TimesCA: Why Tajikistan's Courts Rarely Hand Down Acquittals

The Times of Central Asia article “Why Tajikistan’s Courts Rarely Hand Down Acquittals”, dated 24 February 2026 and authored by Vagit Ismailov, examines the near-total absence of acquittals in Tajik criminal proceedings. The report states that the issue has once again become the focus of public debate following a statement by the chairman of Tajikistan’s Supreme Court, with authorities explaining the statistics by pointing to the high quality of investigative and judicial work, while lawyers cite systemic problems related to objectivity and respect for human rights. According to the report, Supreme Court Chairman Rustam Mirzozoda said at a press conference that the absence of acquittals reflects compliance with the law and the professional performance of law enforcement agencies, arguing that each criminal case is examined in strict accordance with the Criminal Procedure Code and that courts do not issue acquittals because the defendants’ actions are determined to constitute a crime. The report states that in 2025, city and district courts referred 16 criminal cases involving 21 individuals for further investigation, but all defendants were subsequently convicted. According to the report, by comparison in previous years acquittals were handed down albeit extremely rarely — three cases in 2023, 11 in 2021, and two in 2020 — and even then they accounted for less than 1% of the total number of decisions. The report states that part of the legal community views the absence of acquittals as an alarming signal: lawyer Navruz Odinaev notes that in developed legal systems, acquittals are a normal part of the criminal process, and in his view, the lack of acquittals requires serious analysis as it affects the fundamental principles of justice, fairness, judicial independence, and the presumption of innocence. The report states lawyer Uguloy Bobova highlights potential reputational consequences for law enforcement, noting that an acquittal means a person’s freedom was unlawfully restricted and entails full rehabilitation and entitlement to compensation, creating legal and reputational risks for the state. The report states that statistics show the proportion of acquittals in Tajikistan has remained below 1% in recent years, and that in international practice such a low figure is often regarded as an indicator of a possible bias toward conviction. Sources cited: Supreme Court Chairman Rustam Mirzozoda, lawyers Navruz Odinaev and Uguloy Bobova, court statistics.