TAJIK GOVERNMENT AND NGOS BEGIN DIALOGUE, BUT OUTSTANDING

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 000262 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM PHUM EAID TI SUBJECT: TAJIK GOVERNMENT AND NGOS BEGIN DIALOGUE, BUT OUTSTANDING ISSUES REMAIN REF: A) DUSHANBE 167 B) STATE 200959 DUSHANBE 00000262 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Two related issues from the Tajik government have kept non-governmental organizations in the spotlight (or crosshairs) and unsettled a number of U.S. assistance implementers. A draft Law on Public Associations passed by the lower house of Parliament February 14 could strengthen government oversight of organizations and require foreign associations to register with both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice, thus adding bureaucratic layers to an already cumbersome process. Recent requests from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for information about organizations' charters and employees (ref A) continue to cause confusion. An Embassy-initiated working group meeting between government and NGO Forum representatives February 20 took a small step towards clarifying the conflicting requests and standardizing submitted information. However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to maintain its stance that it (not the Ministry of Labor) must protect Tajik employees of non-governmental organizations. Although post is working hard to establish a productive dialogue between the government and civil society organizations, we expect that non-governmental organizations will be under increasing scrutiny, with more bureaucratic hoops to jump through. End Summary Law on Public Associations -------------- ¶2. (SBU) With little fanfare, the Parliament's lower chamber passed a law revising the 1998 Law on Public Associations, giving greater oversight to government bodies. The Upper House still must pass the law and President Rahmonov must sign it, but if it goes into effect, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would need to accredit all international organizations before they could register with the Ministry of Justice. The law also gives the Justice ministry the right to suspend the activities of an organization found "infringing on the rights of citizens." While the law is not as draconian as some others in the former Soviet Union, it could justify intense scrutiny of some organizations' activities, particularly those dealing with democracy and political party building. Several legal advisors and organizations are working to try to produce an amended version before the upper house passes the current draft. Information for Ministry of Foreign Affairs -------------- -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Independent of the Law on Public Associations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent letters to a handful of organizations asking for certain documents, then sent a different letter, asking for a revised set of documents. The Ministry's request raised concerns on two levels: the legal justification to collect information already on record with other government entities and the logistics of when, how and how often to submit such information. After a number of individual meetings between organization directors and different ministry officials, with and without Embassy involvement, the Embassy arranged a working group meeting February 20 to flesh out the request and the requirements. ¶4. (SBU) The working group started with 45 minutes of talking in circles. "We need a more specific letter about the requirements." "You just need to call the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and we'll explain the requirements." "We do not want to call, because we get mixed and conflicting answers. We want them written down." "But we sent you a letter." "It is confusing." "Call if you are confused." "The letter is not specific enough nor does it explain why you cannot get the information from the Ministry of Justice, and you sent two versions." "You can send your information for the Ministry of Justice through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs." "Does the Ministry of Justice agree?" "We'll take care of that." "Could we get that in writing?" "Why do you need this in a letter?" ¶5. (SBU) Eventually, Sherali Jononov, head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' legal department explained that the Ministry was trying to establish a database of information about all non-governmental organizations working in the country as a way to systematize the accreditation process for individuals. (Note: Under the current system, only foreigners working in Tajikistan get accreditation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and this is more of a courtesy than a requirement. Under the new Law on Public Associations, organizations would need accreditation as well. End Note.) ¶6. (SBU) He also cautioned that Tajik citizens must be DUSHANBE 00000262 002.2 OF 002 protected against unscrupulous employers. As in a previous meeting with EmbOff and NGO Forum representatives (reftel),he gave the example of Counterpart International as a foreign organization that abused the system, by forging documents to get a car registered as a non-governmental vehicle. That same car, he claims, was found containing heroin in Kazakhstan. Representatives from the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, and Ministry of Interior, Tax Committee and the Committee on Investments and State Property remained silent during most of the discussion. ¶7. (SBU) The working group agreed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would draft a new, more specific letter, outlining the requested information and a timeline for its submission. The Ministry would not agree to let the NGO Forum representatives clear on the next draft, but did promise to coordinate the process. "Dialogue is important," said Jononov as he left. "We must keep coordinating with each other." EmbOff handed the government officials present copies of the U.S. Government's "Ten Guiding Principles on NGOs" (Ref B) and noted that the right to operate free of government control was an important human rights principle. "We know, we got this," said a representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs International Organizations department." Comment -------------- ¶8. (SBU) The working group managed to take a tiny step forward on the logistics of submitting documentation to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a standardized format that applied to all non-governmental organizations. The Ministry badly bungled its first two attempts to extract the same information, failing to consult the NGO Forum leadership. Despite new promises of dialogue and coordination, the non-governmental organizations are skeptical the Ministry will correct its mistakes; they expect another confusing request for information that the Ministry cannot even process. ¶9. (SBU) The bigger question of government control of foreign organizations remained untouched and unanswered. The government is clearly uncomfortable with certain organizations -- National Democratic Institute, Freedom House, and Internews -- and at times, simply unhappy with others -- Mercy Corps, Counterpart International. In addition to the additional accreditation, the new law could give the government leeway to stop an organization's activities if the government perceives that a Tajik citizen's "rights" have been violated. On previous occasions, the Ministry has called in Embassy representatives to complain that local staff of non-governmental organizations have been fired or dismissed, not promoted, or "insulted" by expatriate staff. The new law could give the Ministry more teeth to crack down on non-governmental organizations that fall out of favor with the government. Organizations that want to clean house and fight corruption will have their hands tied. End Comment. HUSHEK