H.E. Mr. Antonio Guterres

Secretary-General of the United Nations

Headquarter of the United Nations,

405 East, 42nd Street New York, NY 10017, USA

Your Excellency,

We would like to draw your attention to the fact that in July the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation Igor Krasnov stated publicly in Dushanbe that the government of the Russian Federation will designate the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) as a terrorist organization at the request of the government of Tajikistan. This move comes despite the fact that Russia is one of the guarantor states of the 1997 UN-backed Tajik peace agreement and the host of several rounds of negotiations. In fact, the General Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and National Accord in Tajikistan was signed in Moscow on 27.06.1997.

The process of inter-Tajik national reconciliation was conducted by the decision of the Security Council of the United Nations (Security Council resolution 968 (1994). The General Agreement on Peace was signed by the President of Tajikistan and the Leader of the United Tajik Opposition, who was also the Leader of the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan, under the supervision of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

This negotiated peace was meant to end the civil war and also create the basis for building a developed, tolerant and democratic country.

However, President Emomali Rahmon, using various tactics, used the outcome of the peace in favor of himself and his family, turning Tajikistan into an authoritarian country. Not only has his government eliminated the opposition in the country, but it has also worked with foreign governments to repress those living in exile.

After the events in Ukraine and taking advantage of Russia’s isolation, President Rahmon has finally been able to impose his long-term wishes on Moscow.

If this request of Tajikistan is fulfilled, it might have tragic humanitarian and security consequences for tens of thousands of members and supporters of the Tajik opposition not only in Russia, but in all post-Soviet countries.

Unfortunately, the international community, including the United Nations and the guarantor states of the Tajik peace agreement, has not paid sufficient attention to the appeal made by the IRPT leadership on the violation of the peace agreement by the president of the Republic of Tajikistan in 2015, when the government of Tajikistan declared the IRPT a terrorist organization.

In this case, we consider the direct intervention of the Secretary-General and the United Nations agencies, the guarantor states of the peace agreement, mainly, the Russian Federation and the Islamic Republic of Iran, necessary to prevent more tragic consequences in the future in Tajikistan.

In particular, The UN should request that the Russian Federation refrain from making such a decision, which is against the spirit of the General Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and National Accord in Tajikistan. Also, we call on the United Nations to establish a special working group to study the state of the Peace Agreement’s implementation and its results.

The IRPT once again expresses its appreciation for the efforts of the United Nations and the guarantor states for the signing of the Peace Agreement and emphasizes once again that the IRPT gives priority to dialogue and negotiation to resolve Tajikistan’s problems.

Sincerely,

Muhiddin Kabiri

Chairman of the IRPT