Speech of Ravshan Temourian at a plenary session OSCE HDIM

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen!

There is a very explosive situation with human rights in Tajikistan. If compared with the last year, then this year the situation has reached the point that the International community should intervene, while the government of Tajikistan violates the elementary rules of state responsibility to its citizens.

When the state has no respect to rule of law, there are the place for arbitrary arrest, detention, exile, torture the issues as protection of human rights in the fight against terrorism is become meaningless due to the Tajik authorities fight the political opposition forces and moderate religious people.

Unfortunately, after the dismantling and total ban the opposition parties in Tajikistan the Tajik government cannot stop the growth of extremism and radicalism. The first result of this policy was a terrorist act committed against Western tourists in Tajikistan. Despite that terrorist act carried out by the Islamic State organization the Tajik authorities wanted to take advantage from that heinous crime pointing the finger at the opposition faction — the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan.

Last year in this conference we told the accusations of the parliamentarian party — the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan of terrorism require more serious proofs, more serious explanations than those presented by the Tajik authorities to the civil society of Tajikistan and also, at the international level.

Furthermore, the government of Tajikistan continue its policy of intimidation, violence, detention, arrest and even sending undercover security and police officers to Europe to track the leaders of the Tajik opposition. According to a revelation of Col. Mahmadali Rasulov, a former senior official of the State Committee for National Security of Tajikistan (GKNB), «the Tajik leadership is planning the assassination of Muhiddin Kabiri, Chairman of the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan”.

«Eurasian Dialogue», the civil society, a group of lawyers, human rights defenders and political experts at the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Conference recommend:

1) International bodies, state-actors, to demand the Tajik government to fulfill its International obligations on the main points, especially on human rights and democratic changes;

2) Without any pre-conditions to release the detainees and convicts of representatives of the Tajik opposition and their lawyers and the other political groups;

3) The UN, the OSCE and International community should demand from the Tajik government to end the shameful behaviour of the state to take hostages of children, parents and relatives of the political opponents;

4) We urge the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees of the United Nations draw attention to the situation of the supporters of former United Tajik Opposition and other opposition parties and movements;

5) As a Canadian with Tajik roots I urge the government of Canada, particularly, the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime minister of Canada to show his leadership, humanism, determination, courage to resettle Tajik refugees in the democratic and free Canada;

6) According to the Geneva Convention from 1951, we sincerely ask the governments of EU states to provide protection for Dr. Muhiddin Kabiri and his family.

Many thanks for your attention.

Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, 12 September 2018