A group of students from Tajikistan’s universities — not known to be hotbeds of political activity — are purportedly up in arms that Western governments will not deport wanted members of the opposition.
For all the claimed wide-scale anger, however, demonstrations in front of the U.S. and German embassies on November 19 managed to draw only a handful of young people.
In October, a petition was started up at the Tajik National University demanding the extradition of prominent critics of the government currently based abroad. Backers of the petition, which has called for countries hosting Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) leader Mukhiddin Kabiri, the head of the Vatandor opposition movement, Dodojon Atovulloyev, and former Prime Minister Abdumalik Abdullajanov to be handed over, say they have got signatures of support from 400 students across multiple universities.
That enthusiasm was decidedly absent at the pickets, to which nobody thought to bring banners or placards.
The appeals were submitted to legislators in the United States, Germany, and the European Union, and, on somewhat spurious grounds, to the University of Heidelberg in Germany, according to organizers of the initiative.
“Kabiri spoke at Heidelberg University and criticized the policies of Tajikistan’s government,” explained picket organizer Asliddin Khushvakhtov.
The IRPT was a vaguely tolerated nominal opposition force until this summer, but authorities seized on the opportunity of what it claimed was an uprising by disaffected former defense minister Abduhalim Nazarzoda to finally crush the party. Prosecutors claimed the party was involved in the alleged revolt and designated it a terrorist organization.
Khushvakhtov was eager to recite the government’s line on the IRPT.
“Because of his links to [Nazarzoda’s] terrorist group, [Kabiri] has been declared a terrorist in Tajikistan. As the head of the party, he should return to Tajikistan and answer the questions that there are for him. But unfortunately, he will not return of his own will, and it is regrettable that Germany will not extradite him to Tajikistan,” the student told EurasiaNet.org.
Although the gathering at the embassies was small, it is notable that it happened at all. Authorities have acted with extreme caution to prevent even the smallest public gatherings, so a picket outside an embassy is unlikely to have gone forward without tacit official blessing.
Atovulloyev, the leader of Vatandor, has long been a vocal critic of the government, but has limited influence inside the country. He recently announced the creation of a virtual alliance of government opponents and held an online radio marathon in mid-October.
In a development that surprised watchers of the Tajik political scene, Atovulloyev was joined on the radio marathon by Abdullajanov, who served briefly as prime minister in the early 1990s. Abdullajanov has stayed largely clear of politics in his current place of residence in the United States.
Khushvakhtov said Abdullajanov had stolen money while in power and should also be deported. He was especially critical of what he described as Abdullojonov’s exploitative criticism of the government’s reaction to the mysterious recent death of a Tajik baby in Russia. Relatives of the baby, Umarali Nazarov, has expressed bitterness at the Tajik government unwillingness to properly investigate the child’s case. Many suspect that reluctance is motivated by a desire not hurt relations with Russia.
Asked why he and his fellow activists were not organizing pickets over the death of the baby, Khushvakhtov pointed out that Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon had discussed the issue with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.
“We expressed our sympathies to Umarali’s parents and relatives over the Internet. We only found out yesterday that the mother had returned to Tajikistan. We plan to send a letter to the government in the coming days to ask for them give her material support,” Khushvakhtov said.
An administrative officer at the German Embassy said that the mission had received no letters from the demonstrators, but that they would reply as soon as they got one. Khushvakhtov said he sent his letter through the Tajik postal service and said he would send another one, just to be on the safe side.
The meeting at the U.S. Embassy was cut short when the police eventually turned up. Police said they were responding a call from the embassy.
The demonstrators were not deterred by police intervention or the feeble turnout, however.
Khushvakhtov said another picket, at the European Union embassy, is planned for the future.
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