Over the years, Tajikistan has taken numerous steps to control the lives of its citizens. The government has rules restricting how long men can grow their beards and the length of women’s clothing. It also limits how much food Tajiks are legally permitted to prepare. Now, the government is trying to control how its citizens are memorialized after they die. Tajikistan is restricting the size of markers in the country’s burial grounds. News of these restrictions come from an official with the government’s Committee on Religious Affairs and Regulation of National Traditions. He spoke with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. The official said that the rule is meant to limit public signs of the wealth of the dead person and his or her family members. The state-controlled Jumhuriyat newspaper first reported on the memorial stone rules in February of 2017. But few people paid attention at that time.
