DUSHANBE, December 10, 2014, Asia-Plus — The Islamic Revival Party (IPR) may include known Tajik female human rights activist Oynihol Bobonazarova in its party list of candidates for the lower house (Majlisi Namoyandagon) of the parliament.
IRP deputy leader, Mahmadali Hayit, says other known public figures. Who are not members of the IRP, may also be included in the party list.
Ms. Oynihol Bobonazarova did not rule such a possibility in an interview with Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service.
A lawyer by profession, Ms. Bobonazarova is best known for her advocacy of human rights and her work with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Open Society. She is the head of the “Perspektiva” social movement and since 1990 has been known for her work with democratic parties in Tajikistan.
We will recall that Ms. Bobonazarova became the first ever female candidate for President of Tajikistan in September 2013, when the Islamic Revival Party (IRP) nominated her as its standard bearer. Since her unsuccessful bid for the presidency, Ms. Bobonazarova has continued to speak out against torture and has been instrumental in working with the NGO association “Coalition against Torture” and the Ombudsman’s Office to establish the first independent prison monitoring program since prisons were closed to outside access in 2004.
Ms. Oynihol Bobonazarova, a pioneer of the human rights movement in Tajikistan, was among 10 women awarded as “International Women of Courage” by the U.S. Department of State.
Meanwhile, the Islamic Revival Party hopes to win no less than five seats in the 2015 election and to form its faction in the Majlisi Namoyandagon.
In all, the IRP reportedly intends to nominate 40 candidates for the 2015 parliamentary election that will take place on March 1. The party intends to include 20 candidates in the party list and our 20 other candidates will run in single-mandate constituencies.
The IRP won two seats in the 2010 parliamentary election. IRP leader Muhiddin Kabiri and IRP deputy head, Saidumar Huseini, represent the party in the current parliament; both of them came to the parliament from the party list.
