DUSHANBE, April 22, 215, Asia-Plus – On instruction of the Islamic Revival Party (IRP) Political Council IRP deputy leader Saidumar Husaini has written a letter to the Prosecutor-General Yusuf Rahmonov.

The letter, in particular, notes that IRP activists and members of their families have undergone persecutions in recent years and some of them even have undergone tortures.

In his letter, Mr. Husaini describes dozens of instances of persecution, torment and insulting of members of the IRP and their relatives.

“We ask you to take measures against persons committing infringements against members of our party and protect their constitutional rights,” the letter says.

Husaini also asks Rahmonov to receive a delegation of senior representatives of the Islamic Revival Party.

The Islamic Revival Party suffered a crushing election defeat, garnering a mere 1.5 percent in Tajikistan''s March 1 vote, leaving the country''s second-largest party with no seats in parliament for the first time in 15 years.

We will recall that imams at several mosques across Tajikistan last month urged Muslims to support the closure of the Islamic Revival Party, calling for a referendum to dissolve the only officially registered Islamic party in former Soviet Central Asia.  A letter distributed to imams before Friday Prayers on March 27 said that dissolving the party would help Tajikistan “"avoid the fate of other nations where Islamic extremists are disrupting peace and order.”  The letter is believed to have been circulated by a state-backed Islamic center that often sends imams recommended texts for sermons.

Founded in October 1990, the Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan is the only Islamic party officially registered in former Soviet Central Asia.  The IRP 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 source, the IRP now has some 50,000 members.

Since 1999, the party has reportedly been the second-largest party in Tajikistan after the ruling People''s Democratic Party of Tajikistan.

In the 2005 and 2010 parliamentary elections, the IRP won two out of 63 seats in the parliament, but in recent parliamentary polls the party failed to clear the 5 percent threshold needed to win parliament seats.

The party leaders said the elections were not fair and alleged fraud in vote-counting.