Tajik universities have been left without access to Internet after the communications service agency has blocked access of the Tajik Academic, Research and Educational Network Users Association (TARENA) to Internet.

The Communications Service under the Government of Tajikistan sealed TARENA technical office in Dushanbe on April 22 without any explanations, an official source at TAREAN told Asia-Plus Friday evening.

Asia-Plus failed to contact the communications service agency on April 27.

The Tajik Academic, Research and Educational Network Users Association was set up in 2002 in the framework of an agreement between Tajikistan and the European Union. 

The academic community of Tajikistan consists of more than 20 research institutes and more than 30 universities. Most of these establishments, including Tajik National university, Russian-Tajik Slavic University, Tajik Medical University and many other universities of the country as well as the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan, are members of the Tajik Academic, Research and Educational Network Users Association (TARENA).

In partnership with local and international civil society institutions (OSI Tajikistan, CIPI, CEENet) and international organizations (UNDP, NATO Security Through Science Program), TARENA works to apply ICTs to the community’s needs.