DUSHANBE, March 9, 2013, Asia-Plus – An open statement, released by the Social-Democratic Party (SDP) leader Rahmatillo Zoirov on March 9, says that the law enforcement authorities are trying to make his friends and neighbors witness against him.

In his opinion, this is connected with the upcoming presidential election in the country.  According to him, over the past six months, the central and local authorities as well as the law enforcement agencies have tried to prevent any addenda and changes to the country’s Constitutional law on the presidential election.

The statement, in particular, notes that they planned to hold a roundtable on that theme in September three times but every time the authorities impeded them.

Besides, psychological and moral pressure has been made on members of the Coalition Council that was set up for making amendments to the law on the presidential election.  The lawsuit filed by the Dushanbe mayor’s office against the Islamic Revival Party (IRP) leader Muhiddin Kabiri and pressure made on the SDP deputy leader Shokirjon Hakimov, who was threatened with violence, are the kinds of such a pressure, the statement noted.

“The authorities now want to make pressure on Rahmatillo Zoirov as well, the statement says.

“The unregistered public association, The National Movement of Tajikistan, has decided to nominate Rahmatillo Zoirov as a single candidate for president without any coordination with the Coalition Council and Rahmatillo Zoirov.  This initiative has disturbed the authorities and pressure has become stronger.”  Over the past twenty days, the law enforcement authorities have reportedly made pressure on friends and former neighbors of Rahmatillo Zoirov, trying to make them witness against him, but they have refused.