Tajik President Emomali Rahmon Accused of Crimes Against Humanity in Landmark International Criminal Court Filing

April 14, 2025

President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon

In a rare and significant move, three organizations have filed a formal complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) against the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, and several senior members of his government. The complaint, submitted on April 10, 2025, alleges a sweeping pattern of human rights abuses committed over more than two decades—charges that, if investigated, could place the Central Asian leader under intense international scrutiny.

The complaint was filed under Article 15 of the Rome Statute, which permits the ICC Prosecutor to open an investigation based on credible information submitted by individuals or organizations. The three groups behind the filing include Freedom for Eurasia, a human rights NGO based in Europe, the Ukrainian Fund of International Volunteers (FUVI), and the banned Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT), whose leadership has been in exile since the party was outlawed in 2015. The complaint is supported by lawyers from Norwegian Helsinki Committee.

According to the official announcement by Freedom for Eurasia submission covers "a period from 2002 to 2024."The allegations include arbitrary arrests, torture, enforced disappearances, sexual violence, and extrajudicial killings, persecution for political or religious reasons, and artbitrary detentions without a fair trial.

The inclusion of the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan as one of the complainants is particularly noteworthy. Once the country’s main opposition party, the IRPT was banned by the Tajik Supreme Court in 2015 and labeled a terrorist organization. Since then, its members have faced imprisonment, exile, torture, extrajudicial killings, and what the party describes as a campaign of annihilation by the Tajik state. The party’s chairman, Muhiddin Kabiri, now living in exile, has long called for international accountability for what he characterizes as political repression disguised as anti-terrorism.

"We hope the (ICC), [after considering] our complaint, will begin procedures for opening a criminal case and arresting the perpetrators, including the top leadership of Tajikistan." Muhiddin Kabiri leader of IRPT

The complainants claim to have submitted more than 60 pieces of serious human rights violations, as reported by Freedom for Eurasia. Further adding, this "reflects only a fraction of the actual abuses" as "many victims remain silent due to well-founded fear of retaliation against themeselves and their families.

According to an article by the Times of Central Asia, one of the most serious episodes that could be cited is the 2022 government crackdown in GBAO against the Pamiri minority, where peaceful protests were met with overwhelming state violence. Independent reports and eyewitness testimonies claimed that dozens of civilians were killed, hundreds detained, and many subjected to torture and intimidation. The crackdown resulted in more than 200+ lengthy inprisonments of activist, journalists and lawyers.

The ICC has not yet publicly responded to the filing, and it remains unclear whether a preliminary examination will be launched. Tajikistan, however, is a party to the Rome Statute, giving the ICC jurisdiction over crimes committed on its territory since 2000. This includes any alleged human rights abuses occurring within that timeframe.

If accepted, the case would mark the first time a sitting Central Asian head of state has faced formal proceedings at the ICC. Human rights advocates are calling the filing a landmark step in a region where authoritarianism often operates with impunity.

While supporters of the complaint hail it as a long-overdue move to confront abuses in the country, the Tajik government has not issued any official comment. State media in Tajikistan have historically dismissed such accusations as politically motivated or orchestrated by “foreign agents.”

"Freedom For Eurasia considers this a landmark complaint filed today with the ICC regarding the systematic human rights abuses in Tajikistan. This crucial legal action finally brings international attention to what has long been one of Central Asia’s most brutal and overlooked crises." Freedom For Eurasia

If the ICC proceeds with a formal investigation, it would send a powerful message to Dushanbe. This will at least lay a thorn in President Rahmon's strategic move to trasnfer power to his son Rustam Emomali.