Tajik President Emomali Rahmon signed a number of laws that will take effect after publication in a state-run newspaper, according to the Tajik president’s official website.

Among them are laws on making amendments to the country’s criminal administrative and tax codes.

The amendments made to the Criminal and Administrative Codes, in particular, aimed at strengthening fight against crime and administrative offenses committed for the purpose of inciting ethnic, regional or religious enmity.  

Recall, members of Tajikistan’s lower chamber (Majlisi Namoyandagon) of parliament on October 14 unanimously voted for mitigating punishment for incitement of racial, ethnic, regional or religious enmity.

Presenting amendments proposed by the government to the country’s administrative code to lawmakers, the Minister of Justice Muzaffar Ashouriyon noted that they were aimed at humanizing the country’s laws. 

The amendments, in particular, stipulate that actions aimed at inciting racial, ethnic, regional or religious enmity, humiliating national dignity, as well as propagating the exclusivity of citizens on the basis of their attitude to religion, nationality or race are punishable by a fine of up to 5,800 somoni or an administrative arrest for a period of 5 to 10 days.

The minister further noted that persons re-committing the mentioned actions during a year after enduring a punishment could be imprisoned for a term of 2 to 5 years. 

These actions had previously been punishable by up to five years in jail.