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“The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime highly appreciates the efforts of MPD in implementing the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners - the Nelson Mandela Rules. In recent years, Tajikistan has been developing new management mechanisms aimed at improving work with high-risk offenders and preventing violent extremism within institutions”

Madina Sariyeva, International Coordinator at UNODC

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III Prison Forum of Tajikistan: Alternatives to Imprisonment, Strengthening Rehabilitation, and Countering Radicalization

III Prison Forum of Tajikistan: Alternatives to Imprisonment, Strengthening Rehabilitation, and Countering Radicalization

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III Prison Forum of Tajikistan: Alternatives to Imprisonment, Strengthening Rehabilitation, and Countering Radicalization

Dushanbe, 20 November 2025 – The III Penitentiary Forum is taking place in the capital of Tajikistan - a high-level national platform bringing together representatives of government bodies, the judiciary, civil society and international organisations to discuss key areas of penitentiary system reform in the country.


The event is organised by the Main Directorate for the Execution of Criminal Sentences of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Tajikistan (MPD) with the support of the European Union (EU), the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), as well as partner civil society organisations - the Bureau of Human Rights and Rule of Law Public Organisation, the Tashabbusi Huquqi Public Foundation, the World of Law Public Organisation, the Zerkalo Center for Sociological Research, Prison Insider, Perspectivity Challenge, and the Center for Development and Justice International (CDJI).

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The Forum is taking place at a key moment, as Tajikistan has completed the first stage of implementing the Strategy for Reforming the Penitentiary System until 2030 and is now beginning work on the new Action Plan for 2026-2030.


In recent years, the country has achieved significant progress: detention conditions have improved, and rehabilitation and vocational training programmes have been expanded. More than 9,000 prisoners participate annually in educational and labour programmes aimed at supporting their social reintegration after release.

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In his opening remarks, Umarov Mansurjon Gafforovich, the Deputy Minister, Head of the Main Directorate for the Execution of Criminal Sentences of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Tajikistan stated

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“The Strategy for Reforming the Penitentiary System, approved in 2020 by Government Decree No. 385 of the Republic of Tajikistan, is an important political document in the field of sentence execution. It is aimed at strengthening legal and administrative foundations, improving conditions of detention, enhancing the protection of human rights and freedoms, and facilitating the social integration of convicted persons. Today, we can say that the Strategy for Reforming the Penitentiary System serves as a key state document for the sustainable and human-centered development of the sector.”

“I am particularly pleased to be here because today’s event is the continuation of a collaborative process started in 2019 with the First Penitentiary Forum, which was organised with the support of the European Union, together with the prisons administration, diplomatic missions, and with civil society organisations. We can say that we have created a strong partnership between the Tajik authorities, the international community and the civil society, and today’s Forum is the demonstration of the value of this partnership”

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H.E. Radoslaw Darski, Ambassador of the European Union to Tajikistan

The Forum focuses on three interrelated areas:

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  • development of probation and alternatives to imprisonment - implementing measures that reduce recidivism and increase reintegration effectiveness;

  • countering violent extremism and radicalization - exchanging experience on prevention and rehabilitation;

  • rehabilitation measures for minors - promoting child-rights-based approaches in line with international standards.

One of the central topics of the Forum is the adoption of the Law on Probation and the establishment of the National Probation Service, which will expand the use of alternative measures to imprisonment, provide individualized support to offenders, and reduce the burden on the prison system.

Nargis Zokirova, Director of the Bureau of Human Rights and Rule of Law

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“The Bureau of Human Rights and Rule of Law has contributed to the reform for more than ten years. We promote international standards on the treatment of prisoners, train penitentiary staff, and support the development of probation as a modern alternative to imprisonment”

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“For us, it is important not only to identify human rights issues, but also to contribute to their systemic solution. We train penitentiary staff on human rights standards and help introduce practices where respect for human dignity becomes the norm” 

Gulchehra Kholmatova, Director of the World of Law Public Organisation

“Our programmes focus on children and young offenders. Rehabilitation must be systemic, not occasional. Work on their social integration and psychological support ensures that respect for their rights and human dignity is upheld at all levels of the justice system,” said Gulchehra Rakhmanova, Director of the Tashabbusi Huquqi Public Foundation.

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Azamat Shambilov, President of the Center for Development and Justice International (CDJI)

“The Forum has become a platform where professionals from different countries and sectors develop solutions capable of transforming the system from within. Sustainable reforms are possible only where political will, professional capacity and a humane approach to every person deprived of liberty come together” 

The Forum gathered more than 100 participants, including representatives of the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Court, the Ministry of Labour, Migration and Employment of the Population, the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights, civil society, international organisations, diplomatic missions and academia.


The Forum concluded with the development of a package of recommendations aimed at strengthening the probation system, countering extremism and improving working conditions of penitentiary staff, as well as the presentation of the draft Action Plan for implementing the Penitentiary System Reform Strategy until 2030.


The event was held with the financial support of the European Union within the frameworks of the projects:

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  • “Advancing Fundamental Rights: Strengthening Civil Society, Preventing Torture and Transforming Prisons for Human Rights in Tajikistan” (implemented by the Bureau of Human Rights and Rule of Law, the Tashabbusi Huquqi Public Foundation and Prison Insider);

  • “Enhancing Civil Society and the State’s Capacities on Accountability and Torture Prevention through Human Rights Initiatives in Tajikistan,” (implemented by the PO “Zerkalo”, PO “the World of Law,” and the Dutch Foundation “Perspectivity Challenge”)

  • and with the support of the United States of America through projects implemented with the Main Directorate for the Execution of Criminal Sentences of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Tajikistan in close cooperation with UNODC, UNICEF and the OSCE.

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