[Translation prepared by Business & Human Rights Resource Centre]

22 July 2024

An investigation by RFE/RL's Tajik Service, Radio Ozodi, has shown that Dushanbe turns a blind eye to environmental abuses because the government needs Chinese investment.

Only 150 people live in the Tajik village of Khumgaron. When a Chinese company began mining gold near their village, locals expected anything but what is happening now: the village has become uninhabitable...

Severe air and water pollution from the Zarafshon gold mine prompted a group of women from the village to travel to the nearby city of Penjikent last year to file a formal complaint on behalf of the entire village.

But instead of promising to look into the problem, the women say local authorities took them to the police station and rudely warned them to stop criticizing the Chinese mining operation near their village, which was growing...

Locals living near these multimillion-dollar investments are struggling with environmental degradation and health problems caused by chemicals used in large-scale mining and agricultural projects, while Tajik officials have defended Chinese companies from public criticism. And there is an obvious explanation: China is the largest foreign investor in Tajikistan.

In the case of Zarafshon, which accounts for 70% of all gold produced in Tajikistan, officials at various levels of government who spoke to RFE/RL, including a senior official at the country’s environmental protection committee, praised the company and defended their support for Chinese companies in general...

Five...local farmers, who spoke to RFE/RL on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation for criticizing the Chinese projects, also say the nearby refinery is impacting their crops and the environment. They cited, in particular, the dark-colored dust that can be found in streams and agricultural fields...

Residents of the village of Humgaron told Radio Ozodi that they believe cyanide is used in large quantities and seeps into the ground, polluting the environment, damaging fruit and vegetable crops, and causing health problems for residents.

In 2022, residents of Humgaron signed a letter complaining about their deteriorating health, which they attribute to the operation of the gold mining enterprise, and sent it to the administration of the President of Tajikistan...

Residents of several upstream villages told Radio Ozodi that the company is dumping wastewater from its refinery directly into the Romit River. Locals say they have stopped drinking water from the river after several people fell ill.

During a 2023 visit to the mouth of the Romit River near the Pokrud mine, Radio Ozodi reporters saw a pipe running directly from the refinery, pumping untreated wastewater into the river...

But given the poor state of the economy and the low standard of living of the population of Tajikistan, its heavy dependence on China and its economic resources will allow Chinese companies to operate as they wish...