DUSHANBE, March 5, 2014, Asia-Plus — The deputy head of the Islamic Revival Party (IRP), Mahmadali Hayit, says a court in Dushanbe’s Ismoili Somoni district has refused to receive for consideration their lawsuit filed against the State Committee for National Security (SCNS) and Tajik national TV channels Shabakai Avval (Channel One) and Safina as well as resident of the northern city of Isfara Mahmadullo Kholov, who is co-defendant.
“The court has refused to receive our lawsuit for consideration twice under different pretexts,” said Hayit. “They in particular, say they cannot consider lawsuit filed against the SCNS, because it is a power-wilding agency and only military courts should consider lawsuits filed against it.”
“Today, we filed the statement of claim against the SCNS in the military court of the Dushanbe garrison while the statements of claim against the national TV channels and Mahmadullo Kholov will be considered by the Ismoili Somoni district court,” IRP deputy leader noted.
We will recall that the IRP filed a lawsuit against the State Committee for National Security (SCNS) and Tajik national TV channels Shabakai Avval (Channel One) and Safina last month. Resident of the northern city of Isfara Mahmadullo Kholov is co-defendant.
In its statement of claim, the IRP, in particular, asks a court in Dushanbe’s Ismoili Somoni district to obligate the SCNS and the Committee for TV and Radio-broadcasting to stop the anti-IRP activities and publish refutation of false statements contained in a report aired by Shabakai Avval and Safina on February 7, 2014.
Shabakai Avval and Safina on February 7 aired the report about detention of the resident of the city of Isfara, Mahmadullo Kholov, who is suspected of raping his two stepdaughters. The report noted that Mahmadullo Kholov has been member of the Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan since 1991.
Meanwhile, a statement released by the IRP board on February 10 says that Mahmadullo Kholov has never been member of the Islamic Revival Party and the IRP-membership card # 16473 that was shown during the TV report was issued not to Mahmadullo Kholov but to Ms. Aziza Soliyeva from the village of Chorkuh and it was issued in 2009.
