British Ambassador to Tajikistan Robin Ord -Smith shared with “AP” his vision of the human rights situation in Tajikistan and attracting investments into the Tajik economy.
– Recently Tajik authorities get lot of criticism from human rights organizations. What do you think is the reason behind it? Is it a fair criticism?
– I think it is important to note that human rights and issues related to human rights is a continuous ongoing and long-term process. No country in the world, always consistently meets the very highest international human rights standards. Even the United Kingdom in individual cases sometimes falls short, despite the high priority we give to human rights .
It is important to remember that Tajikistan is a young country that gained independence only 22 years ago. And for more than 70 years Tajikistan was part of the Soviet Union, where human rights standards were less developed. Nor can full compliance with international human rights standards be achieved overnight. It is a long-term process. But, even having achieved significant progress, we must not stop working on this area. There is always more to do. I want, and I am sure that the Tajik government also wants Tajikistan to be a democratic, free country that adheres to international human rights standards and we will continue to work in this direction.
– BE Dushanbe actively working to promote human rights. Are there any positive changes in this area in Tajikistan?
– Indeed, we do a lot, and I would like us to do even more. One of the areas in which embassy is working is prison reform. We invited Baroness Vivien Stern, an expert on Prison Reform to Tajikistan. She has visited Tajikistan three times. Every time the Baroness visits, the growing level of cooperation that we see from the Ministry of Justice and the General Directorate for Enforcement of Penal Sanctions, indicates that there is progress in this direction. And we have invited Baroness Stern again; most likely it will happen in May next year.
There are positive changes: The first is that the Tajik government is more willing to work for the protection of citizens” rights , and the Tajik authorities are prepared to talk about difficult issues. Another positive development is the amendment to the Criminal Code, the introduction of the article “on torture”. There have also been cases where law enforcement officials have been prosecuted under this article. Earlier positive aspect is the creation of Tajikistan Institute of the Ombudsman, as well as a visit of the UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Juan E. Mendez . This is also very positive. But given Tajikistan’s past, there remains more to be done, for example, Tajikistan now has a moratorium on the death penalty. I would like to see Tajikistan completely abolish the death penalty.
Last thing I want to mention, as a positive step is that Tajikistan has applied for membership in the UN Committee on Human Rights in 2015. I think it”s a very important point, because Tajikistan is integrated more into the international processes. To Tajikistan to became a member of this Committee, it will have to gain support of other countries and the voting countries will consider the situation of human rights in a candidate country. This is a very good incentive for the government of Tajikistan to work further in this direction.
– What is your position regarding trial of Zaid Saidov, lawsuit against Imruz-News and Asia-Plus. Don’t you think that these cases are violation of human rights, freedom of expression and right to set up political party?
– I cannot comment on sub-judice cases such as these two.
The UK upholds the belief that judicial cases should be transparent and fair. And without interference from other branches of government. One of the fundamental principles of a democratic society is an independent judiciary. Another is that an accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
– Regarding economic development in Tajikistan. In one of your interviews to Asia-Plus you mentioned about report about economic opportunities in Tajikistan and interest from British companies on Tajikistan. Are there any progress in this area?
– Work in this area is a priority for our embassy. Many British companies have little idea of Tajikistan; we first had to provide information about your country. In April this year, the first ever UK trade delegation visited Tajikistan, and we continue to work with those companies who visited. I do not know for sure which companies have since signed contracts, but a number are following up links established when they visited. We will continue to work in this area. When I was in Britain three weeks ago I spoke to representatives of 30-40 companies interested in hearing about opportunities in Tajikistan. Business relations between Tajikistan and the United Kingdom will continue to develop. And the successful negotiations on a Double Taxation Agreement, which we hope to sign soon, will help to attract more UK companies.
– From your point of view what keeps Tajikistan from achieving economic development? Why Tajikistan is not attractive for western investors?
– International Investment is a very competitive market. Every country is in global competition to attract FDI. Companies invest where they have experience, or where they can make more profit, or profit easily. So for a relatively unknown country to attract investment is challenging. Moreover, the global financial crisis affected the amount of investments of British companies. But I want to note that the Tajik government has done a lot to improve the business and investment climate in the country, for example, accession to the WTO and signing the New York Convention. I hope that in the near future we will see many more British companies trading and investing with Tajikistan. Now I can say with certainty that interest of the British companies in Tajikistan is growing – partly due to the work that we and the Tajik government are doing to raise awareness of Tajikistan and opportunities here.
