Tajikistan Warns Citizens Against Travel to Russia Amid Rising Xenophobia
Photo: Reuters
In the wake of a devastating terrorist attack in Moscow and subsequent reports of increasing xenophobia, the Tajikistan Foreign Office has issued an advisory urging its citizens to “temporarily refrain” from traveling to Russia. This recommendation comes at a time when the social climate in Russia has grown increasingly hostile towards Central Asians following the March 22 attack on a Moscow concert hall, which resulted in the tragic loss of at least 130 lives. The Islamic State of Khorasan (IS-K), an Islamist terrorist organization, has claimed responsibility for the carnage. Notably, all four individuals accused of carrying out the assault are reported to be nationals of Tajikistan. The advisory, a rare public acknowledgment of deteriorating conditions for Tajik nationals abroad, reflects the Tajik government’s concerns for the safety and wellbeing of its citizens. The Foreign Office’s statement draws attention to the potential risks that Tajiks, and possibly other Central Asians, might face due to a surge in prejudicial attitudes and xenophobic sentiments in Russia, where a significant number of Tajiks go to work and live. Human rights organizations have been swift to document and express alarm over the uptick in discrimination and violence targeting the Central Asian community in Russia. These groups have highlighted a range of xenophobic acts, from verbal abuse and social ostracization to physical assaults, which have intensified since the terrorist incident. They stress that the actions of a few individuals should not be used to stigmatize an entire ethnic or national group and that collective punishment based on nationality is a violation of human rights norms.
