Law enforcement agencies in Tajikistan who unreasonably open criminal cases against citizens who "like" something on the internet or social media have been criticised by the country’s president, Emomali Rahmon.
"This [type of] action must be stopped," Asia-Plus reported Rahmon as saying on October 29 at an opening ceremony held for the State Institute for the Training of Highly Qualified Personnel for Internal Affairs Authorities.
In August, Khujand City Court sentenced Jamshed Aminov, 46, to five years in prison for "liking" religious videos, including sermons of Arab sheikhs.
Rahmon reportedly added that “the likes of some citizens are causing them [the authorities] confusion and disorientation. In other words, some authorities start criminal cases against people for no reason, something that should cease”.
At the event, Rahmon, reported Asia-Plus, also criticised the "weak representation of Tajik authorities" charged with carrying out duties on behalf of the country and its citizens in Russia.
Central Asian migrant workers in Russia continue to face a xenophobic backlash that was triggered by the March terrorist attack on Crocus City Hall in outer Moscow that took the lives of more than 140 people. Three Tajiks, accused of being Islamist terrorist gunmen who carried out the attack, are in detention in Russia awaiting trial.
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