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id: 104895
date: 4/19/2007 3:42
refid: 07DUSHANBE590
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
destination: 07DUSHANBE590
header:
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DE RUEHDBU #0590/01 1090342
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RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
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RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS 1199
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—————— header ends —————-
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 DUSHANBE 000590
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PHUM, TI
SUBJECT: DAS FEIGENBAUM VISITS NEW ANTI-CORRUPTION AGENCY
DUSHANBE 00000590 001.2 OF 003
1. (U) SUMMARY:
At the top of the agenda for many Tajik
officials is attracting private business to Tajikistan.
However, Tajikistan’s current legal and regulatory environment,
infested with corruption, deters American businesses. In a
meeting with Sherkhon Salimov, Director of the new State Agency
on Anti-Corruption and Financial Control April 13, SCA Deputy
Assistant Secretary Evan Feigenbaum explained that an
anti-corruption agency in Tajikistan can only help to attract
American businesses, if it can weed out corruption in an
effective, transparent and public manner, and at every level.
END SUMMARY.
WHAT DOES THE ANTI-CORRUPTION AGENCY DO?
2. (SBU) Salimov openly admitted that corruption is so
endemic
in Tajik society that even President Rahmon has acknowledged it
is a problem and the people have demanded the government address
it. However, Salimov also
confessed that the problem is
daunting and the new agency cannot possibly cut out all
corruption in society. The
government is in the process of
drafting legislation that defines the anti-corruption agency’s
mandate. The agency has two
primary priorities: the first is to
examine expenditures of state finances and resources, the state
budget and its credits and loans.
The second is to wage an
anti-corruption campaign.
3. (U) The agency is tasked with preventing
corruption,
investigating corruption cases and processing the cases through
the judicial system if applicable.
Its scope will affect all
fields of life from businesses to public associations, state
agencies and individuals. It aims
to expose obstacles created
by government agencies and will investigate what causes and
leads to corruption. To prevent
corruption within the
anti-corruption agency itself, the general prosecutor’s office
will have some oversight. The
agency will report to the
president’s office.
4. (U) Salimov emphasized that the anti-corruption
agency is
responsible to the people. The
agency plans to educate the
people on their rights and will set up a division to help
individuals take their cases to the courts. By educating and
empowering the people, Salimov says, they will begin to demand
and exercise their rights and freedoms.
WHY BUSINESSES DON’T COME TO TAJIKISTAN
5. (U) Deputy Assistant Secretary Feigenbaum
encouraged
Salimov and the anti-corruption agency to investigate corruption
on every level including among high level government officials.
In order to develop a robust relationship between Tajikistan and
private American businesses, inspections, bribes, and
overregulation are the types of obstacles the Tajik government
needs to tackle. He explained
that the perception among
American businesses is that in Tajikistan there is a range of
corruption starting from the militia on the street who pull
motorists over for bribes to local people who want to start a
business but are obstructed by inspection after inspection.
International businesses are primarily concerned with
individuals or government agencies who want a piece of their
contract and large-scale organized corruption.
6. (U) Feigenbaum also noted over-regulation as an
impediment
to investment, citing a World Bank report on «Doing Business»
indicating it takes over 60 days to open a business in
Tajikistan. The hardest challenge
for the government is to find
the right balance between loosening constraints to encourage
growth and removing obstacles that prohibit productivity.
Feigenbaum recommended to Salimov that prosecuting corrupt
individuals or organizations from the senior levels in a
transparent, open and public way would teach others a lesson and
send a strong message to the people that the government would
not tolerate corruption.
7. (U) Salimov generally agreed with Feigenbaum’s
comments and
stated the agency will go after all individuals guilty of
corruption regardless of rank or government branch.
8. (SBU) COMMENT:
It is still too early to tell whether
Salimov (himself rumored to be corrupt during his days as a
Dushanbe prosecutor) and the new agency will have any positive
impact. Salimov and the Tajik
government know well that
international governments, donor agencies and businesses want
DUSHANBE 00000590 002.2 OF 003
them to actively fight corruption, but until the agency
institutes real legislative and regulatory changes and goes
after high-level government officials, corruption will remain an
obstacle to economic development and democratic progress. END
COMMENT.
SUBJECT: DAS FEIGENBAUM MEETS
WITH NEW ANTI-CORRUPTION AGENCY
1. (U) SUMMARY:
At the top of the agenda for many Tajik
officials is attracting private business to Tajikistan.
However, Tajikistan’s current legal and regulatory environment,
infested with corruption, deters American businesses. In a
meeting with Sherkhon Salimov, Director of the new State Agency
on Anti-Corruption and Financial Control April 13, Deputy
Assistant Secretary Evan Feigenbaum explained that an
anti-corruption agency in Tajikistan can only help to attract
American businesses, if it can weed out corruption in an
effective, transparent and public manner, and at every level.
END SUMMARY.
WHAT DOES THE ANTI-CORRUPTION AGENCY DO?
2. (SBU) Salimov openly admitted that corruption is so
endemic
in Tajik society that even President Rahmon has acknowledged it
is a problem and the people have demanded the government address
it. However, Salimov also
confessed that the problem is
daunting and the new agency cannot possibly cut out all
corruption in society. The
government is in the process of
drafting legislation that defines the anti-corruption agency’s
mandate. The agency has two
primary priorities: the first is to
examine expenditures of state finances and resources, the state
budget and its credits and loans.
The second is to wage an
anti-corruption campaign.
3. (U) The agency is tasked with preventing
corruption,
investigating corruption cases and processing the cases through
the judicial system if applicable.
Its scope will affect all
fields of life from businesses to public associations, state
agencies and individuals. It aims
to expose obstacles created
by government agencies and will investigate what causes and
leads to corruption. To prevent
corruption within the
anti-corruption agency itself, the general prosecutor’s office
will have some oversight. The
agency will report to the
president’s office.
4. (U) Salimov emphasized that the anti-corruption
agency is
responsible to the people. The
agency plans to educate the
people on their rights and will set up a division to help
individuals take their cases to the courts. By educating and
empowering the people, Salimov says, they will begin to demand
and exercise their rights and freedoms.
WHY BUSINESSES DON’T COME TO TAJIKISTAN
5. (U) Deputy Assistant Secretary Feigenbaum
encouraged
Salimov and the anti-corruption agency to investigate corruption
on every level including among high level government officials.
In order to develop a robust relationship between Tajikistan and
private American businesses, inspections, bribes, and
overregulation are the types of obstacles the Tajik government
needs to tackle. He explained
that the perception among
American businesses is that in Tajikistan there is a range of
corruption starting from the militia on the street who pull
motorists over for bribes to local people who want to start a
business but are obstructed by inspection after inspection.
International businesses are primarily concerned with
individuals or government agencies who want a piece of their
contract and large-scale organized corruption.
6. (U) Feigenbaum also noted over-regulation as an
impediment
to investment, citing a World Bank report on «Doing Business»
indicating it takes over 60 days to open a business in
Tajikistan. The hardest challenge
for the government is to find
the right balance between loosening constraints to encourage
growth and removing obstacles that prohibit productivity.
Feigenbaum recommended to Salimov that prosecuting corrupt
individuals or organizations from the senior levels in a
transparent, open and public way would teach others a lesson and
send a strong message to the people that the government would
not tolerate corruption.
7. (U) Salimov generally agreed with Feigenbaum’s
comments and
stated the agency will go after all individuals guilty of
DUSHANBE 00000590 003.2 OF 003
corruption regardless of rank or government branch.
8. (SBU) COMMENT:
It is still too early to tell whether
Salimov (himself rumored to be corrupt during his days as a
Dushanbe prosecutor) and the new agency will have any positive
impact. Salimov and the Tajik
government know well that
international governments, donor agencies and businesses want
them to actively fight corruption, but until the agency
institutes real legislative and regulatory changes and goes
after high-level government officials, corruption will remain an
obstacle to economic development and democratic progress. END
COMMENT.
JACOBSON
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 104904
date: 4/19/2007 7:01
refid: 07DUSHANBE591
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: UNCLASSIFIED
destination: 07DUSHANBE591
header:
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RR RUEHLN RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHDBU #0591/01 1090701
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
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FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0098
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 2061
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 2068
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 2093
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 1754
—————— header ends —————-
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 000591
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
FOR SCA/CEN
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PINR, TNAR, TI, AF
SUBJECT: CONFERENCE ON U.S.-TAJIK RELATIONS ALLOWS PRAISE AND
CRITICISM OF US ROLE IN REGION
DUSHANBE 00000591 001.2 OF 002
1. Summary and Comment: The April 13th conference «15 Years of
U.S.-Tajik Relations» offered few surprises in terms of opinions
or positions, but did provide an open forum for real debate and
discourse about the U.S. role and policy in Tajikistan and the
region. Some Tajik government
officials praised U.S.
cooperation in the region, while others took gentle stabs at the
U.S. military presence throughout Central Asia after September
11th and increasing narcotics production in Afghanistan. A few
academics cited their opinion that the U.S. government used the
events of September 11th to expand its military presence in the
region and to get closer to the oil and gas reserves of the
Caspian Sea. The conference —
one of a series of fifteenth
anniversary events marking Tajikistan’s bilateral relations —
was a useful opportunity to reach out to the Tajik public that
gets most of its information from Russian media and to explain
the nuances of U.S regional and bilateral priorities. End
summary.
2. (U) Deputy Assistant Secretary Evan Feigenbaum
gave the
keynote speech and disabused the notion that the U.S.
government’s main role in Tajikistan was to further U.S.
geopolitical strategic goals. On
the contrary, he highlighted
the fact that the Untied States and Tajikistan faced the mutual
problems of terrorism, narcotics, crime and corruption. First
Deputy Foreign Minister Saimuddin Yatimov expressed thanks for
U.S. direct technical support through the Export Control and
Border Security office (EXBS), and praised ongoing joint
military and counter-narcotics efforts.
The Director of the
Center for Strategic Research, Suhrob Sharipov, highlighted that
the United States was an important partner in the field of
counter-terrorism, since both Tajikistan and the United States
faced the common threats of extremism and terrorism. He noted
that much of Tajikistan’s security and stability depended on
events in Afghanistan and that the U.S. and Tajikistan were
working closely to improve border security. Finally, while
achieving democracy demanded a great deal of time, he added that
Tajikistan had implemented many political reforms, and was
moving closer to democracy.
3. (U) Islamic Renaissance Party
of Tajikistan leader Muhiddin
Kabiri offered both words of praise and criticism for the United
States; he stated that he believed there were two different
«Americas»: one for those who live in the United States, and a
different world for those living in other countries and looking
at it from the outside. In
general, Muslims do not have a
positive view of the United States, primarily as a result of its
military actions in the Middle East (he commented that Muslims
could understand attacking the Taliban in Afghanistan, but could
not justify a war in Iraq) and constant U.S. support for Israel
in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
He further added the
United States pursues double standards against Muslims around
the world; the United States voices support for human rights,
democracy and rule of law, but at the same time supports
autocratic Islamic regimes which violate these very principles.
4. (U) Despite these words of criticism, Kabiri was
encouraged
by U.S. support for the Saudi initiative to bring peace to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He
also thanked the United States
for its intervention in stopping the genocide of Bosnian and
Kosovar Muslims. He also praised
the fact that President Bush
hosts an annual Iftar dinner in Washington for the heads of
Islamic states, and the fact that Secretary Rice wore a
headscarf during her 2005 visit to a Dushanbe mosque.
5. (U) Kabiri predicted that a new generation of
Muslims was
currently developing independent of the radical and
fundamentalist movements, which would eventually sustain
peaceful development. While this
can be achieved with or
without the help of friendly governments, such assistance would
expedite this peaceful development.
A superpower such as the
United States can help, since they have great influence over
existing authoritarian governments, whose existence he compared
to slavery. As the U.S. was able
to overcome slavery, and
former slaves were able to achieve their freedom and equal
rights, modern-day Muslims will be able to follow this same
path.
6. (U) During the discussion at the end of the
conference,
participants again displayed both praise and criticism for U.S.
involvement in Tajikistan. One
representative from the Ministry
of Energy and Industry criticized the Russian government for not
spending additional funds to raise the level of the dam at the
Rogun hydropower station.
(Comment: The Russians have thus far
proved unwilling to increase the proposed level of the dam from
DUSHANBE 00000591 002.2 OF 002
285 to 330 meters. End Comment.) He thanked the U.S.
government for its exploratory projects in the Tajik energy
sector. A professor expressed his
gratitude for U.S.
educational exchange programs, including the Future Leaders
Exchange Program (FLEX) that sends high school students for a
year to the United States, and commented that such programs were
beneficial for both sides.
7. (U) Another Tajik participant criticized U.S.
policy in
Afghanistan, stating that the Taliban was reviving and that
narcotics production had skyrocketed over the past two years.
Another participant queried how the role of Islam affected U.S.
policy in Central Asia. PolOff
gave the closing remarks at the
conference, providing answers to the various questions posed by
the participants. He replied that
while narcotics production in
Afghanistan had increased, it was also important to note the
achievements that have been accomplished in that country the
last five years, including free elections and women’s
participation in Parliament for the first time in Afghan
history. On religious freedom, he
explained that given the fact
that the United States was founded on the principle of freedom
of religion, and that thousands of mosques, churches and temples
peacefully co-exist in the United States, the United States
supports the rights of Central Asians and people around the
world to peacefully and freely worship any religion without
interference.
JACOBSON
SIGNATURE
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 105163
date: 4/20/2007 12:54
refid: 07DUSHANBE604
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: UNCLASSIFIED
destination: 07STATE2613499
header:
VZCZCXRO2004
RR RUEHLN RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHDBU #0604/01 1101254
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 201254Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0112
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1435
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 1952
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS 1202
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 1771
—————— header ends —————-
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 000604
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL, G/TIP
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM, PREL, TI
SUBJECT: TAJIKISTAN’S SUBMISSION FOR G/TIP MANAGED FY 2007 ESF AND
INCLE
REF: STATE 2613499
DUSHANBE 00000604 001.2 OF 002
1. Tajikistan was ranked in Tier
Two for trafficking in persons
in 2006. Despite the government’s
will to combat trafficking in
persons, its limited capacity and resources means that
Tajikistan is in danger of falling into the Tier Two Watch List
category. International
organizations and nongovernmental
organizations have stepped in to fill gaps in victim assistance
and awareness raising. However,
more assistance is needed in
building the capacity of law enforcement bodies to investigate
trafficking cases and prosecute trafficking criminals.
2. Embassy Dushanbe has solicited
proposals from local and
international nongovernmental organizations and international
organizations for the G/TIP managed FY 2007 ESF and INCLE funds
per reftel request. Post received
a total of 11 proposals and
convened a panel of officers from the Department of State,
Department of Justice and USAID to review the proposals. Below
is the summary information and abstract of two proposals Post
recommends for further consideration by G/TIP. Post will
separately transmit all proposals including the two recommended
ones to G/TIP via email per reftel’s request. The projects
below do not duplicate other efforts by the Embassy and
complement assistance by other organizations.
3. Project 1
Name: The World of Healthy Children
Requested Funding Amount: USD 85,884
Project Title: Elaboration and Implementation of
Anti-Trafficking Training Modules for Police, Judges and
Prosecutors in the Sughd Region, of Tajikistan
Project Duration: One year
Proposal Abstract:
The World of Healthy Children proposes to implement awareness
training for the police, judges and prosecutors in Sughd Region
(training of trainers). The
overall objective is to contribute
to the fight against trafficking in persons by enhancing the
capabilities of the police, judges and prosecutors in the Sughd
region to understand trafficking in persons and consequently to
detect and adequately deal with cases of trafficking in persons
along agreed upon standards (best practices).
Proposed activities include developing training modules to raise
awareness, training the police, judges and prosecutors (based on
best practices); training trainer teams (police, judges,
prosecutors and NGO); implementation of trainings; and a
follow-up seminar with participating experts and the project
team to exchange experiences and
to adjust the training module.
Expected results include a model training curriculum and
materials for awareness training police, judges and prosecutors,
the enhanced capacity of Sughd region trainer teams to adjust
and implement awareness trainings, and the improved co-operation
and information exchange among police, judges and prosecutors
and NGOs working with victims of human trafficking.
4. Project 2
Name: Chashmai Hayot
Requested Funding Amount: USD
36,616.40
Project Title: Untitled
Project Duration: Two years
Proposal Abstract:
Chashmai Hayot aims to increase awareness of trafficking in
persons among high risk groups such as youth, migrant workers,
and the Uzbek-language populations in the Sughd Region. It will
also provide victims assistance and rehabilitation. Planned
activities include:
Conducting seminars, round tables, and meetings;
Summer education camps and game competitions;
Mobile theater shows;
Preparation and distribution of informational booklets;
Telephone Hotline;
Providing victims assistance including
Rendering of psychological rehabilitation;
Rendering of a legal aid;
Rendering lawyer services at protection of their rights in court;
Vocational guidance and employment;
Rendering of medical aid;
Assistance in obtaining a certain professional qualification and
job-placement.
Chashmai Hayot will cooperate with
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 105467
date: 4/24/2007 9:22
refid: 07DUSHANBE622
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: UNCLASSIFIED
destination: 07DUSHANBE622
header:
VZCZCXRO4714
RR RUEHLN RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHDBU #0622/01 1140922
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 240922Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0134
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1437
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 1954
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS 1204
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 2063
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 2095
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 2070
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 1798
—————— header ends —————-
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 000622
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, KDEM, TI
SUBJECT: TAJIKISTAN GOVERNMENT TO STUDENTS: NO MINISKIRTS OR HIJABS
DUSHANBE 00000622 001.2 OF 002
1. SUMMARY: First it was gold teeth, then it was
graduation
parties and students driving to school, now girls in Tajikistan
are fraught over the fact they will no longer be allowed to wear
jewelry or miniskirts to school.
In remarks to the press,
President Rahmon said that students at public schools should not
be allowed to spend money for extravagant graduation parties,
and students are not to use cell phones in classes or drive cars
to school. The Minister of
Education, Abdujabbor Rahmonov has
taken the president’s informal commentary further and also
ordered a new dress code, complaining that girls had been
wearing revealing clothing, such as miniskirts, to school and
too much jewelry. The new dress
code gives the minister an
excuse to reintroduce his informal ban on hijabs. This de facto
order will be treated and enforced by education administrators
as real legislation. PolOff met
with Vahobjon Abdulazizov, Head
of the International Relations Department at the Ministry of
Education April 20 to discuss media reports of the Ministry’s
ban on hijabs and miniskirts. END
SUMMARY
JUST A RECOMMENDATION?
2. Abdulazizov repeatedly
emphasized that the new rules are not
an official order from the government and will not be written
into the law. However, teachers
should enforce the new dress
regulations. According to media
reports the Minister of
Education, Abdujabbor Rahmonov, promises to fire any teachers
who do not comply. (Note: A
professor from the Slavonic
University told the Ambassador she had questioned this policy
openly during a command meeting with Rahmonov last week; he
confirmed «she would be fired» if she did not comply. End
note.) Even though President
Rahmon has spoken out publicly and
ordered a ban on cell phones, graduation parties and students,
he has not officially signed a presidential order or decree
banning such activities. He also
has not mentioned banning the
hijab in public statements.
3. The Ministry will publish a
brochure with pictures of
acceptable dress for high school students. The brochure does
not recommend one standard uniform and will permit western style
dress as well as traditional Tajik dress. Girls are permitted
to wear traditional Tajik head scarves, but not hijabs. Boys
can wear traditional Tajik hats, but not Islamic prayer caps.
A MORE EQUAL SOCIETY?
4. Abdulazizov’s rationale for
the new dress code is to promote
a more egalitarian learning environment.
He explained that it
is not fair for wealthy students to drive to school in nice
cars, dripping with gold jewelry; it gives other students an
inferiority complex and makes them feel too embarrassed to
attend school. (Comment: Many
Dushanbe residents quietly wonder
whether President Rahmon’s son will still drive one of his
Porsches everyday to Tajik National University where he is
enrolled. End comment.)
5. The ministry’s justification
for banning what essentially is
an ostentatious display of wealth and returning to the
appearance of communist era social equality is in line with
President Rahmon’s criticism of citizens with gold teeth and his
public comments against Tajiks frivolously spending money on
large post-funeral commemorations involving lavish meals for
guests. Although such customs
have long been a Tajik tradition,
they are not a requirement in Islam.
The president’s argument
is that Tajiks should save their money or spend it more wisely.
(Note: Ironically, because «gold» capped teeth are much less
expensive than porcelain crowns, his instructions may put a
greater burden on the low-income, dentally-challenged. End
Note.)
SECULARISM OR RESTRICTING RELIGIOUS FREEDOM?
6. This is not the first time the
Minister of Education has
spoken out against the hijab. At
a press conference in October
2005, he publicly stated that girls should not be allowed to
wear hijabs in schools. The
government later rescinded the
statement and said that those were the minister’s personal views
and not an official order.
Because it has not been an official
order, some girls who had been expelled for wearing the hijab
were readmitted. Since 2005,
expelled girls have approached
Islamic Renaissance Party members for help and the party has
been successful reinstating most girls approaching university
and high school administrators to explain the significance of
DUSHANBE 00000622 002.2 OF 002
the hijab. Islamic Renaissance
Party officials told PolOff they
fear that for every girl who approaches the party, many more
remain silent and accept the expulsion, or turn to religious
madrassas.
7. When PolOff pointed out the
possible consequences of the
law, including lower attendance among girls, resulting in a
poorly educated female population, and girls turning to
madrassas, Abdulazizov countered that a very small number of
girls will actually be affected by the new rule. He argued that
the girls do not actually want to wear hijabs themselves, but
are forced to wear it by their parents and therefore will not
likely turn to madrassas or grow up more religious. The local
press quoted the Minister of Education as saying that «an
oppositional party which is eagerly striving for power»
persuaded the girls to wear hijabs.
8. Abdulazizov repeatedly
justified the Ministry’s decision to
prohibit girls from wearing hijabs based on the fact that
Tajikistan is a secular state.
PolOff explained that a secular
state asserts freedom of religion and does not interfere in the
free practice of religion. The
Minister’s recent directive
indicates that Tajikistan is a not a secular state, but rather
laical, which places a greater emphasis on citizens not engaging
in religious practices in public at all.
PolOff pointed out
that the government is restricting religious freedom.
Abdulazizov responded by offering an excuse that many Tajik
bureaucrats frequently spout-that Tajikistan is a young country
with only 15 years of independence; the United States should be
patient.
9. COMMENT: The Ministry of Education believes that by
implementing new dress regulations, it will force students to
focus on learning and improve the quality of Tajik students. In
a better world, instead of chastising students for the way they
dress, the ministry would focus on penalizing students for
bribing teachers and buying their diplomas and make efforts to
improve the quality of teaching, provide more textbooks, and
expand schools so that students don’t have to attend classes in
shifts. Instead, the new edicts
seem designed more to deflect
attention from the serious afflictions of Tajikistan’s crumbling
education system rather than correct the shortcomings.
10. Abdulazizov would not comment
on the source of the
directive. If the education
minister acted alone, it is
disconcerting that no other ministers, government officials or
parliamentarians, besides Muhiddin Kabiri of the Islamic Party,
have spoken out against the ban of the hijab. It is unlikely
though that the Minister of Education would have acted without
the president’s office’s consent.
Rahmon’s new rules are what
may be the beginning of a strange turn to an increasingly
state-controlled society where the government interferes
directly in people’s daily lives.
JACOBSON
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
id: 105502
date: 4/24/2007 12:11
refid: 07DUSHANBE623
origin: Embassy Dushanbe
classification: CONFIDENTIAL
destination: 06DUSHANBE2210|07DUSHANBE518
header:
VZCZCXRO4918
RR RUEHDBU
DE RUEHDBU #0623/01 1141211
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 241211Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0136
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1439
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 1956
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS 1206
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 2065
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 2097
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 2072
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 1800
—————— header ends —————-
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 000623
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL
E.O. 12958: DECL: 4/24/2017
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, TI
SUBJECT: TAJIKISTAN CRACKS DOWN ON RELIGION, CANCELS JEHOVAH’S
WITNESSES MEETINGS
REF: A) DUSHANBE 518 B) 06
DUSHANBE 2210
CLASSIFIED BY: TJACOBSON, AMBASSADOR, STATE, STATE.
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d)
1. (C) SUMMARY:
A deputy mayor of Dushanbe city along with
officers from the State Committee on National Security shut down
a Jehovah’s Witnesses meeting of members and supporters on April
2. On April 3 and 4, the State
Committee on National Security
summoned one of the group’s leaders for questioning. The latest
government interference is part of a disturbing trend towards
religious groups, particularly Christian groups who proselytize.
Valeri Dudaev, a Jehovah’s
Witness, met with PolOff on April 21
to discuss the group’s ongoing problems. END SUMMARY.
JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES NOT ALLOWED TO MEET
2. (C) On the evening of April 2 the Jehovah’s
Witnesses had
planned a large gathering of members and supporters to celebrate
a religious holiday. The group
had reserved a meeting space in
a local theater. The manager of
the theater building where the
Jehovah’s Witnesses were supposed to meet told Dudaev that
Dushanbe mayor Ubaidulloyev gave him a verbal order not to
permit Christian gatherings. On
April 2 when the deputy mayor
and State Committee on National Security officials approached
Dudaev, they told him that the Jehovah’s Witnesses have no right
to gather without government permission.
According to Tajik
law, registered religious groups do have the right of
association.
3. (C) On April 3 and 4, the State Committee on
National
Security summoned Dudaev for questioning. Officials threatened
to take him to court for violating laws and not obtaining
permission from the city to hold a meeting. Officials were not
able to show Dudaev copies of the laws he allegedly violated.
They also threatened to deport him back to Russia, where Dudaev
is a citizen, and to create problems for the new building the
group is constructing. The State
Committee on National Security
also instructed him to report names of anybody who approaches
the group and wants to join the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
USING REGISTRATION AS A WEAPON
4. (SBU) The Jehovah’s Witnesses are registered at the
national level with the Department of Religious Affairs at the
Ministry of Culture and have the right to operate in Tajikistan.
However, for the past five years,
the group has been unable to
register a branch office in Turson-Zade. The local government
says it is the national government’s responsibility to register
the branch and the national government says it is the local
government’s responsibility. This
catch-22 is the government’s
ploy to keep the group from acquiring official status.
5. (C) In the meantime, while the group battles on
and tries
to register, for the past two years its members have been
regularly called in by the local government offices at least
once a month for questioning and harassment. The questioning
occurs most frequently in Turson-Zade where the group is not
considered a legal organization.
Dudaev confirmed that although
members have been harassed, none have been beaten or tortured.
He is, however, disturbed by the disrespect and inappropriate
language the officials use. In a
written statement detailing a
recent incident, one security officer is quoted as threatening
two Jehovah’s Witnesses telling them that if they talked to
local people about the Bible, he would «order his seven
subordinates to strip and rape them, and then he would come and
personally cut them in half.»
Testimonies from other Christian
denominations also confirm that security officers are particular
belligerent towards local Tajiks who have converted to
Christianity and «betrayed» their Islamic faith.
6. (SBU) One of the excuses the local government
frequently
uses to call in the Jehovah’s Witnesses is because they
distribute religious literature and journals. The law does not
prohibit proselytizing and distribution of religious materials
by religious groups. Jehovah’s
Witnesses asked the government
to provide in writing the law the group is allegedly violating,
but the government has never done so.
7. (C) The Jehovah’s Witness
problem is one among a series of
DUSHANBE 00000623 002 OF 002
other significant issues Christian groups have faced, including
the recent legal problems and harassment of Operation Mercy
(reftel A) and the ongoing case of the mayor’s attempt to seize
the Grace Sun Min Church’s property (reftel B). Interlocutors
at all three organizations say that they have not heard any
complaints from local Tajik citizens and find Tajiks to respect
Christian organizations.
Government officials however explain
that local Tajiks frequently complain about Christian
missionaries.
8. (C) COMMENT:
In recent months, the government has closed
several mosques and continues to keep a close eye on certain
Islamic clergy because it fears extremism. However, the State
Committee on National Security’s attitude towards Christian
groups and recent harassment indicates a trend of suspicion and
anti-Christian sentiment within the government, particularly
towards Christian groups that proselytize, distribute religious
literature or have a high number of converts. Groups such as
the Russian Orthodox Church or the Vatican’s Representative here
in Dushanbe do not report conflict with the government. All
three incidents also relate to conflict with the city government
or directly with the Dushanbe mayor himself, but it remains
unclear whether the directive for Christian harassment stems
from the mayor or a higher authority.
Tajikistan purports to be
a state that guarantees religious freedom; however, the
government’s actions contradict its constitutional laws. END
COMMENT.
JACOBSON
