Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Wednesday urged Tajikistan to either deny entry to Russian President Vladimir Putin or arrest him when he enters its territory. The statement came in response to announcements that Putin would visit Tajikistan from October 8 to 10 for a Russia-Central Asia summit and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Heads of State Council.
HRW stated that Tajikistan has a responsibility to abide by the arrest warrant issued for Putin by the International Criminal Court (ICC). The warrant was issued on March 17, 2023 , with the Court finding that “there are reasonable grounds to believe that Mr. Putin bears individual criminal responsibility” for the war crimes of “unlawful deportation” and “transfer of population,” specifically of children. These are crimes under articles 8(2)(a)(vii) and (viii) of the Rome Statute, an international treaty which established the ICC and entered into force in 2002. Tajikistan has been a member state of the ICC since 2002.
Liz Evenson, HRW’s international justice director, said that Tajikistan welcoming Putin would show “utter disregard for the suffering of victims of Russia’s forces’ crimes in Ukraine and for its own obligations as an ICC member.”
States which are parties to the Rome Statute are obligated to cooperate with the court and enforce arrest warrants under article 59. Should a member state fail to cooperate, a formal procedure may be triggered whereby it is referred to the Assembly of States Parties or Security Council for further action. This occurred in November 2024 after President Putin entered Mongolia and was not apprehended.
Tajikistan has previously been criticized for its human rights record, including crimes against humanity such as “torture, rape, solitary confinement, disappearance, forced exile and murder.”
This call to action comes amid wider concern from human rights and international law groups where the UN’s relevance on the global stage is again being questioned. Last month at the General Assembly’s 80th session, the UN issued a joint statement reaffirming their commitment to international legal standards.
