TAJIKISTAN'S DEMOCRATIC PARTY INFIGHTING CONTINUES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 000883 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 6/12/2017 TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM TI SUBJECT: TAJIKISTAN'S DEMOCRATIC PARTY INFIGHTING CONTINUES REF: A. A) 06 DUSHANBE 707 ¶B. B) 06 DUSHANBE 2147 CLASSIFIED BY: TJACOBSON, AMBASSADOR, STATE, STATE. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: The Democratic Party of Tajikistan's power struggles and legal battles over the past year have been confusing enough to rival a daytime soap opera's complicated plot. Rahmatullo Valiev, Deputy Chairman of the Democratic Party met with PolOff June 7 to discuss the latest round of court cases and claims to the party's leadership. END SUMMARY. BACKGROUND: ISKANDAROV'S IMPRISONMENT LEAVES LEADERSHIP VOID ¶2. (U) The turning point for the once promising opposition party was when the Democratic Party's wealthy chairman Mahmadruzzi Iskandarov, a political threat to President Rahmon, was allegedly kidnapped while walking down the street in Moscow on April 16, 2005. Iskandarov claimed security forces illegally extradited him back to Tajikistan April 22, 2005 where he was arrested, tortured, placed on trial, convicted of terrorism, illegal use of weapons, misuse of state funds and organization of illegal groups, and sentenced to 23 years in prison beginning January 2006. Although some of the charges may have been warranted, international observers generally agree that the extradition and trial were politically motivated (REFTEL A). ¶3. (U) Although he is in prison, Iskandarov remains the Democratic Party's Chairman. On Iskandarov's birthday, party members gathered at the Democratic Party headquarters in Dushanbe to "celebrate." Iskandarov was allowed phone calls from prison and one member's cell phone was passed around to the 15 members present who each passed along their congratulations for his health and long life, in jail. ¶4. (U) Since Iskandarov's imprisonment, the party's focus has centered on him, the injustices wrought against him, and his plight to get out of jail; not toward resolving the people's social and political issues. Iskandarov's absence left a void in the party's leadership. Some party members long for change and for the party to move forward and shift its focus away from Iskandarov. The party has suffered financially as well since Iskandarov's incarceration, but his brother, Temur Toshev, remains an active force in the party. Toshev was even arrested November 4 for protesting in front of the Ministry of Justice, but released (REFTEL B). THE POWER STRUGGLE: WINNING COURT CASES AND CONGRESSES ¶5. (U) Rahmatullo Valiev, the party's Deputy Chairman, has projected himself as the party's face, liaising with the media and international community and acting on behalf of Iskandarov. Valiev has never made claims to the chairmanship and he has focused his efforts on defending "Iskandarov's party." The party's internal dispute began in early 2006 when Mahsud Sobirov declared he would renew the Democratic Party and register a new party faction called Vatan. Valiev maintains that Sobirov is a pawn of the security forces aimed at shutting down the Democratic Party and Vatan is an artificial party the government created. ¶6. (U) On May 14, 2007 a Tajik court recognized Sobirov as the Democratic Party's leader. Valiev has once again appealed the court's decision. The court ruled that the party's congress legally elected Sobirov chairman August 27, 2006. To complicate matters further, the same Democratic Party members expelled Sobirov June 3. ¶7. (U) During the same August 27, 2006 party congress meeting when members elected Sobirov as the chairman, they also elected Saidjaffar Ismonov as the first-deputy chairman. In a January 14, 2007 congress, Ismonov urged the party to remove Sobirov and elect him as chairman, which they did. Ismonov formally requested the Ministry of Justice recognize him as the official chairman, but in a February ruling the ministry determined that Ismonov should not be recognized as the chairman and the January 14 congress was not initiated or conducted according to the party's charter. Valiev has also been challenging and appealing the Ministry of Justice's decision which essentially recognizes Sobirov as the party's chairman. This same court case initiated by Ismonov led to the May 14 decision upholding Sobirov as chairman, and the current appeal now in process. DUSHANBE 00000883 002 OF 002 ¶8. (U) During the June 7 meeting with PolOff, Valiev confirmed media reports that the party has officially acted within its charter to expel Sobirov from the party altogether. Members of the Democratic Party in the Shomansurov District where Sobirov originally registered as a party member voted to kick out Sobirov. According to the party's charter rules, the original cell, where the member registered, can expel the member. Valiev insisted that he did not influence that cell's decision. He said that their decision was based on the fact that Sobirov has not done anything for the party at all and the members are tired of internal fighting. The members' main goal for the party is for it to reunite in the public's eye and move on with business. ¶9. (SBU) Although now the Democratic Party may consider itself united, the question remains as to what the official decision from the Ministry of Justice will be. Valiev's appeal is still pending. The ministry faces a dilemma -- the candidate the government supported has been publicly ousted from the party. So how will the court officially rule? Embassy sources say that the Ministry of Justice itself is confused and is debating how to deal with the impending appeal. It will have to make a decision sooner or later on who the officially recognized chairman is. If Sobirov remains the recognized leader, the Ministry of Justice will be defying the party's actions which the party has made publicly known, and will create a separate faction. The Democratic Party will face the same problem as the Socialist Party which had split in two, with the competing chairmen dissipating their political energy arguing over who is the real party boss. First the party must take a hard look at the void in leadership: Iskandarov remains in prison; members expelled Sobirov; and no one supports Ismonov. ¶10. (C) COMMENT: The party's lack of leadership has hindered its ability to form a real platform and serve as a political party which lobbies for its constituents' rights and beliefs. Average Tajiks view the party as disorganized and dysfunctional and its membership has declined. The party needs an effective leader who can move the organization beyond its internal struggle, beyond the imprisoned Iskandarov. Neither Sobirov, nor Ismonov, nor Valiev have the charisma or foresight to lead the party, and at present no other clear leader has emerged. Sobirov, Ismonov, and Valiev most likely have all collaborated with security officials at one point or another in their quests for power, and the government probably did have a role in the party's internal conflict. This already weak opposition party sees itself fading fast, and if government officials really wanted to wipe out the party, they did not need to interfere much. END COMMENT. JACOBSON