DUSHANBE, April 9, 2011, Asia-Plus — Tajikistan, with a population of more than seven million, is an authoritarian state, and President Emomali Rahmon and his supporters, drawn mainly from one region of the country, dominated political life. 2010 Human Rights Country Report on Tajikistan, released by Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor at the U.S. Department of State on April 8 said.
The constitution provides for a multiparty political system, but in practice the government obstructed political pluralism. The parliamentary elections conducted during the year were marked by widespread fraud committed by government officials to ensure victories for members of the ruling People”s Democratic Party of Tajikistan (PDPT). The PDPT, pro-government independents, and government-affiliated political parties dominate the 63-member parliament. The opposition Islamic Revival Party (IRP) and Communist Party have two seats each in parliament. Security forces reported to civilian authorities.
The following human rights problems were reported: restricted right of citizens to change their government; torture and abuse of detainees and other persons by security forces; impunity for security forces; denial of right to fair trial; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; prohibition of international monitor access to prisons; restrictions on freedoms of speech, press, association, and religion; corruption, which hampered democratic and social reform; violence and discrimination against women; arbitrary arrest; and trafficking in persons.
The report, in particular, notes that the constitution prohibits the use of torture, but there is no specific definition of torture in the law, or a provision of criminal liability for committing an act of torture. An article in the new Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) states that evidence acquired through torture is inadmissible. Some security officials reportedly continued to use beatings or other forms of coercion to extract confessions during interrogations. Officials did not grant sufficient access to information to allow human rights organizations to investigate claims of torture.
Although the law provides for an independent judiciary, in practice the executive branch exerted pressure on prosecutors and judges, the report said, noting that corruption and inefficiency were significant problems.
The chapter on freedom of speech and press notes that the law provides for freedom of speech and of the press, but in practice the government restricted these rights. Under the law, a person can be imprisoned for as long as five years for insulting the president. Independent media were active, despite significant pressure by the government on media outlets. Journalists regularly practiced self-censorship to avoid retribution from officials. From September to December, the government blocked five Web sites and stopped the publication of three newspapers. The blockages occurred during a period of violence in the Rasht Valley. On October 4, the minister of defense accused journalists of supporting terrorism through their coverage of events in the Rasht Valley.
