DUSHANBE, January 9, 2014, Asia-Plus -- Rural administrators from the Khovaling district in the southern Khatlon province have reportedly made local resident quit the Islamic Revival Party (IRP) just for certificate of residence.

IRP deputy head, Mahmadali Hayit, says that when resident of the Jonbakht jamoat (the third-level administrative division in Tajikistan) in the Khovaling district applied to the jamoat for certificate of residence, the jamoat administrators demanded that he quit the IRP.

He refrained from naming that member of the IRP from the Khovaling district.

Hayit just noted that such practice of pressure on the IRP members was in compliance with the spirit of minute 32-20 of a classified meeting that was covered in an article posted on the news website Polyarnaya Zvezda last spring.

We will recall that Polyarnaya Zvezda published a political commentary, headlined "Tajikistan on the Eve of Revolution" in March 2012.  The article covered a meeting in which Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon allegedly ordered security services to increase surveillance of local religious groups and members of the Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan.  The article also criticized Rahmon for growing authoritarianism, inattention to government corruption, and increasing poverty.  Several other websites republished the article shortly after.  Minutes of Rahmon’s meeting were also posted on Facebook.

Founded in October 1990, the Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan was registered on December 4, 1991.  It was banned by the Supreme Court in June 1993 and legalized in August 1999.  Its official newspaper is Najot (Salvation).  According to some sources, IRP now has more than 40,000 members.  Since 2000, it has had two seats in the country’s lower house (Majlisi Namoyandagon) of parliament.  The Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan is the only Islamic party registered in CIS Central Asia.