Tajikistan's Supreme Court has banned the opposition organization Group 24.
The October 9 decision followed growing government pressure on the opposition group after it used the Internet to call for street protests in the capital, Dushanbe, on October 10.
Supreme Court judge Salomat Hakimova ruled that Group 24, which is led by fugitive Tajik businessman Umarali Quvatov, is "extremist" and therefore is banned in Tajikistan.
Its website and printed materials were also banned.
Media reports in Tajikistan link Group 24's online calls for an antigovernment protest with the blockage of hundreds of websites including Facebook and YouTube, which have been inaccessible across the country since October 5.
Officials at the state Communications Service say they have nothing to do with the Internet blockage.
