The Tajik government’s current dilemma is the most recent proof of the ancient adage that you reap what you sow, but the message doesn’t appear to be getting through.

The Tajik government has a substantial problem, and it has been getting plenty of international attention. Dushanbe could use some friends to address it, but instead it seems intent on harassing a group that could serve as one of its best allies at the moment: the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (HNIT).

The problem is the defection of elite security-force commander Gulmurod Halimov to the Islamic State (IS) militant group. Or more specifically, the problem is the 12-minute IS recruitment video in which the former Tajik OMON commander alternately chastises and threatens his former employer and others. The video is designed to project the grievances of a state servant but also a pious Muslim against the clumsy attempts of a corrupt government to control the practice of Islam, and unfortunately such claims cannot be wholly dismissed.

The Tajik government has undeniably been trying to control the course of Islam in the country by, among other things, regulating the age at which males may start attending mosque, forbidding women from attending mosque, ordering clerics to wear state-approved uniforms in which to preach, and providing a list of approved topics for sermons and in some cases simply supplying texts to be read at prayers. Halimov mentioned a few of these regulations.

There are more examples. But to sum it up quickly, it is ultimately the state that approves clerics, and they serve in state-approved mosques and teach at state-approved madrasahs and often include Tajikistan’s president in their Friday Prayers.

One of the interesting aspects (to me, at least) of Halimov’s enlistment in the IS and subsequent criticism of the Tajik government is that he is from the only Central Asian country where there is a legally registered Islamic political party: the HNIT (sometimes known as the IRPT).

Tajik authorities could use some strong statements from the HNIT both condemning Halimov’s comments and endorsing the Tajik government, but that is extremely unlikely to happen.

Official Islam, Or Else

It must be mentioned that the HNIT leadership has spoken out against IS many times.

But that has not stopped the Tajik government from working to marginalize the HNIT — some now say with the aim of eventually removing the party from the scene in Tajikistan.

The HNIT and the government led by President Emomali Rahmon were opponents during the 1992-97 Tajik civil war but agreed to a one-of-a-kind peace deal that ended hostilities and gave the HNIT 30 percent of the positions in the government, from local to ministerial.

The HNIT’s share in the government was eroded over the course of the years until last March the party was finally locked out of the government entirely following dubious parliamentary elections that saw Rahmon’s People’s Democratic Party of Tajikistan win an outright majority, with the rest of the seats going to parties supporting the president.

Many people, and I’ll name David Trilling (@dtrilling) and Edward Lemon (@EdwardLemon3) among them, noted how short-sighted this move by the government was to prevent the HNIT, the largest opposition party in Tajikistan, from winning even the token two or three seats it had held in parliament for a decade.

There have been many times in the past when the HNIT and Rahmon’s government were able to cooperate to achieve common goals. The HNIT has supported government efforts as recently as 2011 to track down, and often eliminate, rogue HNIT commanders from the civil-war days. During the shaky first few years after the civil war, the HNIT even offered military help to government forces crushing the last of the pro-government paramilitary forces, once useful but inconvenient after peace was reached.

In view of the new propaganda video from former OMON commander Halimov, this might be a good time to renew the cooperation of years past.

Instead, HNIT deputy leaders Saidamar Husayni and Mahmadali Hayit met with Supreme Court Chairman Shermuhammad Shohiyon on May 30 to complain about the Interior Ministry’s harassment of HNIT members and their families, as well as «cases of forcing party members to quit the party.» The two leaders handed over a 189-page complaint to the court.

Reaping What They Sow

It was only the latest in a series of incidents over many years involving the HNIT, usually the release of compromising material or videos but also including the deaths and beatings of party members in not-fully-explained circumstances.

Similar, though not quite as severe, techniques have been used to sideline influential moderate clerics who would not strictly follow the government line.

The HNIT probably cannot help convince Tajik nationals who have already gone to join IS to forsake the militant group and return home. Tajiks in IS would probably view the HNIT as heretics for cooperating with a secular government.

But the HNIT is influential among the faithful in Tajikistan. Those considering whether to leave and go to Syria or Iraq will not be dissuaded by the sermons of state clerics condemning the IS in one sentence then in the next breath praising officials whom the majority of the population considers corrupt.

They might however, listen to former government opponents with much cleaner Islamic credentials when they condemn the IS.

— Bruce Pannier, with Salimjon Aioubov and Mirzo Salimov of RFE/RL’s Tajik Service

http://www.rferl.org/content/tajikistan-has-government-lost-chance-to-speak-to-muslims/27049865.html

The Tajik government’s current dilemma is the most recent proof of the ancient adage that you reap what you sow, but the message doesn’t appear to be getting through.

The Tajik government has a substantial problem, and it has been getting plenty of international attention. Dushanbe could use some friends to address it, but instead it seems intent on harassing a group that could serve as one of its best allies at the moment: the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (HNIT).

The problem is the defection of elite security-force commander Gulmurod Halimov to the Islamic State (IS) militant group. Or more specifically, the problem is the 12-minute IS recruitment video in which the former Tajik OMON commander alternately chastises and threatens his former employer and others. The video is designed to project the grievances of a state servant but also a pious Muslim against the clumsy attempts of a corrupt government to control the practice of Islam, and unfortunately such claims cannot be wholly dismissed.

The Tajik government has undeniably been trying to control the course of Islam in the country by, among other things, regulating the age at which males may start attending mosque, forbidding women from attending mosque, ordering clerics to wear state-approved uniforms in which to preach, and providing a list of approved topics for sermons and in some cases simply supplying texts to be read at prayers. Halimov mentioned a few of these regulations.

There are more examples. But to sum it up quickly, it is ultimately the state that approves clerics, and they serve in state-approved mosques and teach at state-approved madrasahs and often include Tajikistan’s president in their Friday Prayers.

One of the interesting aspects (to me, at least) of Halimov’s enlistment in the IS and subsequent criticism of the Tajik government is that he is from the only Central Asian country where there is a legally registered Islamic political party: the HNIT (sometimes known as the IRPT).

Tajik authorities could use some strong statements from the HNIT both condemning Halimov’s comments and endorsing the Tajik government, but that is extremely unlikely to happen.

Official Islam, Or Else

It must be mentioned that the HNIT leadership has spoken out against IS many times.

But that has not stopped the Tajik government from working to marginalize the HNIT — some now say with the aim of eventually removing the party from the scene in Tajikistan.

The HNIT and the government led by President Emomali Rahmon were opponents during the 1992-97 Tajik civil war but agreed to a one-of-a-kind peace deal that ended hostilities and gave the HNIT 30 percent of the positions in the government, from local to ministerial.

The HNIT’s share in the government was eroded over the course of the years until last March the party was finally locked out of the government entirely following dubious parliamentary elections that saw Rahmon’s People’s Democratic Party of Tajikistan win an outright majority, with the rest of the seats going to parties supporting the president.

Many people, and I’ll name David Trilling (@dtrilling) and Edward Lemon (@EdwardLemon3) among them, noted how short-sighted this move by the government was to prevent the HNIT, the largest opposition party in Tajikistan, from winning even the token two or three seats it had held in parliament for a decade.

There have been many times in the past when the HNIT and Rahmon’s government were able to cooperate to achieve common goals. The HNIT has supported government efforts as recently as 2011 to track down, and often eliminate, rogue HNIT commanders from the civil-war days. During the shaky first few years after the civil war, the HNIT even offered military help to government forces crushing the last of the pro-government paramilitary forces, once useful but inconvenient after peace was reached.

In view of the new propaganda video from former OMON commander Halimov, this might be a good time to renew the cooperation of years past.

Instead, HNIT deputy leaders Saidamar Husayni and Mahmadali Hayit met with Supreme Court Chairman Shermuhammad Shohiyon on May 30 to complain about the Interior Ministry’s harassment of HNIT members and their families, as well as «cases of forcing party members to quit the party.» The two leaders handed over a 189-page complaint to the court.

Reaping What They Sow

It was only the latest in a series of incidents over many years involving the HNIT, usually the release of compromising material or videos but also including the deaths and beatings of party members in not-fully-explained circumstances.

Similar, though not quite as severe, techniques have been used to sideline influential moderate clerics who would not strictly follow the government line.

The HNIT probably cannot help convince Tajik nationals who have already gone to join IS to forsake the militant group and return home. Tajiks in IS would probably view the HNIT as heretics for cooperating with a secular government.

But the HNIT is influential among the faithful in Tajikistan. Those considering whether to leave and go to Syria or Iraq will not be dissuaded by the sermons of state clerics condemning the IS in one sentence then in the next breath praising officials whom the majority of the population considers corrupt.

They might however, listen to former government opponents with much cleaner Islamic credentials when they condemn the IS.

— Bruce Pannier, with Salimjon Aioubov and Mirzo Salimov of RFE/RL’s Tajik Service

http://www.rferl.org/content/tajikistan-has-government-lost-chance-to-speak-to-muslims/27049865.html

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan has begun the process of media accreditation for local and foreign media representatives for participation in the High Level International Conference on the implementation of the International Decade for Action “Water for Life”, 2005-2015, which will take place in Dushanbe on June 9 — 11. Читать далее Announcement for Media Representatives →

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on Kyrgyz lawmakers to reject a bill requiring domestic NGOs that receive foreign funding and engage in «political activities» to register as «foreign agents.»

In a statement issued on May 21, the New York-based group said, «Such inappropriate and unjustified interference would be incompatible with the right to freedom of association.»

It said the bill “blatantly flouts” Kyrgyzstan’s national and international human rights commitments.

If adopted, HRW added, the bill will “only stigmatize” NGOs working in Kyrgyzstan.

The Kyrgyz parliamentary human rights committee voted on May 19 to send the bill to full parliament for debate, and its first reading is expected in the coming days.

In 2012, Russia passed similar legislation which human rights defenders and Western governments say has been used to crack down on independent groups.

http://www.rferl.org/content/hrw-calls-on-kyrgyz-to-reject-foreign-agents-bill/27029058.html

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on Kyrgyz lawmakers to reject a bill requiring domestic NGOs that receive foreign funding and engage in «political activities» to register as «foreign agents.»

In a statement issued on May 21, the New York-based group said, «Such inappropriate and unjustified interference would be incompatible with the right to freedom of association.»

It said the bill “blatantly flouts” Kyrgyzstan’s national and international human rights commitments.

If adopted, HRW added, the bill will “only stigmatize” NGOs working in Kyrgyzstan.

The Kyrgyz parliamentary human rights committee voted on May 19 to send the bill to full parliament for debate, and its first reading is expected in the coming days.

In 2012, Russia passed similar legislation which human rights defenders and Western governments say has been used to crack down on independent groups.

http://www.rferl.org/content/hrw-calls-on-kyrgyz-to-reject-foreign-agents-bill/27029058.html

Russia’s lower house of parliament has given final approval to a bill on so-called «undesirable organizations» that critics say will deal a fresh blow to a nongovernmental sector that already faces considerable pressure.

In a third and final reading on May 19, the heavily pro-Kremlin State Duma overwhelmingly approved the legislation, which would give Russian prosecutors the right to list as «undesirable» foreign organizations «posing a threat to Russia’s defense capabilities, security, public order, [or] public health.»

It must now be approved by the upper house in what precedent suggests will be little more than a formality, and then sent to President Vladimir Putin to be signed into law.

Under the bill, which the Kremlin’s own human rights ombudsman has opposed, individuals who work for such organizations inside Russia could be slapped with hefty fines or handed prison sentences of up to six years.

Human rights watchdogs have denounced the legislation. In a joint statement last week, when the Duma passed the bill in a crucial second reading, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said it would «bolster an ongoing draconian crackdown which is squeezing the life out of civil society.»

In 2012, Russia passed legislation that grants broad leeway for authorities to define nongovernmental groups that receive foreign funding as «foreign agents.»

The law on «undesirable organizations «puts those who don’t fall under the ‘foreign agents’ law on a knife edge,» veteran Russian human rights activist Lyudmila Alekseyeva told the Russian website Snob.ru.

Putin, who is accused of clamping down on NGOs with restrictive laws during his third term, recently repeated his accusation that Western secret services use nongovernmental organizations to «destabilize Russia.»

«The attempts by the Western secret services to use public, nongovernmental organizations and nonpolitical bodies to discredit the authorities and destabilize Russia’s internal situation continue,» he said at a March 26 meeting with senior officers of the Federal Security Service (FSB), the domestic successor of the Soviet KGB.

Under the legislation passed by the Duma on May 19, the decision to deem a foreign organization undesirable must be coordinated with Russia’s Foreign Ministry on the basis of materials and documents obtained from the Interior Ministry and security agencies.

The Justice Ministry would be tasked with compiling the «blacklist.»

Aleksandr Cherkasov, the head of Russia’s Memorial human rights center, told Snob.ru that the bill was written in such a «blurry» fashion that foreign organizations, media outlets, and NGOs already deemed «foreign agents» could be impacted.

«This law allows you to declare McDonald’s an ‘undesirable organization’ and fine anyone who cooperates with it, anyone who eats hamburgers,» Cherkasov said.

With reporting by AFP, Meduza.io, and Snob.ru

http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-duma-passes-undesirable-ngo-bill/27025310.html

WASHINGTON – Did pro-Kremlin activists beam images of Russian tanks onto the facade of the White House to protest what they call Washington’s efforts to prevent foreign leaders from traveling to Moscow to commemorate the defeat of Nazi Germany? Читать далее ‘Russian Tanks In Washington’ Video Triggers U.S. Secret Service Probe →

On World Press Freedom Day, Article 19 and its regional partners, Adil Soz, NANSMIT and Media Policy Institute call on the governments of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to ensure respect for the right to freedom of expression and to ensure that journalists can carry out their professional activities in a free and safe environment. Читать далее Central Asia: World Press Freedom Day →

The United States has urged Uzbekistan to release opposition journalist Muhammad Bekjanov, who has been imprisoned since 1999, and ease restrictions on journalists in the authoritarian Central Asian state.

«We call on the government of Uzbekistan to release Mr. Bekjanov and to take the steps necessary to create space for independent journalists to work without fear of violence,» U.S. State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke told a May 1 briefing in Washington.

Rights activists call Bekjanov, former editor of the opposition newspaper Erk, one of the longest-imprisoned journalists in the world.

Human Rights Watch says he was jailed after being kidnapped in Kyiv by Uzbek security forces in 1999 and that he has been tortured while in custody.

Uzbek President Islam Karimov has ruled Uzbekistan since 1989, two years before it gained independence in the collapse of the Soviet Union.

During that time, he has neutralized most of his political opposition, and his government has been accused of frequent human rights abuses.

The 77-year-old Karimov was reelected in a March 29 election with more than 90 percent of the vote, despite a constitutional restriction against any individual serving more than two terms in office.

Vote monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said the poll lacked a genuine opposition to Karimov and was marred by legal and organizational shortcomings.

Rathke, whose comments came ahead of World Press Freedom Day on May 3, noted that Bekjanov «is thought to have been arrested for his public criticism of President Karimov’s administration, and for his affiliation with a peaceful political opposition party.»

A report released by the U.S.-based watchdog Freedom House on April 29 cited Uzbekistan as among the world’s 10 worst countries and territories for press freedoms, alongside countries including Belarus, Russian-occupied Crimea, Iran, and Turkmenistan.

U.S.  President Barack Obama’s administration, which recently completed a review of its Central Asia policy, has insisted that it will continue to advocate for human rights, political reforms, and free media in the region.

Rights activists have accused Washington of turning a blind eye to abuses by authoritarian governments in Central Asia in order to secure cooperation on counterterrorism and other security matters.

Last month, Amnesty International called on the European Union to increase pressure on the Karimov’s government to stop torture in Uzbek jails and prisons.

Rathke added on May 1 that Washington also urges Tashkent «to allow international observers to visit prisons and to grant all citizens access to full due process in accordance with international commitments.»

http://www.rferl.org/content/uzbekistan-media-bekjanov/26989500.html

Freedom House says restrictive new laws and violence against journalists resulted in a global decline of press freedom during 2014, bringing the world’s press freedom to its lowest point in more than 10 years.

In a report released on April 29, the U.S.-based watchdog said press freedom declined significantly in 18 countries and territories during 2014 — with some of the worst declines in Azerbaijan, Serbia, and Iraq.

Freedom House said Belarus, Russian-annexed Crimea, Iran, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan were among the world’s 10 worst-rated countries and territories for press freedom.

It said the worst in the Balkans was Macedonia, where press freedom has continued to decline during the past five years.

The report says Azerbaijan’s government was one of the worst offenders for using detentions and closures of media offices under security or emergency laws, with nine journalists in prison by December 1.

It noted the jailing later in December 2014 of investigative journalist and RFE/RL contributor Khadija Ismayilova, as well of the closure of RFE/RL’s offices in Azerbaijan and the interrogation of RFE/RL employees there.

Click on map or here for a full interactive map of press freedom 

Freedom House said Russia’s media sector is increasingly owned by the state, by «private-sector cronies of the political leadership,» or by business interests that suppress content critical of the government.

Russia also was criticized for «more active and aggressive use of propaganda — often false or openly threatening — to warp the media environment and crowd out authentic journalism.»

The report said Russia’s «state-controlled national television stations broadcast nonstop campaigns of demonization directed at the internal opposition, neighboring countries whose polices have displeased Moscow, and the broader democratic world.»

It said Russian media played a major role in preparing the Russian public for war with Ukraine.

It also noted that a Russian law which took effect in August placed new controls on blogs and social media, requiring all websites with more than 3,000 visitors a day to register with state regulators as a «media outlet.»

Freedom House said that Ukraine,» facing a military invasion» by Russia, suspended the retransmission of at least 15 Russian television channels by cable operators.

It also noted that Lithuania, Latvia, and Moldova imposed suspensions or fines on Russian television stations for «incitement to war, disseminating historical inaccuracy, and lack of pluralism of opinions in news content.»

In Ukraine, the report said that in addition to the deaths of four journalists and violence associated with the separatist conflict in the east, one journalist was killed and at least 27 injured at the height of confrontations between protesters and police in Kyiv in February last year before the ouster of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych.

Iraq’s poor record was linked to the seizure of vast swaths of territory in the north and west of the country by Islamic State militants.

Freedom House said Tajikistan’s Gorno-Badakhshan autonomous region and Russian-annexed Crimea were «prime examples» of how reporters were deliberately barred by «repressive governments.»

The government of Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic was criticized for trying to curb reporting about floods that hit the country and for «increasingly hostile rhetoric and harassment» of independent journalists.

http://www.rferl.org/content/press-freedom-lowest-point-10-years/26984487.html