DUSHANBE, October 5, Asia-Plus -- Publication of an official newspaper of the Democratic Party (DPT) newspaper, Adolat (Justice), has been suspended again.  

The Adolat editor-in-chief Rajab Mirzo said that yesterday evening, when they were preparing the next issue of the weekly for publication the head of the private printing house publishing their newspaper called them and said that they will not publish the newspaper.  “According to him, they have received a letter from the Ministry of Culture with request for suspending publication of Adolat,” Rajab Mirzo said.  

In the meantime, Mirzo Badalov, the head of the department for publishing houses and the press of the Ministry of Culture, said the ministry had made such a decision following application of the new leader of the DPT Masoud Sobirov.  “In his application to the ministry, Sobirov has asked to suspend the publication of the party newspaper,” said Badalov, “He has the right to do this as he is the party leader and the party is founder of Adolat.” 

According to him, the ministry’s decision to temporarily suspend publication of Adolat is legal.  “The newspaper is registered with the Ministry of Culture,” said Badalov, “We have not closed down the weekly; the newspaper is temporarily suspended until the within the part problems are tackled.”  

Rajab Mirzo considers that the Ministry of Culture is not authorized to interfere in these affairs.  “It is in contrary to the country’s law “On the Press and Other Media,” Rajab Mirzo said.  

However, this issue of Adolat was brought out, but in smaller format.  “Using copying machine, we have printed 99 copies, which is not in contrary to the country’s legislation,” the Adolat editor said.

The Democratic Party resumed publication of its newspaper on September 6 after a two-year hiatus.   The 8-page Adolat was published once a week as it was before and had a circulation of a 1,000.

After the DPT was re-registered in December 1999, publication of Adolat  resumed in 2000.  But in 2004 “Adolat” was closed, as was the independent Tajik weekly Nerui Sukhan (Power of Word).