DUSHANBE, March 5, Asia-Plus  -- The Communist Party (CPT) leader also deputy of the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament) Shodi Shabdolov on March 4 sent an open letter to President Emomali Rahmon over the dismantlement of the Lenin monument in Dushanbe.

We will recall that by Dushanbe mayor’s resolution the monument was dismantled on the night of March 1-2 and handed over to the country’s Arts Stock.   

In his letter, Shodi Shabdolov, in particular, notes that before that the party has applied twice to the president for permission to relocate the Lenin monument from the Dushanbe Central Park to the place in font of the building, which houses the CPT head office.  According to him, the first letter was sent to the president on March 31, 2007 following president’s order of March 29 on the creation of architectural complex with the monument to Abu Abdullo Rudaki and the second one was sent to the president in November 2007.       

The Communist leader noted that the monument, erected in Dushanbe in 1926, was a symbol of revival of national statehood of Tajiks and the establishment of the Tajik Soviet Socialist Autonomous Republic.  According to him, the monument was included on the national register of Tajikistan’s historical and cultural relics.   “We apply to You as guarantor of the Constitution asking to protect this historical relic,” the letter said.    

“It is to be noted that the Ministry of Culture and the Dushanbe Mayor’s Office did not submit any proposal to the government on preservation, keeping, reconstruction or relocation of this object, which is of statewide significance, violating requirements of Articles 5, 8, 9, 10, 20 and 22 of the RT Law “On Protection and Use of Historical and Cultural Relics,” the letter noted.  

“This circumstance forced the Board of the Central Committee of the Communist Party to repeatedly apply to You, Mr. President, for permission to relocate the Lenin monument to 37 Foteh Niyozi Street, where the party’s head office is located, because in accordance with the mentioned law [on protection and use of historical and cultural relics], it can be done only by government’s resolution.” 

The Communists hold that a decision on the dismantlement of the Lenin monument should have been made by the president himself or at least by the prime minister but not by the Dushanbe mayor’s office.  

Speaking in an interview with Asia-Plus, Subhon Safiuloyev, the head of the CPT organization for Dushanbe, said they on March 3 received a letter from the Deputy Prime Minister, Ms. Ruqiya Qurbonova, which says that the order on the dismantlement of the monument was given by the Deputy Dushanbe Mayor, Ms. Sanovbar Rahimova, “which in contrary with the law on protection and use of historical and cultural relics.”