DUSHANBE, June 25, 2014, Asia-Plus – An article entitled “Studying Tajikistan Turns Dangerous” that was posted on The Economist’s website on June 24 notes that it was always dangerous to be a journalist or government critic in Tajikistan, but until recently, the Emomali Rahmon regime left graduate students alone.
That changed reportedly June 16 when Alexander Sodiqov, a Tajik political science student in Canada who is employed by Britain’s University of Exeter, was detained by security officials in Khorog, the capital of the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) while researching conflict resolution and civil society. He faces 20 years in jail. Colleagues and rights activists have called the allegations farcical.
The article notes that in 2012 government troops tried to unseat local warlords, leaving dozens dead in what looked more like a turf battle than the anti-narcotics operation authorities claimed it to be. Last month violence flared again in Khorog after a midday shootout between police and alleged drug dealers. In response rampaging locals torched government buildings, demanding a stop to the violence.
The State Committee for National Security (SCNS) has reportedly tried to thwart inquiries, preventing, for example, the British ambassador from meeting local activists this month. YouTube has been blocked for weeks, supposedly for hosting inflammatory videos. Mr. Sodiqov’s “arrest looks like another effort by the government to blame outside forces for Tajikistan”s internal problems,” says Susan Corke of Freedom House.
“Our authorities find it easier to concoct mysterious foreign plots than address the numerous social problems in the region,” says Ravshan Abdullaev, the director of the Eurasia Foundation’s Dushanbe office, of Mr. Sodiqov’s arrest. “The allegations are absurd and show how out-of-touch our authorities are.”
“The treason charge, which will be difficult for authorities to walk back without losing face, is a stark warning. One local journalist compared the atmosphere to Stalin’s terror: “It’s horrifying. Any of us could find ourselves in this situation.”
“Self-censorship may be the goal. […] Immediately after Mr. Sodiqov’s arrest, the security chief said foreign governments are collaborating with NGOs and “organized crime” to destabilize Tajikistan. Parliament has proposed tightening already strict laws on public protest.
“For bosses in the security service, Mr. Sodiqov’s brief meeting at a reception with the British ambassador—arguably the most open and affable diplomat in town—was apparently enough to claim a British conspiracy. That is implausible. Western governments are terrified of another failed state in Central Asia and worry poorly governed Tajikistan could easily head down that road. But the Tajik government”s refusal to allow questions in Gorno-Badakhshan, so vividly highlighted by Mr. Sodiqov’s detention, is breeding domestic resentment. The problems Tajikistan faces come from within, not from a phantom external plot.”
