KULOB, Tajikistan -- Residents of the southern Tajik town of Khatlon discovered on September 29 that the monument to Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin had been removed from the town's central park, RFE/RL's Tajik Service reports.
A park security guard said he has no idea what happened to the statue. The local Communist Party branch convened an emergency meeting and adopted a resolution condemning the "inhuman act" and demanded that the "vandals" responsible for the disappearance of the monument be held responsible.
Park manager Sharaf Azizov announced late on September 29 that the monument was transferred to the park's warehouse for renovations. He explained that the statue was erected more than 70 years ago and has lost its shape and color.
Azizov pledged that it will return to its original place as soon as the restoration process is complete.
This is the third Lenin monument to be removed from a central location in Tajikistan this year, RFE/RL reports.
One Lenin statue was removed from the center of Khorugh, the capital of Tajikistan's mountainous Gorno-Badakhshan Province, and a second from the center of Khujand, the capital of the northern Sughd Province. Neither was returned.
A park security guard said he has no idea what happened to the statue. The local Communist Party branch convened an emergency meeting and adopted a resolution condemning the "inhuman act" and demanded that the "vandals" responsible for the disappearance of the monument be held responsible.
Park manager Sharaf Azizov announced late on September 29 that the monument was transferred to the park's warehouse for renovations. He explained that the statue was erected more than 70 years ago and has lost its shape and color.
Azizov pledged that it will return to its original place as soon as the restoration process is complete.
This is the third Lenin monument to be removed from a central location in Tajikistan this year, RFE/RL reports.
One Lenin statue was removed from the center of Khorugh, the capital of Tajikistan's mountainous Gorno-Badakhshan Province, and a second from the center of Khujand, the capital of the northern Sughd Province. Neither was returned.
