Tajikistan
Photograph by Flickr user David Wild (CC-usage).
Uzbek border guards say they were close to open fire killing 25 Tajik servicemen who, according to them, violated state borders of Uzbekistan and intruded to its territory. The press service of the Uzbek National Security Service’s committee for border protection said:
By its actions, the Tajik side severely violated generally accepted international norms and bilateral agreements to keep the inviolability of the state borders. The intrusion could have been described as an armed invasion…
According to the statement, about 25 Tajik soldiers entered the Uzbek territory to release a colleague detained by the Uzbeks allegedly for trying to steal a cow.
The detainee admitted that he must have stolen cattle from Uzbek citizens under his commanders’ instructions. According to him, they had to do this because they had not been supplied with food for a long time.
However, the Tajik version of the incident is completely different. They told Interfax that the Tajik cow, left without caring, crossed the border and a Tajik soldier tried to get it back into Tajikistan. He and the cow were detained by Uzbeks.
A Tajik officer told Interfax that he and several soldiers tried to negotiate with the Uzbek border guards to release the Tajik servicemen “without crossing the borderline, in view of a simple human error”. The Uzbeks have rejected this.
Photograph of construction at Roghun from Asia-Plus.
Editor’s note: neweurasia’s Dushanbe describes how a possible Ragnarok is building up between the leaderships of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan over the Roghun dam project. Check out neweurasia’s ongoing coverage of the dam here.
Tajikistan has rejected the Uzbek proposal to suspend building the Roghun power plant until independent expertise determines its possible impact on environment and water distribution in the region.
In a reply letter to the Uzbek authorities, the Tajik Prime Minister Oqil Oqilov says his country will not change its plan to build the plant. He adds that they believe the new reservoir will help both countries to save and use regional water resources more effectively.
Photograph of justice by Flickr user RaeA (CC-usage).
Editor’s note: This post is for our Tajik readers. See the original English version here.
Алфарабиус: Ҷаноби Нуров, метавонед, гӯед, ки сабаби даъвои шумо ба зидди рӯзномаҳо чист?
Нуров: Сабаб ин аст, ки ҳамаи ин рӯзномаҳо ман ва дигар додрасҳоро ба таври бисёр яктарафа танқид мекунанд. Тӯҳмати беасос ба зидди мо равона карда шудааст, аммо чизе, ягон калимае ба зидди онҳое, ки ин мақолаҳоро ба зидди мо навиштаанд, оварда нашудааст. Ҳатто ягон шубҳае нест, ки онҳо рост мегӯянд ё дурӯғ. Тамоми рӯзномаҳои Тоҷикистон, тамоми журналистон ба зидди моянд. Ҳамин хел нест?
А: Шояд, аммо ба фикри Шумо чаро ҳамин хел шуда истодааст?
Н: Ман намедонам чаро ҳамин хел шудааст. Мумкин касе ба чунин вазъият манфиатдор аст. Ба ростӣ, намедонам чаро ҳамин хел шуда истодааст. Ҳеҷ касе намехоҳад, ҷузъиёти парванда ва муҳокимаро донад, касе намепурсад, ки додрасҳо гунаҳкоранд ё не? Ман набояд ҳатто ба шумо бовар кунам, агарчи ба саволҳои шумо ҷавоб дода истодаам, чун бовар надорам, ки шумо ба ман бовар доред. Ин вазъи хеле печидааст, ки намешавад бо телефон фаҳмонд.
А: Биёед кӯшиш кунем. Додрас Солеҳҷон Ҷӯраев Шуморо ба ҳукмҳои ғариқонунӣ гунаҳкор мекунад. Вай менависад, ки шумо чандин гумонбаронро таҳти фишори раиси. Догоҳи Олӣ аз рӯи қонун ҳукм накардед,. Чи гуна Шумо инро рад мекунед?
Image by neweurasia's Schwartz (CC-usage).
Editor’s note: This post is for our Tajik readers. The original post here.
Дар баҳси байни додрасон ва журналистон ҳарду тараф бо интихоби вазнин рӯбарӯст
Рӯзи сешанбеи 2-юми феврал нишасти додгоҳии се додрас бар зидди се рӯзномаи мустақил дар Тоҷикистон баргузор шуд. Ин мулоқоти аввал нишон дод, ки байни ду тараф ҷанги ҷиддие дар пеш хоҳад буд, зеро бурду бохт ва интихоби бузурге дар миёна аст. Давлат бояд байни қудрат ва адолат, нашрияҳо байни амният ва рисолат якеро баигузинанд.
Photograph of a statue of Justice by Flickr user RaeA (CC-usage).
Editor’s note: In an exclusive interview with neweurasia, Tajikistan’s Supreme Court Judge Nor Nurov for the first time speaks with the media about the lawsuit against three independent Tajik newspapers. Conducted via phone with our blogger Alpharabius on February 4, 2010 at 18:15 GMT.
Alpharabius: Mr. Nurov, could you tell us what is the cause of your lawsuit against the newspapers?
Nurov: The cause is that all these newspapers are criticizing me and other judges in a very biased manner. Baseless accusations have been directed against us, but nothing, not a single word has been raised against the people who wrote these articles against us. There haven’t even been any doubts if they are telling the truth. All the papers of Tajikistan, all the journalists are against us, am I right?
A: Perhaps, but then why do you think this is happening?
N: I do not know why it is happening. Maybe someone is interested in this situation. I really do not know why it is happening. No one wants to know the details of the cases and the trials, no one asks the question if the judges are guilty or not. I shouldn’t even trust you as I’m answering your questions, because I am not sure if you believe me. It is a very complicated situation that could not be explained by phone.
A: Let’s try. The lawyer Solijona Juraev is accusing you of making illegal court decisions. He wrote that you sentenced several suspects not according to the law, but under pressure from the head of the Supreme Court. How can you deny that?
Image by neweurasia's Schwartz (CC-usage).
Are the Roghun project and the lawsuit against three independent newspapers connected? Alpharabius, neweurasia’s blogger covering the lawsuit, believes that the trial is at minimum peripherally connected to the dam controversy, not to mention the upcoming parliamentary elections. His sentiment is apparently echoed by much of the Tajik journalistic and human rights community.
Image by neweurasia's Schwartz (CC-usage).
Editor’s note: A lawsuit by three Tajik Supreme Court judges against three independent Tajik newspapers promises to be earthshattering for all involved, writes neweurasia’s Alpharabius. Make sure to read Alpharabius’ previous post here.
The first hearing on the lawsuit by three judges against three independent newspapers in Tajikistan was held yesterday (Tuesday, 2 February). It showed that there will be serious battles ahead between the two sides precisely because so much is at stake. Will the government choose power over justice? Will the media choose safety over truth?
Photograph of Roghun construction by Asia Plus (CC-usage).
Editor’s note: Continuing our coverage of the Roghun dam project, here’s an editorial by neweurasia’s Botur. Check out his earlier post here, as well as Tajik Voice’s posts here and here.
As previously reported, the Tajik Government started selling shares of Roghun hydro power plant in January aiming to raise $1.4 billion from population. They initiated this project in order speed up the construction of the giant plant, but did not care to provide the public with a detailed business plan showing credible proof as to how, who, when and what for specifically collected funds will be spent on. It is remarkably rare in the history of free market economy that such an immense project with so little preparation and much countrywide propaganda is offered for investment of citizens.
Photograph by Flickr user Bloomsberries (CC-usage).
Three judges, two of them members of the Supreme Court of Tajikistan, have conspired to punish three independent newspapers for publishing a sensational story about unlawful conviction practices at the courts.
Supreme Court judges Nur Nurov and Ulugbek Mamadshoev and a judge of the Dushanbe City Court Fakhriddin Dodometov filed separate lawsuits against the newspapers Asia-Plus, Faraj, and Ozodagon for publishing a letter by lawyer Solijona Juraev in which he accuses the very same judges of making biased court decisions and imposing illegal penalties. Juraev is also being sued. They are being collectively charged under articles 142 and 143 of the Civil Procedure Code for libel and humiliation of honor and dignity.
The plaintiffs complain that the letter was published without either verification of facts or balancing it by publishing an opposing opinion. They are demanding moral damages payment in the amount of $1 million 260 000, an impossible sum beyond the ability of the Tajik independent media to pay, hence leading them to permanent closure. Not surprisingly, they are also insisting on suspending the papers until the end of the litigation.
Rahmon and Karimov, with Nazarbaev in the center. Photo credit: Radio Azattyq.
Here’s a fun story, perhaps more a rumor, related to the ongoing Roghuan saga. Before his recent announcement, Emomali Rahmon’s four-hour speech in December in front of some fifty Tajik journalists on 8 December had been his boldest, and from Tashkent’s predictable point-of-view, his most audacious, too. Having sympathized with the country’s current energy security situation and general instability, the Tajik president proceeded to “come down” to the people, cited by Vremia novostei columnist Arkadii Dubnov:
Every winter, when the country experiences an energy crisis, I suffer with the people. It hurt me greatly when, as head of state, the energy shortages in 2008 caused the deaths of newborn children.
Following an established tradition, Emomali-aka did not fail to remind those present about the importance of building the Rogunskaia hydroelectric dam, which, the Tajik leader believes, is “a question of life and death for the country.” After denying that he has ordered forcible purchase of stocks (RUS, ENG), he reiterated:
Donations for the Rogun and the purchase of stocks are purely voluntary. We aren’t forcing anyone to do it… you’re not building the dam for me, you’re building it for the state!
Perhaps, he wanted to stare down opposition not only in his country. For his peers among Central Asia’s leadership, it seems, talk is very cheap, because the people are footing the bill: every Tajik is expected to contribute at least 3000 somoni ($690).
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