"Tajik Diaspora in Russia: Plagued by Terror and Xenophobia"
Four men from Tajikistan have been charged with the Moscow theater massacre, shedding light on the poverty and religious tensions in their homeland. Tajikistan, plagued by poverty and religious strife, has seen thousands of its citizens migrate to Russia in search of better opportunities. The suspects, allegedly recruited by a branch of the Islamic State group in neighboring Afghanistan, appeared in a Moscow court with signs of mistreatment. The country's history includes a civil war and government restrictions on religious freedoms. Islamic State's involvement in attacks in Russia, including the 2015 bombing of a Russian airliner and the 2017 St. Petersburg subway bombing, has raised concerns about extremist activities in the region.