Five nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have been closed down in the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) over the first six months of this year, in Tajikistan's Gorno-Badakhshan region have been closed down over the past six months, the Deputy Minister of Justice, Asadullo Hakimzoda, told reporters in Dushanbe on August 8.
According to him, the closures followed inspections at more than 140 NGOs and associations in the region.
The deputy minister noted that those five NGOs had been closed down due to links with local criminal groups.
The five NGOs that were banned are three human rights groups — Nomus va Insof, Pyanj, and the Pamir Lawyers Association — and two youth groups — Youth of Ishkashim District and Klubi Gushtini Shaidon.
In May this year, representatives of civil society in the GBAO reportedly stated that the authorities put pressure on them to voluntarily stop their activities.
Representatives of at least five public associations active in the GBAO told Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service, known locally as Radio Ozodi, that security officials demanded that they voluntarily declare themselves bankrupt and liquidate their organizations.
However, the GBAO government said at the time that the statement of representatives of public associations is not true.
