DUSHANBE, April 3, 2009, Asia-Plus — The Social-Democratic Party (SDPT) intends to organize a demonstration to protect rights of merchants that ran shops in Dushanbe’s Zarnisor market.
The SDPT head office in Dushanbe hosted a press conference on this subject today.
Speaking at the press conference, the SDPT leader Rahmatillo Zoirov noted that they intend to apply to Dushanbe Mayor Mahmadsaid Ubaidulloyev on April 6 for permission to hold the demonstration.
“Following ruling handed down by High Economic Court, deputy Dushanbe mayor on April 1 signed a resolution, under which merchants are to pull down the market and clean the adjoining area on their own that causes indignation,” Rahmatillo Zoirov said.
According to him, some 500 people, including merchants and representatives of a number of political parties, have already expressed readiness to participate in the demonstration.
“If the Dushanbe authorities reject our application for permission for the demonstration, we will use other methods, particularly going on hunger strike,” the DPT leader.
We will recall that a group of women merchants gathered near president”s office on March 31, asking the president to intervene in a controversial property case. The women ran shops in the Zarnisor market, which the economic court closed last September in order to free the land for development. According to the Dushanbe mayor’s office, the market was built on illegally privatized property.
