DUSHANBE -- Opposition parties in Tajikistan claim that local authorities are requesting lists of their activists in an effort to target them.
Leaders from the Communist Party and the Party of the Islamic Renaissance told RFE/RL on September 4 that they have been instructed by authorities in some districts to present the names of their activists to officials.
The activists are supposed to do this in accordance with an alleged Central Election Commission request so that they can be considered for inclusion on local election commissions for the upcoming presidential vote in November.
However, the chief of the Central Election Commission's office, Aburahmon Dodoev, told RFE/RL that the commission never instructed local governments to obtain such lists.
Tajikistan's longtime President Emomali Rahmon, who is expected to win a fourth term in office, has been under criticism for curtailing the activities of opposition groups, human rights defenders, and journalists.
Leaders from the Communist Party and the Party of the Islamic Renaissance told RFE/RL on September 4 that they have been instructed by authorities in some districts to present the names of their activists to officials.
The activists are supposed to do this in accordance with an alleged Central Election Commission request so that they can be considered for inclusion on local election commissions for the upcoming presidential vote in November.
However, the chief of the Central Election Commission's office, Aburahmon Dodoev, told RFE/RL that the commission never instructed local governments to obtain such lists.
Tajikistan's longtime President Emomali Rahmon, who is expected to win a fourth term in office, has been under criticism for curtailing the activities of opposition groups, human rights defenders, and journalists.
