Tajikistan have become the latest country to take a legislative stance on GTA and will conduct raids to make sure children are not playing the games. The news came in the form of a message from the Dushanbe Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. This was announced last week via their official Telegram channel.
The department exclaimed “GTA” and “Counter Strike” were now prohibited in the region along with an explanation. The message when translated to English states “the distribution of immoral and violent videos and games is strictly prohibited.” This means the games are no longer for sale. I guess no more GTA 6 for the country?
Raids expected
This message continues saying “In particular, according to the conclusion of the historical and cultural expertise of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Tajikistan, the games “COUNTER STRIKE” and “GRAND THEFT AUTO” (GTA) are characterized by violence, murder and robbery.”
The department concluded GTA and Counter Strike games “contain elements of rape, murder and robbery”. Parents have been told to “monitor their children and not allow them to engage in these games that promote murder”. Gaming/computer centres will also not be allowed to distribute GTA or CS games. The Dushanbe police will conduct raids and inspection operations to ensure children are not consuming these violent games.
Games cause crime they say
The decision was apparently made after law enforcement analysis revealed younger people “have committed various crimes” due to “regular involvement in such games” and it has caused “negative influence”. Now the message does not mention any specific GTA and Counter Strike title. This suggests it is a blanket ban on all games in the two series of games.
Rockstar Games are no stranger to their games being banned or just having government bodies looking to censor them. Manhunt 2 was banned in the UK and other regions for about a year until changes were made. Plus, Rockstar have to adhere to laws such as gambling bans. The chips can’t be bought and roulette can’t be played in GTA Online. Learn more about this here.
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