Anis H. Bajrektarevic is a Professor and a Chairperson for International Law and Global

LEgAL ENvIRONMENT
The Constitution of Tajikistan, like many na-
tions, is the Supreme Law of the Land according
to Article 10 of the document. The Constitution
of Tajikistan was introduced in November 1994
and has been amended two times: September
1999 and June 2003. The Constitution provides
for the separation of powers and the establish-
ment of a democratic, legal, secular and unitary
state, according to Article 10.
The national legislature is based on a civil law
system without judicial review of legislative
acts. The national constitution was adopted as
supreme law in 1994. Tajikistan has an inde-
pendent judiciary but is considerably influ-
enced by the executive branch and is
susceptible to corruption. Because of the low
law salaries of judges, they are vulnerable to
bribery. Tajikistan has been dealing with cor-
ruption through its legislature, legal system,
and with regional organizations such as the Or-
ganization for Security and Cooperation in Eu-
rope (OSCE).
The following laws are meant to curb corrup-
tion: the Presidential Decree on Additional
Measures to Step up the Struggle against Eco-
nomic Crime and Corruption, the Law on the
Fight against Corruption, and the relevant sec-
tions of the Criminal Code. According to the
United Nations report on Tajikistan’s public ad-
ministration, a “nation-wide anti-corruption
plan has yet to be developed and adopted, and 
an interdisciplinary anti-corruption coordinat-
ing body envisaged in the Presidential Decree
has yet to be established.”[73] The fight against
corruption is compartmented like it is in many
countries where there are different types of
agencies and organizations fighting different
types of corruption. For example, the tax ad-
ministration would detect and investigate tax
corruption, fraud, and bribery (e.g. Anti-corrup-
tion Division within the Tax Police Department).
Tajikistan is a member of the Organization for
Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
The OSCE has been extremely active in stabiliz-
ing Tajikistan’s still fragile post-war political and
legal environment through police reform, legal
reform, and electoral reform to stabilize post-
civil war Tajikistan. The OSCE strives to prevent
corruption and to promote transparency and
democratic elections and most importantly
human rights in a region marreed by a terrible
human rights record. The OSCE office in Tajik-
istan is the largest interstate and interregional
organization. The OSCE engages in democratic
efforts including a civic education program for
youth and young adults in the remote areas of
the country, to develop electoral and political
processes to meet the country's commitment
to democracy and civil and political rights. The
OSCE specifically assists with the development
of the legal system by engaging in capacity
building, developing the legal system and
trains law practitioners of all levels.