DUSHANBE, July 24, 2012, Asia-Plus - Internet access to leading private Tajik news agency, Asia-Plus, has remained restricted and an official reason for blocking access to the Asia-Plus website inside the country is still unknown.

Internet access to the Asia-Plus News Agency was blocked in the evening of July 23. Asia-Plus has known about blocking access to its website from its Internet-provider, while the Communications Service under the Government of Tajikistan has not sent any official notification of cutting off Internet access to the news agency.

Tajik Internet providers say they have received “an appropriate SMS message from the Communications Service head Beg Zuhurov but there was no any official written order on blocking Internet access to Asia-Plus.” According to them, there was also no any official explanation of reasons for blocking access to the news agency website.

The Asia-Plus New agency has failed to receive any explanations from the communications service agency.

However, some sources consider that the authorities blocked access because of the latest developments in Gorno Badakhshan, where the government forces Tuesday morning launched an operation targeting a group suspected of involvement in the killing of the chief of the State Committee for National Security (SCNS)’s office in Gorno Badakhshan.

Asia Plus, however, is publishing its daily news bulletin for its readers in Tajikistan on its Facebook page.