Tajikistan
I’ve been thinking over Tajikistan’s recent prohibition on minors from going to mosques, churches and synagogues, reported last week by neweurasia‘s Avicenna, within the larger context of the country’s on-going “cultural revolution”.
Some of the revolution’s features are rather notorious, from Tajikifying surnames by dropping the Russian “-ov” suffix to banning witchcraft to policing ostentatious displays of wealth at wedding parties. Many Western and Western-influenced observers have derided these things as silly.
This time around, they’re sure to fix on the obvious violation of a universal human right to freedom of conscious. And although they are right to do so, I wonder whether they will be missing a key point: this is actually an attack on how culture, especially so informed by religion, is developed, and it’s being done for the sake of cementing personal power.
The Academic Committee of European Council on International Relations decided to award one of this year’s highest European cultural and political distinctions — Leader of XXI Century award — to Tajik President Emamoli Rahmon, reports the European Council on International Relations website.
Barely known for its activities, the European Council on International Relations informs that the Leader of XXI Century Award (also known as Leader of XXI Century International Award) has been one of the prizes awarded by the European Council on International Relation since 1998. The website claims that the prize was considered by international experts as being more influential than the Nobel Prize for Peace.
“This title is seldom awarded and only after a very carefully examination, as the receivers are leaders of the century, there work all thou concentrated in a year is reflecting decades of actions and achievements with positive influence over peoples and countries.”
– Dr. Anton Caragea, President of European Council on International Relations
While joyfully reporting that BBC’s Tajik journalist Urunboy Usmonov was released from custody last month – “The BBC’s Usmonov is released!” – neweurasia now anxiously learns that he is still facing unjust criminal prosecution.
Check out neweurasia’s “Alleged religious association lands a BBC journalist in Tajik detention” for a thorough look into Usmonov’s case.
On August 15th, BBC reported:
“Usmanov has received notice on Monday that he must appear in court in Khujand – hometown of the journalist in northern Tajikistan.”
On August 16th, BBC informed:
“He has repeatedly denied the charges, saying his only contact with the group was to interview some members as part of his work reporting on the region.”
In the beginning of August, President Emomali Rahmon signed into law a bill “On the responsibility of parents for their children’s upbringing and education.”
The bill that bans minors from attending religious places of worship, was initiated by the President in December, 2010, has already become effective since it’s publication by the official mass media.
As neweurasia reported earlier, Article 8, one of the most contradictory points of the bill, lists parents’ responsibilities. Starting from the moment the bill entered into force, parents:
“must not allow children’s particiption in religious organizations’ activities, excluding children officially studying in religious establishments.”
If not this article’s absurd item, the bill itself is not a bad idea of the government to draw attention of parents to their children. Read the full story »
United Kingdom-based think tank, Maplecroft, issued the Terrorism Risk Index compiled by respected analysts.
According to the authors of the research, it has rated the new nation of South Sudan in the top five countries most at risk from terrorist attacks after Somalia, Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan.
The latest Terrorism Risk Index (TRI), released by risk analysis and mapping firm Maplecroft, rates 20 countries and territories as ‘extreme risk,’ with Somalia (1), Pakistan (2), Iraq (3), Afghanistan (4) once again topping the ranking. The ‘extreme risk’ category also includes: South Sudan (5), Yemen (6), Palestinian Occupied Territories (7), DR Congo (8) Central African Republic (9), Colombia (10), Algeria (11), Thailand (12), Philippines (13), Russia (14), Sudan (15), Iran (16), Burundi (17), India (18), Nigeria (19) and Israel (20).
While Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are ranked “low risk”, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan were judged to be at “medium risk” of an attack (see the map).
To remind, earlier this year Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan were included onto DHS’s list of “specially designated countries (SDCs) that have shown a tendency to promote, produce, or protect terrorist organizations or their members”. Read the full story »
The Senators of the Tajik Parliament’s upper house have unanimously approved a bill “On the responsibility of parents for their children’s upbringing and education”, which prohibits minors from visiting place of religious worship, reports Interfax-Religion.
The bill will enter into force as soon as it will be signed by the President and published in the official media.
It should be mentioned, that the bill will punish anyone with no regards to their religion — Muslims, Christians or representatives of other religions.
Article 8, one of the most contradictory points of the bill, lists parents’ responsibilities. Once the bill enters into force, parents:
“must not allow children’s particiption in religious organizations’ activities, excluding children officially studying in religious establishments.” Read the full story »
Tashkent shook quite strongly yesterday in the first hour after midnight (00:35). At first the tremors appeared rather weak, but after a couple of seconds the shaking became no joke.
Standing in the doorway, I woke up almost hysterical. We grabbed our documents and ran into the street, finding dozens of neighbors doing the same.
Soon the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) reported that the earthquake was 6.2 or 6.5 on the Richter scale. At first we were under the impression that its epicenter was north of Tajikistan. Residents of Khujand and Sughd shook really hard. However, Gazeta.uz is reporting that in fact it was 235 kilometers southeast of Tashkent in Kyrgyzstan. Nature has a way of reminding us of the futility of human political borders. (The map above is from IRIS.)
Gazeta.us is also reporting that 13 people have been killed and 86 people provided with first aid, of which 35 have been hospitalized. According to the news site, President Islam Karimov “shall take prompt action to mitigate the effects of the incident and provide comprehensive assistance to victims”.
World Bank Group support to countries in the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region totaled more than $9.3 billion in fiscal year 2011. This was double pre-crisis levels but, as planned, less than at the height of the crisis. The Bank continued to lend significant support this fiscal year to help countries sustain the nascent recovery in the region, while mitigating the impact of lingering effects of the crisis on the region’s most vulnerable, World Bank’s press-service reports.
“Countries in the region are continuing to face a challenging environment as they look to recover from the crisis. Growth resumed in Europe and Central Asia in 2010 and reached 4.5 percent, following sharp declines during the global crisis. Projections for 2011–13 are for slightly stronger performance, but remain below those for other regions.
For net importers, higher food and energy prices threaten to increase poverty, particularly in Armenia, the Kyrgyz Republic, and Tajikistan, and the continued financial concerns in Western Europe provides added uncertainty. The World Bank remains committed to supporting the countries in the region as they continue to recover from the crisis and take the necessary steps to improve the lives of their citizens.”
Philippe Le Houérou, World Bank Vice President for the Europe and Central Asia Region.
Courtesy of the BBC.
Editor’s note: Tajik authorities have released BBC journalist Urunboy Usmonov from custody. “The international community’s appeal have been heard,” writes neweurasia’s Tomyris, “and though Usmonov’s release is under an agreement not to leave the country, neweurasia is thrilled that he is at least released alas, but still nonetheless regrets to learn that he still may face unjust criminal prosecution.”
“They told Urunboy Usmonov’s family to go and pick him up outside the detention centre.” – BBC
neweurasia joined the international community last month in insisting that Tajik authorities immediately release journalist Urunboy Usmonov, who was accused of being a member of the banned Islamic group Hizb ut-Tahrir. Then today, exactly one month and a day after his arrest, AFP has reported that he has been released from custody. AFP goes on to say:
“Urunboi Usmonov still faces criminal prosecution, but was released from prison Thursday after the General Prosecutor ruled that he was eligible for bail.”
neweurasia‘s managing editor, Schwartz, has been in contact with BBC Central Asia. He reports that they are overjoyed but cautious:
“A normally quite literate group are responding to my e-mails with multiple exclamation points and enthusiastic typos. It’s really nice to see them in this mood. Nevertheless, they point out that his release doesn’t mean he’s no longer face charges, but that at least he’ll be with his family again and hopefully have easier access to legal resources.”
Indeed, ASIA–Plus has quoted Tajikistan’s Prosecutor-General Sherkhon Salimzoda as saying:
“Prosecutors have studied criminal proceedings instituted against Usmonov and have come to a conclusion that investigation may be continued without holding the suspect in custody.”
Urinboy Usmonov, a 10 year long journalist for BBC‘s Central Asian Service, was arrested on June 13th and is being held in Khujand, northern Tajikistan for suspicion membership in the Islamic Movement Hizb ut-Tahrir. His lawyer, Fayziniso Vokhidova, said he was denied his right to see her. After having had gone missing on June 13th, Usmonov briefly returned home – visually beaten-up – with Tajik police who searched his house and then took him away.
Hamid Ismailov, Uzbek novelist and poet and BBC’s World Service Writer in Residents, spoke with Oybek, Usmonov’s son, about his father’s situation and learned that when “leaving his home he whispered to his family: “It’s because of my work. I can’t take another night like the last one. I can’t survive.””
According to Reporters Without Borders, 150 Hizb ut-Tahrir activists were arrested in 2010. The group is controversial for its mission and links to people such as Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. Founded in 1953 in Jerusalem by Taqiuddi al-Nabhani, Hizb ut-Tahrir (“Party of Liberation” – حِزْبُ التَحْرِير) is an Islamist organization banned in Tajikistan and throughout Central Asia (but not in the United Kingdom and some other European countries):
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