On 11 November 2020, the European Union (EU) and the Tajik Republic held the 12 th round of their annual Human Rights Dialogue.

The EU delegation was led by Mr. Boris Iarochevitch, Head of the central Asia Division in the European external Action Service. The Tajikistan delegation was instead led by Mr. Abdujabbor Sattorzoda, Head of the Human Rights Department of the Executive Office of the President of Tajikistan. The event was also attended by the head of EU Delegation to Tajikistan Ambassador Marilyn Josefsson, the French Ambassador to Tajikistan Michel Tarran and the German Ambassador to Tajikistan Andreas Prothmann. Generally, the dialogue took place in an atmosphere of mutual understanding and confidence. The two parties led a wide and constructive discussion. They based their arguments on two briefing papers. On the one hand, the first briefing paper was prepared jointly by the NGO Coalition against Torture and Impunity in Tajikistan and the International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR). They focused on the development and conditions of human rights in Tajikistan in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, criminal justice, and the penitentiary system, looking at tortures and ill-treatments during detentions, violence against women and their rights. On the other hand, the second briefing followed arguments concerning the freedom of expression, including freedom of the media, association and political participation, peaceful assembly and freedom of religion or belief. The participant officials and politicians also discussed about cooperation in multilateral forum, in particular within the UN system, as well as other bilateral projects. Of course, next to these topics, the dialogue also focused on the unpreceded difficult challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic and its following restrictive and mitigating measures that Tajikistan had to manage. During the conference were evaluated especially the impact of such regulations and restrictions on the human rights and the fundamental freedoms of the people. Indeed, Tajikistan encountered some particular weaknesses in protecting human rights during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The EU admitted to really appreciate the strong engagement demonstrated by the civil society to fight against the pandemic crisis. Nonetheless, it called on the Tajik authorities to strengthen their engagement with the independent civil society actors and human rights defenders. Moreover, the EU advocated the positive discussion that took place between Tajikistan, the NGOs and the EU on the penitentiary reform. Looking back at the first Prison Forum held in Dushanbe on 20 November 2019, they remembered the results of that conference as an important step towards a comprehensive reform of the prison system in Tajikistan. In particular, the forum was supported by the OSCE and focused on the development of the prison system in the country. Experts, civil society representatives and government officials discussed about key issues related to the effective management of the penitentiary reform, concentrating particularly on the prevention of violent extremism and radicalization that often lead to terrorism. They also discussed about the importance of strengthening safe security measures in close facilities to instituting probation by sharing the best practices from different countries and by developing a comprehensive prison rehabilitation program. Apart from the above-mentioned positive developments, the EU expressed concerns about the shrinking civic space in Tajikistan, in particular in regard to freedom of expression and of association. The EU called Tajikistan to guarantee an open environment and safety for all independent journalists, while stopping the practice of blocking websites of independent news outlets.

Furthermore, in the debate was given attention to the protection of rights of women and girls and their empowerment, as well as the increased risks of gender-based violence. In this connection, in Tajikistan there has been recently some progress on women’s rights, as for the rights of statelessness, but the EU called on the authorities to take further steps to criminalize domestic violence. Fortunately, the upcoming EU-UN Global Spotlight Initiative will provide support to the Government of Tajikistan. The Spotlight Initiative is working indeed with governments, civil society organizations, the media and other partners to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls by 2030.

The next round of the EU-Tajikistan Human Rights Dialogue will be held next year in 2021.On 11 November 2020, the European Union (EU) and the Tajik Republic held the 12 th round of their annual Human Rights Dialogue. The EU delegation was led by Mr. Boris Iarochevitch, Head of the central Asia Division in theEuropean external Action Service. The Tajikistan delegation was instead led by Mr. Abdujabbor Sattorzoda, Head of the Human Rights Department of the Executive Office of the President of Tajikistan. The event was also attended by the head of EU Delegation to Tajikistan Ambassador Marilyn Josefsson, the French Ambassador to Tajikistan Michel Tarran and the German Ambassador to Tajikistan Andreas Prothmann. Generally, the dialogue took place in an atmosphere of mutual understanding and confidence. The two parties led a wide and constructive discussion. They based their arguments on two briefing papers. On the one hand, the first briefing paper was prepared jointly by the NGO Coalition against Torture and Impunity in Tajikistan and the International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR). They focused on the development and conditions of human rights in Tajikistan in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, criminal justice, and the penitentiary system, looking at tortures and ill-treatments during detentions, violence against women and their rights. On the other hand, the second briefing followed arguments concerning the freedom of expression, including freedom of the media, association and political participation, peaceful assembly and freedom of religion or belief. The participant officials and politicians also discussed about cooperation in multilateral forum, in particular within the UN system, as well as other bilateral projects. Of course, next to these topics, the dialogue also focused on the unpreceded difficult challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic and its following restrictive and mitigating measures that Tajikistan had to manage. During the conference were evaluated especially the impact of such regulations and restrictions on the human rights and the fundamental freedoms of the people. Indeed, Tajikistan encountered some particular weaknesses in protecting human rights during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The EU admitted to really appreciate the strong engagement demonstrated by the civil society to fight against the pandemic crisis. Nonetheless, it called on the Tajik authorities to strengthen their engagement with the independent civil society actors and human rights defenders. Moreover, the EU advocated the positive discussion that took place between Tajikistan, the NGOs and the EU on the penitentiary reform. Looking back at the first Prison Forum held in Dushanbe on 20 November 2019, they remembered the results of that conference as an important step towards a comprehensive reform of the prison system in Tajikistan. In particular, the forum was supported by the OSCE and focused on the development of the prison system in the country. Experts, civil society representatives and government officials discussed about key issues related to the effective management of the penitentiary reform, concentrating particularly on the prevention of violent extremism and radicalization that often lead to terrorism. They also discussed about the importance of strengthening safe security measures in close facilities to instituting probation by sharing the best practices from different countries and by developing a comprehensive prison rehabilitation program. Apart from the above-mentioned positive developments, the EU expressed concerns about the shrinking civic space in Tajikistan, in particular in regard to freedom of expression and of association. The EU called Tajikistan to guarantee an open environment and safety for all independent journalists, while stopping the practice of blocking websites of independent news outlets. Furthermore, in the debate was given attention to the protection of rights of women and girls and their empowerment, as well as the increased risks of gender-based violence. In this connection, in Tajikistan there has been recently some progress on women’s rights, as for the rights of statelessness, but the EU called on the authorities to take further steps to criminalize domestic violence. Fortunately, the upcoming EU-UN Global Spotlight Initiative will provide support to the Government of Tajikistan. The Spotlight Initiative is working indeed with governments, civil society organizations, the media and other partners to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls by 2030. The next round of the EU-Tajikistan Human Rights Dialogue will be held next year in 2021.