Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06DUSHANBE307
2006-02-15 09:01:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Dushanbe
Cable title:
FM NAZAROV SAYS NGO DRAFT LAW "POSTPONED INDEFINITELY"
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C O N F I D E N T I A L DUSHANBE 000307
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, EUR/ACE, EUR/RUS, DRL, S/P
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/15/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL PROP KDEM RS TI
SUBJECT: FM NAZAROV SAYS NGO DRAFT LAW "POSTPONED INDEFINITELY"
REF: A) DUSHANBE 0304 B) OSC CEP200602129007
CLASSIFIED BY: Richard E. Hoagland, Ambassador, EXEC, Embassy
Dushanbe.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L DUSHANBE 000307
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, EUR/ACE, EUR/RUS, DRL, S/P
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/15/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL PROP KDEM RS TI
SUBJECT: FM NAZAROV SAYS NGO DRAFT LAW "POSTPONED INDEFINITELY"
REF: A) DUSHANBE 0304 B) OSC CEP200602129007
CLASSIFIED BY: Richard E. Hoagland, Ambassador, EXEC, Embassy
Dushanbe.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)
1. (C) At the end of a long meeting February 14 on BBC
registration and licensing (ref A),the Ambassador noted to
Foreign Minister Nazarov a February 11 press statement (ref B)
in which a Ministry of Justice official called for a "law
stipulating strict control over activities of NGOs." The
Ambassador said it has long been rumored parliament is secretly
considering a new "Law on Public Organizations." Now that a
government official has made a public statement about it, the
time has come to call for parliament to make the draft available
for public discussion, as required by Tajik law.
2. (C) Foreign Minister Nazarov bristled and replied, "I saw
the press statement, called the Minister of Justice, and told
him to tell his people to back off. In fact, the draft is going
through multiple revisions and is postponed indefinitely because
it has too many gray areas."
BACKGROUND
3. (C) It has been known for several months that a draft "Law
on Public Organizations" has been unusually closely held in
various parliament committees. In fact, we have a bootleg
translation and analysis of one of the more recent drafts.
4. (C) Russian Ambassador Ramazan Abdulatipov has been lobbying
the Tajik Government to pass a new NGO law similar to Russia's
as a way to prevent "color revolutions." He is further rumored
to be pressing against specific Western NGOs. The Tajik
director of the Open Society Institute, who is extremely well
connected at high levels of the Tajik Government, told the
Ambassador February 2 Abdulatipov had told President Rahmonov,
"The sooner you get Soros out of Tajikistan, the better it will
be for you."
5. (C) COMMENT: We have no doubt that Russia is putting
intense pressure on Tajikistan to limit Western NGO activities.
Likewise, we are certain FM Nazarov remains well briefed on the
various drafts of the law. Intense government debate continues
whether responsibility for registering foreign NGOs should be
returned from the hard-line Ministry of Justice to the
relatively moderate Foreign Ministry. END COMMENT.
HOAGLAND
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, EUR/ACE, EUR/RUS, DRL, S/P
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/15/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL PROP KDEM RS TI
SUBJECT: FM NAZAROV SAYS NGO DRAFT LAW "POSTPONED INDEFINITELY"
REF: A) DUSHANBE 0304 B) OSC CEP200602129007
CLASSIFIED BY: Richard E. Hoagland, Ambassador, EXEC, Embassy
Dushanbe.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)
1. (C) At the end of a long meeting February 14 on BBC
registration and licensing (ref A),the Ambassador noted to
Foreign Minister Nazarov a February 11 press statement (ref B)
in which a Ministry of Justice official called for a "law
stipulating strict control over activities of NGOs." The
Ambassador said it has long been rumored parliament is secretly
considering a new "Law on Public Organizations." Now that a
government official has made a public statement about it, the
time has come to call for parliament to make the draft available
for public discussion, as required by Tajik law.
2. (C) Foreign Minister Nazarov bristled and replied, "I saw
the press statement, called the Minister of Justice, and told
him to tell his people to back off. In fact, the draft is going
through multiple revisions and is postponed indefinitely because
it has too many gray areas."
BACKGROUND
3. (C) It has been known for several months that a draft "Law
on Public Organizations" has been unusually closely held in
various parliament committees. In fact, we have a bootleg
translation and analysis of one of the more recent drafts.
4. (C) Russian Ambassador Ramazan Abdulatipov has been lobbying
the Tajik Government to pass a new NGO law similar to Russia's
as a way to prevent "color revolutions." He is further rumored
to be pressing against specific Western NGOs. The Tajik
director of the Open Society Institute, who is extremely well
connected at high levels of the Tajik Government, told the
Ambassador February 2 Abdulatipov had told President Rahmonov,
"The sooner you get Soros out of Tajikistan, the better it will
be for you."
5. (C) COMMENT: We have no doubt that Russia is putting
intense pressure on Tajikistan to limit Western NGO activities.
Likewise, we are certain FM Nazarov remains well briefed on the
various drafts of the law. Intense government debate continues
whether responsibility for registering foreign NGOs should be
returned from the hard-line Ministry of Justice to the
relatively moderate Foreign Ministry. END COMMENT.
HOAGLAND