DUSHANBE, November 19, 2014, Asia-Plus -- Nongovernmental organizations in Tajikistan are reportedly concerned over new legislation that restricts their access to foreign grants.

Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service reports participants at an international conference in Dushanbe said on November 18 that according to legal amendments recently adopted by a parliament, NGOs in the Central Asian nation will only be able to receive grants from foreign entities if they have approval from the government.

The leader of the National Association of Independent Media in Tajikistan (NANSMIT), Nouriddin Qarshiboyev, said at the conference that the change would have substantial effects on the activity of NGOs and would probably force some of them to close.

The “Freedom of Speech in Tajikistan” conference was organized by the European Union and Tajik government.