Tajikistan’s Prosecutor General’s Office opened criminal cases against 133 officials for alleged violations of land legislation during the first six months of 2026.

The cases involve the unlawful allocation and sale of land plots, as well as the unauthorized occupation of land.

Prosecutor-General Habibullo Vohidzoda announced the figures at a news conference in Dushanbe on July 22 but did not specify what charges had been brought against the officials or whether any of the cases had already resulted in convictions.

According to Vohidzoda, one of the most serious problems remains the adoption of unlawful decisions by city and district authorities concerning the allocation of land plots. Unauthorized land occupation also continues to be widespread.

Criminal cases were opened against:

• 14 employees of local executive authorities, including seven deputy heads of cities and districts;
• 29 employees of jamoats, or township and rural self-government bodies;
• 52 employees of the Committee for Land Management;
• 31 heads of dehqon farms and employees of archive services;
• seven architects.

Vohidzoda said the authorities had also recovered 107 hectares of illegally occupied land during the reporting period.

Over the same six-month period, prosecutors filed 1,300 formal objections against decisions adopted by city and district heads. Of these, 1,018, or 78%, concerned the unlawful allocation or disposal of land plots.

More than 7,600 violations recorded in six months

According to the State Committee for Land Management and Geodesy, 7,661 violations of land legislation were identified across Tajikistan in the first half of 2026, an increase of 132 compared with the same period last year.

Committee Chairman Orif Khojazoda said at a news conference on July 17 that administrative proceedings had been initiated in 6,943 cases.

The total value of fines imposed amounted to 4.247 million somoni, of which more than 3.5 million somoni had already been collected.

Khojazoda did not specify how many individuals and officials had been held administratively liable.

In addition, 228 case files were referred to the Enforcement of Court Decisions Service for legal review, while another 64 were sent to prosecutors’ offices.

According to Khojazoda, the measures taken resulted in the elimination of 4,945 violations, accounting for 65% of all cases identified.

Oversight of illegal construction strengthened

Khojazoda said the government had significantly strengthened oversight of illegal construction and the misuse of agricultural and industrial land.

He warned that unlawfully constructed buildings would eventually be identified and demolished, regardless of how much time had passed since their construction.

“There is no escaping accountability. Ten, 20 or even 30 years may pass, but any unlawful decision will eventually be uncovered and, if necessary, overturned. Those who invest money in illegal construction are therefore doing so in vain. Such structures will be demolished, regardless of how long they have existed,” Khojazoda said.

A long-standing problem

The illegal allocation and sale of land has remained one of Tajikistan’s most serious problems for many years and has repeatedly been raised by President Emomali Rahmon.

The president has previously criticized the falsification of land-use documents, the illegal transfer and sale of land plots, unauthorized land occupation and unfair land distribution.

Such violations have allegedly involved officials from local executive authorities, self-government bodies, dehqon farms and individual citizens.

According to the State Committee for Land Management and Geodesy, 13,420 violations of land legislation were identified in Tajikistan in 2025.

Following inspections, the authorities issued 12,218 orders to address