A man celebrating his 25th birthday at an Irish pub in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, has been arrested and fined £400 after sharing photos of the event on Facebook.
Article 8 of the Central Asian republic's law on traditions and customs prohibits the celebration of birthdays anywhere except in the privacy of the family circle.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
According to the BBC, a waiter from the pub told the court that it didn’t look like a planned celebration. "Somehow, the cake got plastered on his face. No-one congratulated him on his birthday," said the waiter – but this was not accepted by the judge.
The law puts a limit on the number of guests, the amount of money spent, and the duration of each type of gathering. It was adopted in 2007 after President Emomali Rahmon, who has been in power for 21 years, said the practice of big celebrations was putting a heavy strain on Tajik families who would often go into debt in order to "keep up appearances".
"I was aware of the law," Isoev said, "but I always thought it was against people who spend lots of money to throw lavish parties". Isoev said he and his guests spent 540 somonis – around £55 – in total.
He lost an appeal in a higher Dushanbe city court and has claimed on his Facebook page that he doesn’t have the means to pay the £400 fine.
Court officials acknowledged it was the first time Tajik prosecutors had used Facebook photos and comments in such a case.
Isoev is not the first person to have fallen foul of the law. The News.tj website notes that it was violated 394 times in 2014, with one commenter on the site saying "maybe it's time to think about the absurdities of this law?"
-
Did Alex Pretti’s killing open a GOP rift on guns?Talking Points Second Amendment groups push back on White House narrative
-
The 8 best hospital dramas of all timethe week recommends From wartime period pieces to of-the-moment procedurals, audiences never tire of watching doctors and nurses do their lifesaving thing
-
‘Implementing strengthened provisions help advance aviation safety’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
-
China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
-
How Bulgaria’s government fell amid mass protestsThe Explainer The country’s prime minister resigned as part of the fallout
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
