Tajik President's Third Daughter Gets Position At Foreign Ministry

Many close relatives of Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon occupy important official positions or control lucrative businesses.

Tajik President Emomali Rahmon's third daughter, Rukhshona Rahmonova, has become a deputy department head at the country's Foreign Ministry, the latest in a series of appointments of Rahmon's close relatives to government positions.

Little is known about Rahmonova, who is one of Rahmon's nine children.

A source at the Foreign Ministry told RFE/RL on November 25 Rahmonova was appointed the deputy head of the ministry's international organizations department "some 10 days ago," but it had not been publicly announced.

The source described Rahmonova as an experienced diplomat who had previously worked at Tajikistan's embassy in London.

In January, another of Rahmon's daughters, Ozoda Rahmon, was appointed the president's chief of staff. Ozoda Rahmon had previously served as the first deputy foreign minister.

Rahmon's eldest son, Rustam Emomali, was appointed as head of the state anticorruption agency last year, after running the Customs Service since 2013.

Several other close relatives of Rahmon occupy important official positions or control lucrative businesses.

Rahmon has been ruling the Central Asian country since 1992, tolerating little dissent and suppressing his opponents and critics.