DUSHANBE, July 22, 2009, Asia-Plus — The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has appealed to courts against a number of international NGOs active in the country, which are engaged in religious propagation, Davlat Sulaymonov, the head of the MoJ department for registration of public associations and political parties, told reporters in Dushanbe on July 20.
He reminded that a court in Dushanbe’s Ismoili Somoni district banned the activities of the German Alliance Mission (GAM) in Tajikistan in February this year. The court made the decision following application by a MoJ. According to him, inspection by the ministry revealed that GAM that was registered as a humanitarian organization was actually engaged in religious propagation. The organization employees were actively propagating Christianity to Tajik children and teenagers at summer educational camps organized by the GAM. GAM had worked in Tajikistan since 1998.
Sulaymonov added that following the application by the MoJ a court in Dushanbe’s Firdavsi district was currently considering the case of ADRA (Adventist Development and Relief Agency) International. This organization has also been illegally engaged in propagating Christianity in the territory of Tajikistan, according to him.
Sulaymonov also noted that the case of Caritas (a confederation of 162 Roman Catholic relief, development and social service organizations operating in over 200 countries and territories worldwide) was also currently under consideration.
We will recall that Tajikistan has adopted a new law on religion this year that places stricter controls on religious missionaries.
