DUSHANBE, October 15, 2008, Asia-Plus -- The board of the Mahmadruzi Iskandarov-run wing of the Democratic Party of Tajikistan (DPT) intends to lodge complaint with the UN Human Rights Committee over interference of the country’s authorities in the party affairs.

The source in the party’s board noted that as a result of that interference Iskandarov-led DPT had been “declared illegal.”

The other reason for appeal to the UN Human Rights Committee is unfair verdict against their leader. 

We will recall that Iskandarov-run wing lodged such complaint to the UN Human Rights Committee in 2006.

As it had been reported earlier, the Supreme Court sentenced Democratic Party leader Mahmadruzi Iskandarov to 23 years in prison on October 5, 2005.  The sentence followed his conviction on charges of terrorism, the embezzlement of state funds, and the illegal storage of weapons.  The court also imposed a 1.5 million-somoni fine and stripped Iskandarov of all previous state honors and awards, including revoking his rank of Major-General. 

In January 2006, the appeals court of Tajikistan''s Supreme Court upheld the latter''s verdict against Mahmadruzi Iskandarov.  Iskandarov’s lawyer Azam Bahriddinov denounced the ruling and vowed to appeal to international judicial bodies.