DUSHANBE — Tajik President Emomali Rahmon has rejected criticism of last month’s parliamentary elections, describing them as democratic and transparent, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reports.

Rahmon made the comments during an address at the opening session of parliament’s lower chamber.

Rahmon said the February 28 parliamentary elections were democratic and transparent, and that voting took place peacefully.

It was his first response to international observers’ claims that the elections failed to meet many basic democratic standards.

The initial report by OSCE and EU monitors noted «certain small positive steps,» and «a certain level of pluralism.» But they also registered «serious irregularities on polling day including cases of ballot stuffing.»

Rahmon said that all of Tajikistan’s past problems began after an election; for example, the civil war that began in 1992 was triggered by the opposition’s refusal to acknowledge the victory of former Communist Party head Rahmon Nabiyev in the 1991 presidential ballot.

Rahmon said that in the past, political parties could not have waged their election campaign freely. He said that enmity towards opposition parties was not acceptable, and he proposed cooperating with them.

But all key parliament positions were allocated to members of Rahmon’s National Democratic Party of Tajikistan, which won 55 of the 63 parliament seats.

As in previous parliaments, the posts of parliament speaker and deputy speakers were distributed between representatives of various regions.

Former Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Shukurjon Zuhurov, who was elected from the eastern Rasht region — the main opposition stronghold during the civil war — was elected speaker of the lower house.

Former presidential administration head Amirsho Miraliev, who is from Rahmon’s native Danghara district in the southern province of Khatlon, was appointed first deputy speaker.

The two deputy speaker posts went to Nazira Ghafforova, from the northern Sughd Province, and Mirgand Shahbozov, from Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province.

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The chief editors of the Kyrgyz newspapers «Achyk Sayasat» (Open Politics) and «Nazar» (Attention) were questioned today by officials of the Prosecutor-General’s Office about certain articles in their publications, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reports.

«Achyk Sayasat» chief editor Babyrbek Jeenbekov told RFE/RL that no explanations were given as to why he and «Nazar» chief editor Kenjebek Arykbaev were summoned to the Prosecutor-General’s Office.

He said they went to the office today and were questioned about articles about opposition activities that they had published in their newspapers.

Jeenbekov said the summons might be specifically connected to the newspapers’ publication of an address by his son, politician Ravshan Jeenbekov, to delegates of the National Assembly (Kurultai). Ravshan Jeenbekov is living in self-imposed exile in the United States.

The kurultai is scheduled to be held on March 17 by Kyrgyzstan’s opposition parties and movements.

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Freedom House says a decision by Kyrgyz authorities last week to block broadcasting and Internet access to U.S. government-funded news services underscores a «growing concern for freedom of expression in Kyrgyzstan.»

RFE/RL’s affiliate television station Echo of Manas halted programming on March 10 after what the U.S.-based rights watchdog said were government threats to terminate its broadcast license.

Four RFE/RL radio affiliates and two non-U.S. news websites, Centrasia.ru and Ferghana.ru, were also forced to shut down.

Freedom House said in a statement that «Kyrgyzstan once set the standard for tolerance, expression and democratic process in Central Asia.»

It has called on the government to re-affirm its commitment to that standard.

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An independent journalist and two activists of the opposition Ata-Meken (Fatherland) party have been beaten in southern Kyrgyzstan, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reports.

The attack occurred as Ata-Meken party coordinator Asylbek Tekebaev, an associate, and «Press-KJ» chief editor Abdubakhab Moniev returned on the night of March 15 from a gathering of supporters of jailed opposition leader Ismail Isakov in the district of Alay.

Tekebaev said the attackers blocked the men’s car as it approached the town of Karool in neighboring Uzgen district. They broke the car’s windows and severely beat the three men. They also took Moniev’s tape recorder and video camera and told them that they «should behave themselves.»

Tekebaev told RFE/RL that he is sure the attack was politically motivated. Local law enforcement officials declined to comment on the incident.

Tekebaev is the brother of Ata-Meken leader Omurbek Tekebaev.

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The editor of an independent Kyrgyz newspaper says Bishkek police confiscated its latest issue on March 15, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reports.

Rakhmatulla Akhmedov, chief editor of the «Forum» newspaper, told RFE/RL that he believes the confiscation was ordered by authorities.

Akhmedov said three trucks carrying 7,000 copies of the newspaper were stopped by police and forced to drive to a police station.

The newspaper’s delivery workers were released by police after local human rights defenders and opposition Social Democratic Party activists got involved in the case, although the newspapers were impounded at the station.

A Bishkek police spokesman refused to comment on the incident.

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A Tajik Olympic official says the country sold one of its official accreditations to the Winter Olympics in Vancouver to a Russian comedian.

Muhammadshoh Abdulloev, the head of Tajikistan’s National Olympic Committee delegation to Vancouver, told RFE/RL that prominent comedian Gennady Khazanov officially represented Tajikistan at the Olympics last month.

Abdulloev said the cash-strapped Tajik delegation could not afford to invite Tajik guests to the Olympics and therefore had to sell two of its official accreditations to the Bosco Sport Company for $2,000 and a promise by Bosco to sponsor the Tajik delegation at the Summer Olympics in London in 2012.

It is not known how much Khazanov paid Bosco for the Tajik accreditation.

The Tajik Olympic team was represented in Vancouver by only two athletes — alpine skiers Andrei Drygin and Alisher Qudratov. The International Olympic Committee paid all expenses of the Tajik athletes, their coaches, and officials in Vancouver.

Russian media report that Armenia, Moldova, and Russia are some of the countries that brought prominent Russian actors, journalists, and businessmen as official guests to the Winter Olympics in Vancouver in exchange for cash payments.

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About 150 people in northeastern Uzbekistan have held a rally to protest the arrest of a local activist, RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service reports.

Protester Olim Hasanov told RFE/RL that the people gathered in front of the municipal council building in Parkent, in Tashkent Oblast.

He said that Azamat Yakubov, the chairman of Parkent’s community committee, planned to lay a gas mainline in his neighborhood. But the prosecutor’s office accused him of embezzling some 5 million soms ($2,500) of the 10 million soms that his neighbors had contributed toward the cost of the project and ordered his arrest on March 10.

Another participant in the demonstration, who asked to remain anonymous, told RFE/RL that Yakubov was arrested because of his human rights activities.

He added that town prosecutor Abdugani Nabiev, who met with the protesters earlier today, told them that if they do not end the picket they will be taken to jail.

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BISHKEK — A Kyrgyz rights group says it is seriously concerned by what it calls a coordinated attack by authorities on freedom of speech.

In a statement, the For Democracy and Civil Society coalition said most Kyrgyz Internet users since March 10 had not been able to access popular news websites such as fergana.ru and that broadcasts of RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service had been stopped in recent days.

In a statement, RFE/RL President Jeffrey Gedmin said: «The Kyrgyz government has been hostile to freedom of the press for some time. This incident is the latest effort by the government to restrict access to free, unbiased, and independent news. Unfortunately, as Freedom House noted in its most recent ‘Freedom in the World’ report, the situation is only getting worse.»

The group and opposition party Ata Meken linked the moves to reports carried on the websites and on RFE/RL about an arrest warrant issued by Italy for a business associate of President Kurmanbek Bakiev’s son, Maksim.

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The BBC’s local-language service in Kyrgyzstan experienced an unexplained interruption today, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reported, sparking concerns the U.K.-funded broadcaster might share the fate of other media outlets suffering setbacks there.

One of three BBC broadcasts was unavailable today, although its 9:00 p.m. program was back on the air.

Aslan Kapai, a BBC Kyrgyz Service producer, told RFE/RL the service’s 30-minute program at 8 p.m. Bishkek time was not available to Kyrgyz listeners.

He said no explanation has been given either by the BBC’s affiliate stations or by Kyrgyz officials.

The BBC’s Kyrgyz Service has been operating since 1996. It broadcasts a 30-minute program three times daily.

Seven correspondents in Kyrgyzstan work for the BBC’s Kyrgyz Service while three others work in London. The BBC has a joint television project with Kyrgyzstan’s National Television and Radio Corporation.

Since March 10, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz television and radio programs have been off the air in Bishkek and other parts of the country in what rights activists are calling a government clampdown on the media.

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DUSHANBE — A Kyrgyz human rights activist who disappeared in Dushanbe last month is being held in a detention center for homeless people, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reports.

Muhammadsoleh Muhammadtohir told RFE/RL that his brother, Nematullo Botakoziev, is ill and needs medical treatment. Botakoziev sought political asylum in Tajikistan after Kyrgyz authorities accused him of organizing mass protests in 2008 and issued a warrant for his arrest.

The Tajik Interior Ministry has confirmed that Botakoziev was arrested. Officials say his case is being investigated by Tajikistan’s National Security Committee.

Muhammadtohir expressed concern that international organizations have failed to publicize his brother’s plight. He said he fears Tajik authorities will deport Botakoziev to Kyrgyzstan where he could face a lengthy prison sentence.

Dushanbe-based human rights activist Payam Furughi told RFE/RL’s Tajik Service that this is not the first time a Kyrgyz citizen has been detained in Tajikistan. He said that several years ago Muhammadali Salimzoda, a Kyrgyz citizen born in Tajikistan, was held for five months before officials informed his family he was under arrest.

Furughi added that Botakoziev is being held in a detention center with criminals and has been deprived of meeting with his relatives or lawyers.

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