Tajikistan Discusses Legal Support and Repatriation of Citizens in Iraqi Prisons

A Tajik delegation, led by Yusuf Rahmon, Secretary of the Security Council, has visited Iraq to discuss legal assistance for Tajik citizens imprisoned in the country and the possibility of extraditing them to serve sentences in Tajikistan.

The visit took place at the invitation of Iraq’s National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji, The Caspian Post reports via Tajik media.

During the trip, Rahmon met with Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid, the Justice minister, and other senior officials.

Key Topics of Discussion

Legal support for Tajik citizens in Iraqi prisons

Potential extradition to serve sentences in Tajikistan

Strengthening bilateral cooperation in politics, law, and security

Counterterrorism, extremism, and financing of terrorist activities

Combating organized crime and enhancing national and regional security

According to Tajik authorities, over 450 Tajik citizens were serving sentences in Iraq and Syria as of 2018, including 36 women in Iraqi prisons. Earlier agreements between Tajikistan and Iraq provided for the return of women and children from prisons and camps, forming part of a broader humanitarian repatriation initiative for citizens from conflict zones.

The repatriation process began in 2017. Since the emergence of ISIS in 2013, more than 2,000 Tajik citizens went to Syria and Iraq, some bringing spouses and children or starting families there. In 2019, with the help of the International Committee of the Red Cross and UNICEF, 84 children of Tajik citizens were repatriated from Iraqi camps and prisons to Dushanbe, many of whom were born abroad or brought overseas by their parents.

This visit highlights Tajikistan’s ongoing efforts to protect its citizens abroad, address legal and humanitarian issues, and strengthen cooperation with Iraq on security and repatriation matters.