Interpol removed the leader of a banned Tajik Islamist party from its wanted list, he said, in a setback for the Dushanbe government’s efforts to portray its opponents as militants.
Muhiddin Kabiri, leader of the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT), told Reuters by telephone that the removal of the Interpol “Red Notice” would allow him to work more actively on building an opposition coalition.
The mostly Muslim former Soviet republic banned the IRPT in 2015, accusing it of being behind a failed coup and prompting a number of party leaders and activists, including Kabiri, to leave the country.
The IRPT denies being involved in attempts to topple the government.
According to Kabiri, its aim is to act as a check on any attempts by President Imomali Rakhmon to extend his powers or pass them on to family members.
Kabiri, now based in Western Europe, said his plan was “to create a coalition of moderate, secular and religious groups” in order to effect change in the impoverished nation bordering Afghanistan, “only by peaceful and legitimate means”.
Follow TKG on Twitter & Facebook
