DUSHANBE, December 21, 2015, Asia-Plus – Tajikistan’s upper house (Majlisi Milli) of parliament has approved a bill amending the country’s law on combating terrorism.  The bill, in particular, provides for restricting access to electronic media in the country in case of necessity.

The fourth session of Majlisi Milli of the fifth convocation, presided over by its head, Mahmadsaid Ubaidulloyev, was held in Dushanbe on December 18.

Addressing the session, Bakhtiyor Khudoyorzoda, the head of President’s Executive Office, noted that under the bill, which was worked out by the government, the State Committee for National Security (SCNS) has the right to restrict access to electronic media in areas, where counterterrorism operations are being carried out.       

In an X-hour, access to Internet and mobile communications may be restricted not only in separate regions of the country but also across the whole country.

We will recall that during the violent events in the Rasht Valley in August-September 2010 and in the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) in July-August 2012, the authorities restricted access to a number of news websites without clarification of reasons.