Baron Cohen banned in Tajikistan

Sacha Baron Cohen's The Dictator has been banned in Tajikistan after censors deemed the movie unsuitable.

The new film – which features Baron Cohen as a tyrannical ruler of fictional African state Wadiya – has also been banned in Turkmenistan, according to reports.

In the impoverished state of Tajikistan, The Dictator was refused a distribution licence after the state licensing department said the film must be cut before it ‘meets all our criteria and passes censorship’.

And Tantana, the sole distributor of international films in the former Soviet republic, has declined to back the film. Its sales manager Daler Davlatov told local media: ‘As you know we have a different mentality. We did not include "The Dictator" in the list only because of these considerations.’

American diplomatic cables published on Wikileaks said Tajikistan's president, Emomali Rahmon is massively corrupt in running the country to profit himself and his family, who control the country's major businesses, including the largest bank.

The latest move means more woe for Baron Cohen in Central Asia, after his Borat character offended authorities in Kazakhstan, where it was banned. However, officials later admitted the film actually boosted tourist numbers.

Published: 18 May 2012