The Tajik government has introduced fines of up to $475 for citizens who use the services of fortune tellers and sorcerers. This was reported by the Dushanbe Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
It is reported that citizens who have used these services can be fined from 3,750 somoni (about $396) to 4,500 somoni (about $475).
Amendments to Tajikistan's Code of Administrative Offenses came into force on July 31, but this information has only now become known, ASIA-Plus clarifies.
Over the past year, Tajik authorities have intensified their crackdown on fortune tellers, sorcerers, and their clients. In the summer of 2024, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tajikistan warned that individuals visiting fortune tellers and sorcerers could be summoned by the authorities and that their names and photographs would be entered into the agency's database.
At that time, ASIA-Plus wrote that the country's officials stated "the purpose of this measure is to prevent superstition and the use of services of fortune tellers and sorcerers, as some citizens, by turning to them, contribute to the spread of witchcraft and sorcery."
Furthermore, punishment for practicing fortune-telling and sorcery has been toughened in Tajikistan. The parliament increased the fine for such services to nearly $800 and introduced administrative detention from 10 to 15 days. If repeated, it is punishable by a larger fine or imprisonment from one to two years.
For reference, 495 cases of sorcery and fortune-telling were identified in the country in the first 6 months of 2025.
