around what later became Tajikistan and Central Asia. What later became Tajikistan fell under the rule of the Khanate of Bukhara during the 16th century and, with the empire's collapse in the 18th century, it came under the rule of the Emirate of Bukhara and Khanate of Kokand . The Emirate of Bukhara remained intact until the 20th century. During
3465-459: The incumbent", Rahmon. Freedom of the press is officially guaranteed by the government, and independent press outlets remain restricted, as does an amount of web content. According to the Institute for War & Peace Reporting , access to local and foreign websites is blocked, and journalists are sometimes obstructed from reporting on some events. In practice, no public criticism of the regime
3542-536: The languages spoken. Mountains cover more than 90% of the country. It is a developing country with a transitional economy that is dependent on remittances , and on production of aluminium and cotton . Tajikistan is a member of the United Nations , CIS , OSCE , OIC , ECO , SCO , CSTO and a NATO PfP partner . The term "Tajik" itself ultimately derives from the Middle Persian Tāzīk ,
3619-421: The latter builds building for the Government , Parliament . In July 2021, over 1,000 Afghan troops and civilians fled to Tajikistan after the Taliban insurgents took control of many parts of Afghanistan . In response, Rahmon ordered 20,000 reserve servicemen of the country's Ground Forces to be sent to the Afghan–Tajik border . In December 2015, a law passed by the Tajikistan's parliament gave Rahmon
3696-404: The law also gave him a number of other lifelong privileges, including veto powers over all major state decisions, the freedom to address the nation and parliament on all matters he deems important, and the privilege of attending all government meetings and parliament sessions. Rahmon is a Sunni Muslim and has frequently stressed his Muslim background even though his administration is engaged in
3773-410: The other. Five times (in the elections of 1994 , 1999 , 2006 , 2013 and 2020 ), Rahmon won undemocratic presidential elections; in addition, he extended and reformed his powers based on the results of the national constitutional referendums of 1999 and 2003 . Since 25 December 2015, Emomali Rahmon has held the lifetime title of Peshvoyi Millat ( Tajik : Пешвои Миллат ), which means "Leader of
3850-515: The region and enlarged the cities of Samarkand and Bukhara , which became the cultural centers of Iran ; the region was known as Khorasan. The empire was centered in Khorasan and Transoxiana; at its greatest extent encompassing Afghanistan, parts of Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, parts of Kazakhstan, and Pakistan. Four brothers Nuh, Ahmad, Yahya, and Ilyas founded the Samanid state. Each of them ruled territory under Abbasid suzerainty. In 892, Ismail Samani (892–907) united
3927-413: The removal of the outlawed Islamic Revival Party from Tajikistan's politics, and reduced the minimum eligibility age for presidential candidates from 35 to 30, enabling Rahmon's older son, Rustam Emomali , to run for president any time after 2017. In January 2017, Rustam Emomali was appointed Mayor of Dushanbe, a key position, which some analysts see as the next step to the top of the government. Since
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#17327719610344004-405: The son of the Rakhmonov Rustam Emomali was appointed as the new mayor of the city of Dushanbe - the capital, historical buildings was demolished, the city essentially was demolished. Homes of the city residents was forcefully taken by builder companies connected to the family of the Rakhmonov. New high rising buildings was build and continues to build, which can be seen in the satellite images of
4081-424: The streets of the cities wearing their Hijabs , which was not known to the republic earlier. Polygamy became norm as well in the republic during the regime as dominating religion - Sunni Islam and the Salafi movement do not forbid it, however, it is not official, legal. Most recent, during 2023-2024 development of his "presidency", in addition to the large infrastructure projects made by Government of China ,
4158-437: The style of headscarf wrapped under the chin, in contrast to the traditional Tajik headscarf tied behind the head. He is married to Azizmo Asadullayeva and has nine children. Two of his children, Rustam Emomali and Ozoda Rahmon , are senior officials in his administration, while another, Zarina Rahmon, was appointed deputy head of Orienbank in January 2017. Rustam is widely believed to be his father's successor. In
4235-521: The summer of 2021, coronavirus ravaged the country , and Emomali Rahmon's sister reportedly died in a hospital of COVID-19 on 20 July. According to local media, her sons physically assaulted the national health minister and a senior doctor. In March 2007, Rahmonov changed his surname to Rahmon , getting rid of the Russian-style "-ov" ending . He also removed the patronymic, Sharipovich , from his name altogether. Rahmon explained that he had done so out of respect for his cultural heritage. Following
4312-465: The title "Founder Of Peace and National Unity, Leader of the Nation", in Tajik : Асосгузори сулҳу ваҳдати миллӣ – Пешвои миллат, Asosguzori sulhu vahdati millî – Peshvo'i millat ; in Russian : Основатель мира и национального единства – Лидер нации, Osnovatel mira i natsionalnogo yedinstva – Lider natsii ). A shorter version of the title, "Leader of the Nation," is used frequently. In addition to granting Rahmon lifelong immunity from prosecution,
4389-617: The top position of first secretary. Between 1926 and 1959 the proportion of Russians among Tajikistan's population grew from less than 1% to 13%. Bobojon Ghafurov , First Secretary of the Communist Party of Tajikistan from 1946 to 1956, was the only Tajik politician of significance outside of the republic during the Soviet Era. Tajiks began to be conscripted into the Soviet Army in 1939 and during World War II around 260,000 Tajik citizens fought against Germany, Finland and Japan. Between 60,000 (4%) and 120,000 (8%) of Tajikistan's 1,530,000 citizens were killed during World War II. Following
4466-493: The two top per capita income groups, and the lowest rate of university graduates per 1000 people. By the 1980s Tajik nationalists were calling for increased rights. Real disturbances did not occur within the republic until 1990. The following year, the Soviet Union collapsed, and Tajikistan declared its independence on 9 September 1991, a day which is celebrated as the country's Independence Day . In February 1990, riots and strikes in Dushanbe and other cities began due to
4543-406: The unrest. Following independence, the nation fell into civil war among factions distinguished by clan loyalties. Regional groups from the Gharm and Gorno-Badakhshan regions of Tajikistan. led by a combination of liberal democratic reformers and Islamists , who eventually became the United Tajik Opposition , rose up against the newly formed government of President Rahmon Nabiyev , which
4620-456: The use of artillery, erupted along most of the border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. In 2023, according to the World Health Organization , Tajikistan received its certification, declaring its a status as a malaria -free country. After independence, Tajikistan was plunged into a civil war. Factions were supported by foreign countries including Afghanistan , Iran, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Russia. Russia and Iran focused on keeping peace in
4697-481: The valley range from 700 meters (2,300 ft) to 1,000 meters (3,300 ft). The valley is irrigated by Kofarnihon River in its upper and middle course. Warm temperatures (29 °C in the summer, 0 °C to – 1 °C in the winter) and abundant water for irrigation make the Hisar Valley one of the prime cotton growing areas in Tajikistan. 38°32′N 68°46′E / 38.533°N 68.767°E / 38.533; 68.767 This Tajikistan location article
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#17327719610344774-422: The war and the end of Stalin's reign, attempts were made to further expand the agriculture and industry of Tajikistan. During 1957–58 Nikita Khrushchev 's Virgin Lands Campaign focused attention on Tajikistan, where living conditions, education and industry lagged behind the other Soviet Republics . In the 1980s, Tajikistan had the lowest household saving rate in the USSR, the lowest percentage of households in
4851-460: The war. He survived an assassination attempt on 30 April 1997 in Khujand, as well as two attempted coups in August 1997 and in November 1998. Following constitutional changes, he was re-elected on 6 November 1999 to a seven-year term, officially taking 97% of the vote. On 22 June 2003, he won a referendum that would allow him to run for two more consecutive seven-year terms after his term expired in 2006. The opposition alleges that this amendment
4928-416: The warring nation to decrease the chances of U.S. or Turkish involvement. Russia backed the pro-government faction and deployed troops from the Commonwealth of Independent States to guard the Tajikistan-Afghan border. All but 25,000 of the more than 400,000 ethnic Russians, who were mostly employed in industry, fled to Russia. By 1997, the war had ended after a peace agreement between the government and
5005-452: The will of the Tajik people. The Tajik government has reportedly clamped down on facial hair as part of a crackdown on Islamic influence and due to its perceived associations with Islamic extremism , which is evident in bordering Afghanistan . The presidential election held on 6 November 2006 was boycotted by "mainline" opposition parties, including the 23,000-member Islamic Renaissance Party . Four remaining opponents "all but endorsed
5082-462: The year in various locations in Tajikistan. After the Russian Revolution of 1917 guerrillas throughout Central Asia, known as basmachi , waged a war against Bolshevik armies in an attempt to maintain independence. The Bolsheviks prevailed after a four-year war, in which mosques and villages were burned down and the population suppressed. Soviet authorities started a campaign of secularisation. Practising Islam , Judaism , and Christianity
5159-415: Was born as Emomali Sharipovich Rakhmonov to Sharif Rahmonov ( c. 1912 –1992) and Mayram Sharifova (1910–2004), a peasant family in Danghara , Kulob Oblast (present-day Khatlon Region ). His father was a Red Army veteran of World War II , being a recipient of the Order of Glory in the 2nd and 3rd degrees. From 1971–74, Rahmon served in the Soviet Union 's Pacific Fleet , during which he
5236-415: Was discouraged and repressed, and mosques, churches , and synagogues were closed. As a consequence of the conflict and Soviet agriculture policies, Central Asia , Tajikistan included, underwent a famine that claimed lives. In 1924, the Tajik Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was created as a part of Uzbekistan , and in 1929 the Tajikistan Soviet Socialist Republic (Tajikistan SSR, Таджикская ССР)
5313-432: Was dominated by people from the Khujand and Kulob regions. The war lasted until 1997. More than 500,000 residents fled during this time because of persecution and increased poverty, seeking better economic opportunities in the West or in other former Soviet republics. The estimated dead numbered over 100,000. Around 1.2 million people were refugees inside and outside of the country. Emomali Rahmon came to power in
5390-461: Was elected vice-president of the UN General Assembly for a one-year term. He became widely known in 1992 after the abolition of the post of president in the country, when at the dawn of the civil war (1992–1997) he became Chairman of the Supreme Soviet (Parliament) of Tajikistan as a compromise candidate between communists and neo-communists on the one hand and liberal-democratic, nationalist and Islamist forces (the United Tajik Opposition ) on
5467-476: Was hidden in a way that verged upon electoral fraud . Rahmon was re-elected to a seven-year term in a controversial election on 6 November 2006, with about 79% of the vote, according to the official results. On 6 November 2013, he was re-elected for the second seven-year term in office, with about 84% of the vote, in an election that the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe said lacked "genuine choice and meaningful pluralism". In October 2020, he
5544-524: Was made a separate constituent republic; the predominantly ethnic Tajik cities of Samarkand and Bukhara remained in the Uzbek SSR . Between 1927 and 1934, collectivisation of agriculture and an expansion of cotton production took place, especially in the southern region. Soviet collectivisation policy brought violence against peasants and forced resettlement occurred throughout Tajikistan. Consequently, some peasants fought collectivization and revived
5621-507: Was made because he was "nondescript", in which other field commanders thought that he could be cast aside "when he had served his purpose." In 1994, a new constitution re-established the presidency. Rahmon was elected to the post on 6 November 1994 and sworn in ten days later. During the civil war that lasted from 1992 to 1997, Rahmon's rule was opposed by the United Tajik Opposition . As many as 100,000 people died during
5698-439: Was once again re-elected as president for a fifth term with a margin of 90.92%, amid allegations of the fraud. On 22 May 2016, a nationwide referendum approved a number of changes to the country's constitution . One of the main changes lifted the limit on presidential terms, effectively allowing Rahmon to stay in power for as many terms as he wishes. Other key changes outlawed faith-based political parties, thus finalizing
5775-505: Was part of Sogdia , a collection of city-states which was overrun by Scytho-Siberians and Yuezhi nomadic tribes around 150 BC. The Silk Road passed through the region and following the expedition of Chinese explorer Zhang Qian during the reign of Wudi (141 BC–87 BC) commercial relations between Han Empire and Sogdiana flourished. Sogdians played a role in facilitating trade and worked in other capacities, as farmers, carpetweavers, glassmakers, and woodcarvers. The Kushan Empire ,
5852-723: Was part of the Achaemenid Empire . Some authors have suggested that in the seventh and sixth centuries BC parts of Tajikistan, including territories in the Zeravshan valley, formed part of the Hindu Kambojas tribe before it became part of the Achaemenid Empire . After the region's conquest by Alexander the Great it became part of the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom , a successor state of Alexander's empire. Northern Tajikistan (the cities of Khujand and Panjakent )
5929-610: Was stationed in the Primorsky Krai . After completing military service, Rahmon returned to his native village where he worked for some time as an electrician. As a rising apparatchik in Tajikistan, he became a chairman of the collective state farm of his native Danghara . According to his official biography, Rahmon graduated from the Tajik State National University with a specialist's degree in economics in 1982. After working for several years in
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