Tag Archives: Tajikistan

Civil rights fall across the region

EDINBURGH/NEW YORK, FEB. 2 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Civil freedoms in Central Asia and the South Caucasus took a turn for the worse in 2014 as governments moved closer to Russia and worried that street demonstrations in Ukraine may spread, Freedom House said in an interview.

The sharpest deterioration in civil rights in 2014, according to the US-based lobby group, came in Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan.

“Governments restricted freedom of assembly and speech to prevent ‘maidans’ and Russian encouragement of separatism,” Nate Schenkkan, a Eurasia Programme Officer at Freedom House, said in an interview with The Bulletin. Schenkkan’s reference to so-called maidans was to Ukrainian street demonstrations which morphed into a full scale revolution.
The interview was conducted over twitter with questions also taken from viewers.

At the end of last year Azerbaijani police raided the office of the US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. In the interview with The Bulletin, Schenkkan said the police raid was the culmination of a tough year for media and government critics in Azerbaijan.

“There was a full-scale crackdown. Now (there are) 90 plus political prisoners, all independent media shuttered in Azerbaijan,” he said. “Sanctions for Azerbaijani officials should be on the table and EU leaders should skip the European Games.” Azerbaijan is hosting the inaugural European Games later this year.

As for Kyrgyzstan, Schenkkan said new legislation had dented Kyrgyzstan’s image.

“Kyrgyzstan is the most disappointing because it is a reversal after relative gains recently,” he said. “Copycat attempts at Russian legislation against LGBTI and NGOs nearly passed.”
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(News report from Issue No. 218, published on Feb. 11 2015)

Tajikistan needs to improve labour

>>World Bank says Tajikistan needs to adapt>>

FEB. 4 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — In a report on Tajikistan, the World Bank said a third of Tajik men leave the country to find work and that the informal market employs about 60% of the population.

Adapting local labour training to a market that needs analytical skills and not just manual work is key to developing Tajikistan’s workforce, the World Bank wrote.

The migration numbers and the large informal economy mean the Tajik economy is fragile, especially when its main driver — the Russian economy is also under stress.

The Tajik Central Bank has raised interest rates and depleted its currency reserves in an attempt to defend its currency from a sharp devaluation. It has warned that it can’t sustain a long, second defence of its economy.

In its report, entitled “The Skills Road: Skills for Employability in Tajikistan”, the World Bank argued that the Tajik economy is undergoing significant changes that need a new approach from the government to develop more and better analytical skills to boost the formal sector of the economy and also reduce migration trends.

“New economy skills are strong analytical and organizational skills, including non-routine cognitive analytical and interpersonal skills,” the World Bank wrote.

“The report’s conclusion is that the government could shift the focus from providing access to educational institutions and instead focus on providing the skills (cognitive, non-cognitive, and technical) to students who need to succeed as adults.”
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(News report from Issue No. 218, published on Feb. 11 2015)

Russia wants to bolster Tajik garrison

JAN. 28 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Russian defence minister, Anatoly Anatonov, emphasised once again that Russia wanted to strengthen its garrison in Tajikistan because of a perceived increase in threat from the Taliban now that NATO forces have withdrawn from Afghanistan. Russia has around 7,000 soldiers in Tajikistan, its largest overseas base.
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(News report from Issue No. 217, published on Feb. 4 2015)

Tajik authorities ban opposition posters

JAN. 28 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — In Dushanbe, the mayor’s office has banned activists from the opposition Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan from pinning up pre-election posters around the city, media reported (Jan. 28).

The Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan is the only genuine opposition party running in a parliamentary election on March 1. It has popular support but has been increasingly marginalised by the authorities under President Emomali Rakhmon. He has strengthened his control over Tajik society and politics over the past few years, especially hyping up the perceived threat from the more religious elements.

Media said that this ban on electioneering in Tajikistan was new and had not been imposed during previous elections, suggesting another round of restrictions ahead of the election.
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(News report from Issue No. 217, published on Feb. 4 2015)

Kyrgyz, not Tajiks, kills in Libya

JAN. 30 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Kyrgyzstan’s foreign ministry confirmed that three Kyrgyz — a pilot and two flight attendants working for a private airline — died in an attack by masked gunmen on a hotel in Tripoli, Libya on Jan. 27. Initial reports from Libya mistook the Kyrgyz for Tajiks.
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(News report from Issue No. 217, published on Feb. 4 2015)

Tajikistan plans more cement factories

JAN. 21 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — The authorities in Tajikistan want to build six new cement-making plants, media reported quoting government officials. Currently Tajikistan is an importer of cement. It wants to become a net exporter of cement. Chinese investment has fueled a building boom in Tajikistan over the past couple of years.
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(News report from Issue No. 216, published on Jan. 28 2015)

Tajikistan is eyeing up EEU membership -Russia

>>Tajikistan is heavily linked to Russia economy>>

JAN. 23 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Tajikistan is actively considering applying for membership of the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union, Belarusian news agency BelTA quoted Vasily Nebenzya, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, as saying at a meeting of the Russian parliament.

This is the first major statement this year that Tajikistan still intends to join the trade bloc. It’s also significant because it implies Russia wants Tajikistan in the club.

The Eurasian Economic Union came into existence at the start of the year, replacing the Customs Union. It’s a trade bloc although analysts have said that the Kremlin is looking to use it to promote its own political agenda.

Armenia joined the Eurasian Economic Union on Jan. 1. Kazakhstan and Belarus were already members and Kyrgyzstan is due to join later in the year.

“Tajikistan is also interested and is mulling over the prospects of joining the Eurasian integration processes,” BelTA quoted Mr Nebanzya as saying.

Tajikistan’s economy is closely linked to Russia. It relies on jobs in Russia for its workers, who send back remittances which make up roughly half the country’s GDP.
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(News report from Issue No. 216, published on Jan. 28 2015)

IS threatens Central Asia stability, says report

NEW YORK, JAN. 20 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — The radical group IS is recruiting heavily in Central Asia, the influential think tank International Crisis Group (ICG) wrote in a new report, a phenomena that could destabilise the region in the medium and long term.

In perhaps the most detailed assessment of the recruitment drive by IS in Central Asia so far, the ICG estimated that between 2,000 and 4,000 men and women had been attracted by IS propaganda to travel to Syria and fight for the radical group.

“Should a significant portion of these radicalised migrants return, they risk challenging security and stability throughout Central Asia,” ICG wrote in its 16-page report.

“Their [the five Central Asian states] security services — underfunded, poorly trained and inclined to resort to harsh methods to compensate for a lack of resources and skills — are unable to deal with a challenge as intricate as radical Islam.”

Among the incentives for Central Asians to enlist in IS ranks, the ICG points to three main triggers: The opportunity to join a religious cause abroad otherwise suppressed at home; the rejection of gloomy economic prospects; the chance to express repressed political views.

Other causes are outlined. The lack of a proper education with youth members of Islamic congregations resorting to unofficial Muslim training; the lack of social safety nets for women; the accessibility to Turkey, the major entry point for the northern battles in Syria.

The ICG argues that IS is reviving the violence among extremist groups in Central Asia as well. The ICG called for the enforcement of strict rules on terrorism and tighter security monitoring by the states in the region.

In the short-term at least, ICG wrote, preventative measures are essential for combating the IS recruitment.
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(News report from Issue No. 215, published on Jan. 21 2015)

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Copyright — The Conway Bulletin

Tajik electricity exports rise

JAN. 20 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Tajikistan’s electricity exports to Afghanistan increased by 38% last year compared to 2013, the Tajik news agency Avesta reported. This is important because hydroelectric power has the potential to become one of Tajikistan’s biggest exports. It needs a stable Afghanistan and Pakistan to realise this potential.
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(News report from Issue No. 215, published on Jan. 21 2015)

Tajikistan seeks extradition

JAN. 16 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Tajikistan has formally asked Turkey to extradite Umarali Quvatov, an opposition figure who previously had good links to Tajik president Emmomali Rakhmon. In October the Tajik authorities banned Mr Quvatov’s organisation Group 24. They also said that they wanted to charge him with bribery.
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(News report from Issue No. 215, published on Jan. 21 2015)