State of the World's Minorities 2007 - Tajikistan
| Publisher | Minority Rights Group International |
| Publication Date | 4 March 2007 |
| Cite as | Minority Rights Group International, State of the World's Minorities 2007 - Tajikistan, 4 March 2007, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/48a9712f48.html [accessed 4 November 2019] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The Tajiks are an Iranian people who speak a variety of Persian, an Indo-Aryan language. Most of them are Sunni Muslims and they make up about 80 per cent of the population of Tajikistan, according to an official 2000 census. The country is home to over 80 ethnic groups, most notably Kyrgyz, Russians, Tatars, Ukrainians and Uzbeks. Tensions between Uzbeks and Tajiks increased further in November 2006 after a Tajik border guard shot and killed an Uzbek counterpart. At the close of 2006, the government began resettling about 1,000 volunteer families, purportedly to help create new farmland in the west of the country. However, observers note that virtually all of the families are ethnic Tajiks, while their new home is an area mainly populated by ethnic Uzbeks.
Tajikistan has tried to encourage Russians and Ukrainians to remain in the country, as many of them occupy technical and other skilled positions. For these reasons, schools teaching in Russian have been maintained and the Russian language is still in widespread use in government and business. Tajik legislation now permits dual citizenship but many Russians in Tajikistan still appear to want to leave because of the country's poor economic conditions.
