Centre1: Twenty years ago the civil war in Tajikistan ended

Centre1 publishes a commentary dated 27 June 2017 by author “Амири Замон” (pseudonym) marking the 20th anniversary of the end of Tajikistan’s civil war. The article reports that on that date 20 years earlier a peace and national reconciliation agreement was signed between United Tajik Opposition (UTO) chairman Said Abdullo Nuri (Саид Абдулло Нури) and Tajikistan’s president Emomali Rahmon (Эмомали Рахмон). According to the article, the agreement was brokered with direct assistance from Russia, Iran, Afghanistan’s “Northern Alliance”, the UN and Central Asian states. The article states that the five-year 1992–1997 conflict claimed 150,000 lives, that the anniversary was later designated as the state holiday Day of Peace and National Unity, and that fragile peace held after the agreement. The article reports that the integrated opposition received 30% of seats in the coalition government per the terms, but that Rahmon later conducted a “revision” of appointed opposition figures, describing warlords being removed and the president carrying out constitutional reform to strengthen his power and creating the People’s Democratic Party through which he came to control the legislature. The article reports that the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT), led since 2006 by Muhiddin Kabiri (Мухиддин Кабири), described as a young moderate leader, gained popularity among secular Tajiks; the article states that Rahmon initially used Islamists to project pluralism to the West but later moved to repression, leading to the party’s closure in 2015. The article reports that Rahmon received the title Hero of Tajikistan while Said Abdullo Nuri, co-signatory, was not mentioned in state propaganda. Sources cited: Centre1’s own editorial voice under pseudonym “Амири Замон”.