Tajik Facebook And RFE/RL Sites To Be Unblocked In 'Two To Three Days'

Tajik communications chief Beg Zuhurov

KULOB, Tajikistan -- The Tajik government's Communications Service chief says the Facebook social network and the website of RFE/RL's Tajik Service will be accessible again in two or three days.

Beg Zuhurov told journalists on January 18 that "access to some websites was disrupted because of technical problems."

Zuhurov did not give details on the technical issues.

Facebook and RFE/RL's Tajik Service website have been inaccessible in Tajikistan since January 17.

Asomuddin Atoev, the chairman of Tajikistan's Association of Internet Service Providers, told RFE/RL on January 17 that service providers received SMS instructions from the Communications Service requesting that the sites be blocked.

But Zuhurov later told RFE/RL that his service had not given any such instructions.

In March and November, Tajik authorities blocked Facebook and several online news sites, but later unblocked them.