DUSHANBE, March 26, 2009, Asia-Plus — President Emomali Rahmon has signed a number of laws adopted by parliament.
According to presidential press service, President Rahmon on March 25 signed the laws on normative legal acts, credit history, introduction of moratorium on inspection of small and medium-sized enterprises, donor blood and its components, quarantine of plants, and freedom of conscience and religious associations.
The president yesterday also signed the laws requiring amendments to the education law and criminal code.
We will recall that amendments made to the education law, in particular, prohibit mobile phones in schools and universities. Authors of this legislation justify the regulation by saying that mobile phones interrupt school lessons and harm students” health.
Amendments made to the country’s penal code criminalizing casino and gambling machines keeping. The Tajik penal code now stipulates that casino and gambling machines keeping is punished by six to eight years in jail with confiscation of property.
As far as the new law on freedom of conscience and religious associations is concerned, it gives priority to the Islamic branch of Hanafi, to which some 90 percent of Tajiks adheres. Some experts say the new law is much less liberal than one adopted in 1992. As it had been reported earlier, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on March 20 released a statement, in which it expressed concern that “Tajik President Emomali Rahmon is preparing to sign a highly restrictive religion law – with numerous provisions that may violate Tajikistan”s international legal commitments.”
