Tajik Foreign Minister finds criticism of president's family by opposition reporter groundless
DUSHANBE. July 17 (Interfax) - Tajikistan has no complaints to make about countries that gave refuge to opposition journalist Dodojon Atovulloev known for his criticism of Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and his family, Tajik Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi said on Wednesday.
However, he called Atovulloev's accusations "groundless and false."
"Our country is a free secular democratic state. Every person has the right to state his opinion. We are not accusing a single country for interacting with Mr. Atovulloev," he said at a press conference.
Last Monday, Atovulloev, upon his arrival at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport from Prague was sent back to the Czech capital. He was denied entry to Russia for unnamed reasons. According to some sources, Atovulloev has been a citizen of Germany for several years.
"The facts and arguments that Mr. Atovulloev states are not based on anything, they are groundless and false. I think the citizens of Tajikistan realize that what he says against the government and the incumbent authorities in public is only his personal opinion. The citizens of Tajikistan have their own opinion about that," the minister said.
In May 2013, the Central Asian oppositional TV channel K+ aired a wedding video of Emomali Rahmon's older son Rustam Emomali from four years ago with unflattering comments by Atovulloev.