DUSHANBE, October 17, 2013, Asia-Plus — The Islamic Revival Party (IRP) leader Muhiddin Kabiri, who is also member of the Tajikistan’s lower house (Majlisi Namoyandagon), is not going to apologize to the Dushanbe mayor’s office.
“I will not apologize to the Dushanbe mayor’s office, even under the threat of criminal proceedings,” Kabiri told Asia-Plus in an interview on October 17.
“It surprises me that the court that considered the lawsuit relied on reports released by media but not on the full parliament session transcript,” he added.
We will recall that the Dushanbe mayor’s office filed a lawsuit against Muhiddin Kabiri for criticizing the city’s environmental record. The suit, demanding an apology, was filed in early November last year. Muhiddin Kabiri criticized city officials during a parliamentary meeting on pollution that took place on October 10, 2012.
“Nobody pays attention to the felling of trees in the capital, which has become systematic,” MP Kabiri said during the session. “Reinforced concrete buildings have replaced tree-lined walkways and small parks in Dushanbe, which is causing problems for the city”s ecosystem.”
The Dushanbe mayor’s did not agree with criticism of the parliamentarian and demanded public apology.
A court in Dushanbe’s Sino district considering a lawsuit filed by the Dushanbe mayor’s office against MP Muhiddin Kabiri has ruled Muhiddin Kabiri must apologize to the mayor’s office. The court handed down this ruling on January 29. Besides, the court has thrown out a counterclaim by Kabiri against the Dushanbe mayor’s office for 20 million somoni in damages.
Kabiri’s lawyer, Buzurgmehr Yorov, denounced the ruling and appealed to the board of the Dushanbe city court. The Dushanbe city court, however, upheld the ruling handed down by the Sino district court against Muhiddin Kabiri.
