DUSHANBE, September 23, 2008, Asia-Plus — “Decision of the Tajik Prosecutor-General’s Office to institute criminal proceedings against me was not a great surprise for me,” Dodojon Atovulloyev, the editor-in-chief of a Moscow-based Tajik opposition newspaper
Charoghi Rouz
(The Light of Day), said in an interview with Asia-Plus, commenting on decision of Tajik authorities to bring formal charges against him.
According of him, the news that Tajik authorities are preparing such an action against him has repeatedly reached him over the past month. “I know pattern of thought of Tajik officials; they have got into the way of seeing enemy in journalists. The authorities have shown once again how they treat journalists,” Mr. Atovulloyev said.
According to him, representatives of Tajik law enforcement authorities have repeatedly conducted negotiations with their Russian colleagues on extradition of him to Tajikistan. “They consider me as the main disturbance in Tajik-Russia relations and they have wanted to arrest me for a long time,” he said.
However, the
Charoghi Rouz
editor considers that the Tajik authorities will not be able to realize their plans. “I has been to Russia rarely recently. Moreover, a special passport — travel document – was issued to me in Germany. Under the UN convention, this document prohibits to extradite me to any country,” Atovulloyev said.
According to him, criminal proceedings instituted against him are connected not only with his activities. “Thereby, authorities send signal to all Tajik media that have become to discuss the country’s problems more freely lately,” the opposition journalist noted.
He further added that the Tajik authorities do not have legal grounds for bringing formal charges against him. “I have not insulted anybody. I have just called things by their right – I have called a thief a thief and a corrupt official a corrupt official,” said Atovulloyev, “I am not afraid because they have already tried to arrest me but then they have been forced to release me.”
As it had been reported earlier, the Prosecutor-General’s Office instituted criminal proceedings against Dodojon Atovulloyev on September 22, following an application by the Ministry of Interior (MoI).
The source at the MoI said that criminal proceedings against Atovulloyev had been instituted under the provisions of several articles of Tajikistan’s Penal Code, including Article 307 (calls for overthrowing the constitutional order) and Article 137 (public defamation of the president). The source added that Atovulloyev’s name had been put on a list of persons wanted by police.
