March 21 - April 24, 2001

IRPT supported Communists
The Russian-language newspaper "Vecherny Dushanbe" # 16 informs that at one of sessions of the Majlisi Namoyandagon (lower chamber of Tajik parliament) the deputy from the Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) Muhammadsharif Himmatzoda supported position of the Communists. The newspaper writes that during the whole 20th century there was a confrontation between the Communists and "Islamists". Muhammadsharif Himmatzoda said in his interview with the paper that he and other deputy from the IRPT had supported the position of the Communists on the budget of the country for year 2001 because they considered that that the Communists' position met interests of the country. According to him from the very first days of their governing and till the 50-es - 60-es of the last century the Communists were carrying on an embittered struggle against religion. But according to him the socialist system having been created by the Communists had many superiority over the capitalism. Now, he regrets that they has lost hat system. Therefore, according to him they support they support the Communists and other political parties when it is a question of social justice. He considers that the Communist Party, which has been carrying on an extremist policy regarding religion and private property, has realized its errors and in the last years of existence of the Soviet Union it has changed its position. The Communists has made changes to the their Rules and now, according to their Rules the member of the Communist Party of Tajikistan may be with religious faith. Therefore, according to Muhammadsharif Himmazda consolidation aiming at improvement of common welfare is not only possible but also necessary.

Why doesn't the Ministry of justice register the Social and Democratic Party of Tajikistan?
"Vecherny Dushanbe" # 16 reminds that the Ministry of Justice of the country has refused again to register the Social and Democratic Party of Tajikistan. To find out reasons for refusal the paper has applied to the Chairman of the Social and Democratic Party (SDPT) Ramatillo Zoirov for explanations. According to Ramatill Zoirov officials of the Ministry of Justice are motivating their refusal of registration by the fact that when they where checking the list of members of the SDPT (under the RT Law "On Political Parties" for registration with the Ministry of Justice a political party must submit to the Ministry a list of its 1000 supporters) several tens of members of the SDPT denied their membership of the Party. According to the officials of the Ministry of Justice 4 persons said that their names had been put on the list without their consent, 8 more persons don't live at the addresses mentioned on the list, one person appeared on the list twice. The Chairman of the SPDT says that he doesn't agree with decision of the Ministry of Justice because there are no enough reasons for refusal to register the Party. He notes that the mentioned law "On Political Parties" is saying about supporters but not members. Moreover, under this law the political party is gaining the right of legal entity only the official registration. It means that before the registration the political party doesn't have the right to rent premises, conclude civil and legal agreements as well as order for Party-membership cards and so on. Therefore, according to Ramatillo Zoirov the Ministry of Justice demanding from non-registered political parties to submit a list of 1000 members forces the citizens to violate law. Therefore, the Chairman of the SDPT considers the refusal of the Ministry of Justice to register their Party illegal.

European diplomats to check strength of border
Newspapers informed that Tuesday evening, April 17, a group of military attaches of some European countries accredited in the Russian Federation is arriving in Dushanbe. They are mostly representatives of member countries of the European Union, donor countries financing the UN program on countering drugs. According to information received from the Press Center of the Russian Border Group in Tajikistan the purpose is for members of the delegation to familiarize themselves with the activities of the Russian Border Group in Tajikistan and the Drug Control Agency at the President of Tajikistan. They are going also to discuss the issues of countering illegal drug trafficking in Tajikistan in order to make sure that Tajikistan is a shield against drug traffic from Afghanistan into Tajikistan, Russian Federation and Member States of the European Union. The guests arrived in Dushanbe by invitation of the official Dushanbe and the Russian Border Group stationed in Tajikistan.

Tajikistan is threatened with drought again?
Asia-Plus # 16 doesn't rule out that this year the country is threatened with drought again. The Head of the Chief Meteorology Administration of Tajikistan Begmurod Mahmadaliyev said in his interview with the newspaper that a quantity of snow and other precipitation had made only 57 % of the norm and reserves of snow in the mountain areas of the country made some 60 %, 2 % less than in the last year. A level of water in the rivers in the spring-summer period will come down by 20 %. It means a shortage of water for irrigating fields and a low level of water in reservoirs of hydro power stations of the country. According to Begmurod Mahmadaliyev a droughty weather may recur again.

What militants are in Kofarhihon and Ramit?
The newspaper "Tojikiston" # 8 reports that a statement of the Interior Ministry about the presence of a criminal group in the Ramit Gorge has disturb the Tajik public and fed information of some Tajik and foreign journalists. According to the newspaper this unexpected statement was made on April 11 after the assassination of the First Deputy Minster of Interiors Habib Sanginov. That time, the leadership of the Interior Ministry of the country sated that the assassination was connected with the fact the Habib Sanginov had been heading the operation aganist the criminal groups in Ramit. Evidently, somebody of them has decided to take vengeance on Habib Sanginov and to do away with the fighter aganist the crime once and for all. The newspaper informs that on April 12 some foreign journalists accompanied by employees of one of international organizations went to Ramit by a car. On approach to Kofarnihon four armed persons in camuflauge stopped their car. They checked the identity card of the driver and searched the car. The journalists didn't manage to get to Ramit, the local authorities warned them against going there because of he presence of militants there. The journalists saw several tens of those militants in Kofarnihon itself. They were freely walking along the streets and driving about the town on foreign-made cars and motor-cycles. The Minister of Interiors of Tajikistan Khumdin Sahripov assured that he had order to annihilate the criminal groups deployed in Ramit. But the Minister has not specified whom those criminal groups submit to.

FIRST DEPUTY MINISTER OF INTERIORS OF TAJIKISTAN HABIB SANGINOV KILLED
Newspapers informed that on April 11, the First Deputy Minister of Interiors of Tajikistan Habib Sanginov was killed in terrorist attack. Asia-Plus was informed of that at the Ministry of Interior of the country. According to the source today, at 8:00 a.m., three unknown persons fired at the service car of Habib Sanginov from automatic arms in the "Posyolok Kalinina" area of Dushanbe (northwest part of the city). As a result of shooting Habib Sanginov, his driver and one of his bodyguards were killed in the scene of action, the second bodyguard received heavy wounds and was taken to the hospital, where he died shortly after. As the Minister of interiors of Tajikistan Lieutenant General Khumdin Sharipov said in his interview with Asia-Plus that that "terrorist act is handiwork of criminal elements, because lately Habib Sanginov was heading special operations on detention and annihilation of criminal groups". According to the Minister of interiors of the country President Rahmonov took investigation of this terrorist act under his personal control.

RUSSIAN JOURNALISTS WANT TO MEET PRESIDENT RAHMONOV
Asia-Plus # 15 writes that lately, foreign journalists including the Russian ones in Tajikistan are becoming more frequently an object of reproaches and criticism both of the government and the ordinary people. What do representatives of the Russian mass media think about that themselves?. The correspondent of Russian News Agency ITAR TASS for Tajikistan Galina Gridneva said in her interview with Asia-Plus that such a heightened interest in exactly Russian mass media was cause for concern. Galina Gridneva doesn't want to think it has been caused by cautious opinion of the President of Tajikistan advanced at his recent meeting with representatives of the Tajik intelligentsia, where he criticized strongly the journalists. According to her some too ardent officials and journalists have apprehended words of the President literally and carried the situation to the point of absurdity. Galina Gridneva says that in one of humorous programs of the Tajik national TV some not strictly ethical utterances against her colleagues from the Russian TV Company "ORT" have been allowed. All this causes concern of the Russian journalists and at the last meeting with the Russian Ambassador to Tajikistan Maxim Peshkov they have asked the Russia diplomat to facilitate arrangement of their personal meeting with President. Maksim Peshkov has promised to do that.

TERRORIST BLOWN UP BY EXPLOSIVE HIMSELF?
First versions of explosion occurred on April 5, inside the trade center at the Ayni Street in Dushanbe have appeared. As the Deputy Minister of Security of Tajikistan Colonel Mukhtor Sharipov said in his interview with Asia-Plus, the explosive operated in hands of the man killed in that explosion. According to the source the explosives' capacity was equivalent to 200-250 grams of TNT. At present experts of the Ministry of Security of the country are working on identifying the man killed in the explosion. The other newspapers including "Vecherny Dushanbe" write that the explosion has been put in one of shop windows of the trading center.