Tajik Opposition Parties Still Face 'Pressure,' Report Says

Tajik President Imomali Rakhmonov (file photo) (AFP) 20 February 2006 (RFE/RL) -- Tajikistan's opposition parties continued to face "various kinds of pressure" last year, a Tajik nongovernmental organization says in its annual report on the rule of law in the country.

Galina Derevenchenko, from the Republican Bureau on Human Rights and Rule of Law, told RFE/RL's Tajik Service that 2005 was marked by the arrests and trials of several opposition figures.

She also noted the "substantial number of violations" of electoral standards during the parliamentary elections held in February 2005.

The report also cites problems with the registration of media, access to information, and criminal cases brought against journalists.

The report states that the governments maintains "strong control" over the courts and judges.