, March 20, Asia-Plus — On Saturday March 18, the Social-Democratic Party of Tajikistan (SDPT) marked its eighth anniversary. The constituent congress of this party was held in
Dushanbe
on
March 18, 1998
.
Rahmatillo Zoirov speaking to journalists in
Dushanbe
noted that since 1998 their party had been registered with the Ministry of Justice twice – in 1999 and 2002. Over the past eight-year period, the SDPT has held eight congresses that have adopted certain program documents.
“Despite the fact that over the mentioned period membership and leading structures of the party have changed but its policy has remained the same,” said Mr. Zoirov, “We are still in the constructive opposition to the government.”
According to Rahmatillo Zoirov, the SDPT to date has had some 6,000 members.
The SDPT leader told journalists that in 2005, after the parliamentary elections in
Tajikistan
, rigid measures were introduced against some members of the SDPT. Arrest of two members of the SDPT in northern Tajikistan Nizomiddin Begmatov and Nasimjon Shukurov, in particular, was politically motivated.
As it had been reported earlier, Nizomiddin Begmatov, a candidate in the 27 February parliamentary elections, and Nasimjon Shukurov, Begmatov”s representative, were arrested on March 12 last year and charged the next day with defamation and hooliganism. Zoirov said that the party members were targeted on trumped-up charges for attempting to stand up for their rights and the rights of others. Begmatov and Shukurov were sentenced to one year and 1? year in prison respectively.
“It points to existence of political discrimination and political prisoners n
Tajikistan
,” Rahmatillo Zoirov said, stressing that the arrests of Jumaboy Tolibov and Fayzinisso Vohidova were also politically motivated.
