DUSHANBE, August 13, 2012, Asia-Plus — The Sughd department of justice has applied to the Sughd regional court with solicitation to close the Association of Young Lawyers of Tajikistan, Amparo, which is engaged in protecting rights of draftees and servicemen.
The Sughd department of justice, in particular, notes that the Amparo chairperson has changed the organization’s legal address without an appropriate decision of a general meeting of the association and the organization has not been reregistered with the Sughd department of justice. Besides, Amparo has allegedly gone beyond its Charter and opened its website, “which publishes articles of various kinds.” All this is a gross violation of the country’s law on public associations, the Sughd department of justice noted.
Amparo also conducted lessons on the theme “Rights and Duties of Draftees” for senior high school students in Spitamen and Bobojonghafurov districts without appropriate license that contravenes the country’s legislation, a statement released by the Sughd department of justice noted.
Meanwhile, the Amparo chairperson, Ms. Dilrabo Samadova, has denied these accusations as baseless.
According to her, public associations should not be reregistered with the provincial department of justice. “As far the organization’s official website is concerned, a decision on creating the website has been made at a general meeting of the organization and Amparo’s Charter notes that the organization has the right to spread information about its activities,” Samadova noted.
On the issue of conducting lessons for senior high school students, Ms. Samadova noted that within the framework of its activity on raising legal awareness of draftees and servicemen, Amparo conducts regular two-hour meetings in schools, boarding schools and jamoats. “All these meetings have been conducted in accordance with written endorsement from local authorities and the Ministry of Education and participants in these meetings do not receive any certificates,” Samadova stressed.
The Amparo chairperson stated that they were not going to stop their activity. “We will continue our human rights activities,” said Samadova. “We are going to appeal against illegal actions of the Sughd department of justice.”
Established in 2005, the Association of Young Lawyers of Tajikistan, Amparo, functions in the northern Sughd province.
