Opposition Group 24 outlawed in Tajikistan
DUSHANBE. Oct 9 (Interfax) - The Supreme Court of Tajikistan has recognized Group 24, an opposition movement led by Tajik citizens living abroad, as an extremist organization and has banned it from distributing its audio and video records.
"The Supreme Court of Tajikistan has agreed to rule in favor of a lawsuit filed by the Prosecutor General's Office and to recognize Group 24, led by citizen Umarali Kuvvativ, who has been hiding from justice on the territory of an as-yet-unidentified state, as extremist and illegal," Judge Salomat Khakimova said at a court session on Thursday.
The Tajik authorities have accused Kuvvatov of fraud and large-scale misappropriation when he lived in the country and ran the privately owned companies Faroz and Tojiron, which supplied petroleum products to neighboring Afghanistan.
The businessman has dismissed these charges as politically motivated.
"The court also ruled to prohibit access on the territory of the country to the website of the aforementioned group as a mass media outlet. This group has also been banned from importing literature about its activities to the territory of Tajikistan, as well as producing such literature, audio and video products," the judge said.
The Tajik Prosecutor General's Office lodged a lawsuit against Group 24 on October 7, citing the need to "ensure the national security of sovereign Tajikistan and its civilized people, as well as peace, stability and security within society."
