DUSHANBE, August 17, Asia-Plus – Henceforth, Tajik nationals, who left Tajikistan during the civil war, have lost the refugee status, according to information from the Ministry of Labor and Social Security.
The source says the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has passed a declaration withdrawing refugee status to Tajik nationals as a group.
In the meantime, Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service quoted Mr. Cesar Dubon, the chief of the UNHCR mission in Kazakhstan, as saying at press conference in Almaty on June 20 that the UNHCR would issue a cessation clause for Tajik nationals that will become effective on December 31, 2006. Dubon said the decision to apply the cessation clause for Tajik nationals does not mean individual applications for refugee status will no longer be considered. He noted that the UNHCR would always be considering any individual claims and if a Tajik national has any difficulties in returning home, [his or her] case will be reviewed on an individual basis, not on a general basis.
The UNHCR issues the cessation clause when it is recognized that the situation in the home country of refugees has improved in a sustainable and durable way.
