DUSHANBE, April 1, 2013, Asia-Plus – The Asia-Plus stringer, Ms. Marhabo Hokim, has been summoned to the police station in Dushanbe’s Ismoili Somoni district following an application by Abdujabbor Rahmonov, Chancellor of Tajik State Teachers’ Training University.
In his application, Mr. Rahmonov in particular, asks police to probe “the wrong and illegal actions of journalist.”
On the morning of April 1, Ms. Marhabo Hokim went to the Tajik State Teachers’ Training University named after Sadriddin Ayni in order to find out whether a dress code has really been introduced for female students from this university.
She talked to a number of female students and then decided to ask the chancellor to comment on his decision to introduce a dress code for female students of the university. But Abdujabbor Rahmonov shouted at her and took photo camera, mobile phone and dictaphone from her. All this happened before students’ eyes, the Asia-Plus stringer says.
The chancellor then invited the stringer to his office and said that it was none of her business “what rules he has established in his university.” He then wrote an application to the police station in Dushanbe’s Ismoili Somoni district.
“When we came to the police station, Mr. Abdujabbor Rahmonov said that I allegedly took a photograph of him without his permission,” said Marhabo Hokim. “Indeed, I was taking photos near the Tajik State Teachers’ Training University and the chancellor got into the picture accidentally when I was taking the photograph of a female student in European clothing.”
According to Marhabo Hokim, the police station chief was also talking to her on a higher pitch of voice.
We will recall that Tajik education authorities introduced a new dress code for students in 2007 that reinforced a ban on Islamic head scarves but also bared girls from wearing miniskirts. Mr. Abdujabbor Rahmonov, the then Minister of Education, noted that time that female students should dress “in accordance with their status and national traditions.” He said the ministry would be distributing guidelines for a new dress code.
