DUSHANBE, February 13, Asia-Plus -- Tajikistan’s Democratic Party has prepared appeal to Russia’s Government and State Duma (Russia’s lower chamber of parliament) asking to ratify International Convention on protection of rights of labor migrants and members of their families.  

The DPT hosted a news conference on this subject in Dushanbe Monday [February 13].

The DPT deputy chairman, Rahmatullo Valiyev, speaking to journalists said: “We appeal to the Government of the Russian Federation and State Duma asking to ratify to International Convention on protection of rights of labor migrants and members of their families.” 

“We also appeal to Tajikistan ’s Government and Parliament asking to regulate legal status of Tajik migrants through working out mechanisms for implementation of signed bilateral agreements on labor migration.”  At present Tajik labor migrants staying in the Russian Federation do not have elementary human rights, according to him.     

During the news conference the party’s leadership also expressed condolences of families of those that died in fires in Moscow this month.  

The Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service reported on February 9 that sixteen Tajik labor migrants have been killed in three separate fires in Moscow since February 3.  The most recent fire happened on February 8, in which four people were killed.  On the night of February 5-6, nine Tajik labor migrants died in nearly identical circumstances in Moscow ''s Dolgoprudny region.  That fire was preceded by a similar fire on February 3, also in Dolgoprudny, in which three Tajiks -- two women and a child -- were killed, according to Radio Liberty.