Rights group details electoral manipulation

(New York, October 28, 1999)"H Presidential elections to be held on
November 6, 1999 in Tajikistan will be a farce, Human Rights Watch
charged today.
The government has excluded opposition presidential candidates from the
ballot, sought to restrict the activities of political parties, and
imposed additional curbs on the media. In effect, the presidential
race is limited to one candidate, the incumbent President Emomali
Rakhmonov.

In protest, the United Tajik Opposition (UTO) has withdrawn from the
body responsible for implementing the 1997 peace accord between the
government and the UTO, effectively suspending the peace process. The
UTO has also withdrawn from the Central Electoral Commission.
"Tajikistan is making no progress toward democracy," said Holly Cartner,
Executive Director of Human Rights Watch's Europe and Central Asia
Division. "The government has demonstrated blatant bad faith in
creating conditions for a fair and open vote."

Earlier this month, the three opposition presidential candidates
announced their plans to boycott the elections, in protest against
authorities' efforts to block the collection of signatures necessary for
their registration as candidates. On October 21, 1999, two of the
candidates were denied registration by the Supreme Court. But in an
attempt to preserve the veneer of the democratic process, the government
granted registration to the Islamic Renaissance Party candidate, Davlat
Usmon. However, Mr. Usmon has requested that his registration be
canceled.

Restrictions on freedom of association, freedom of expression, and
personal security have become particularly severe in recent months.
"Coming out of a civil war, Tajikistan is often described as the special
case in Central Asia," said Ms. Cartner. "But there can be no excuse
this time around for its failure to meet its international commitments."
These are the first elections to be held since the June 27, 1997
government-United Tajik Opposition (UTO) peace accord, which brought to
an end five years of civil war. Notably, the 1994 presidential
elections, which brought President Rakhmonov to power, were also marred
by flagrant fraud.

A more detailed analysis of political events in Tajikistan is available

on the Human Rights Watch website at http:\\www.hrw.org.