DUSHANBE, June 15, 2015, Asia-Plus -- The board (Shuro) of Tajikistan’s lower house (Majlisi Namoyandagon) of parliament is holding a regular meeting today.

Olim Salimzoda, Head of the Majlisi Namoyandagon Committee on International Cooperation, Public Associations and Information, says a draft law on amendments to the country’s law on political partiers has been tabled to the meeting’s agenda along with draft laws on environmental safety of vehicles and on amendments proposed to the country’s laws on parental responsibility and the national security bodies of Tajikistan.

Salimzoda noted that the draft law on amendments to the country’s law on political partiers was aimed at, first of all, strengthening state control over financing of political parties.

“The main objective of strengthening of the state control over financial resources of political parties is in preventing money laundering and terrorism financing,” the parliamentarian said.

We will recall that the Majlisi Namoyandagon on June 10 endorsed the draft law on amendments proposed by the government to the country’s law on public associations.  The amendments provide for tightening control over foreign grants awarded to local NGOs.

Non-governmental organizations in Tajikistan expressed concern about new legislation that restricts their access to foreign grants in November last year.  Participants at an international conference in Dushanbe said on November 18 that according to legal amendments recently adopted by a parliament, NGOs in Tajikistan will only be able to receive grants from foreign entities if they have approval from the government.  They noted that the change would have substantial effects on the activity of NGOs and would probably force some of them to close.

On November 26, more than 90 NGOs from Tajikistan and other countries have signed the appeal, calling on the government of Tajikistan to drop this draft legislation and to respect the right of NGOs to have unhindered access to funding for their work, including from sources abroad.