Do Son 
On May 14, 2025, the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, signed into law the “Amendments to the Criminal Code of the Republic of Tajikistan,” which abolishes criminal liability for liking or otherwise interacting with posts on social media.
The amendments pertain to Articles 179-3 (Public Incitement to Commit Acts of Terrorism) and 307-1 (Public Incitement to Engage in Extremist Activities). Since 2018, these provisions had enabled the prosecution of individuals for actions as minor as liking or reposting content, with penalties ranging from 10 to 15 years of imprisonment.
In April 2025, the lower house of parliament—the Majlisi Namoyandagon—unanimously approved the bill, which was introduced by First Deputy Prosecutor General Umed Karimzoda.
According to Karimzoda, citing the Main Directorate for the Execution of Criminal Sentences, 1,507 citizens are currently incarcerated for having liked online videos and reports, or for posting “comments and opinions containing terrorist and extremist content.”
Previously, in October 2024, President Rahmon had criticized the practice of initiating criminal proceedings based on online interactions and using internet materials as evidence: “Recently, law enforcement agencies have begun considering the mere act of liking distributed materials and videos on social media as sufficient proof for prosecution, thereby placing many citizens in severe distress. In other words, some agencies are unjustifiably initiating criminal cases against individuals, and this must come to an end,” the President of Tajikistan stated at the time.
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