DUSHANBE, July 10, Asia-Plus  -- A court in Dushanbe’s Shohmansour district ruled on July 9 that Saidjaffar Ismonov must pay 100 somonis in fine for illegally introducing himself as chairman of the Democratic Party (DPT).  The case stems from a June interview of Saidjaffar Ismonov with the Dushanbe weekly Farazh .  

We will recall that the court case pitting an officially recognized DPT leader, Masoud Sobirov, against Saidjaffar Ismonov, leader of one of three wings of the DPT, began in the Shohmansour court on July 4.  Masoud Sobirov asked for 150,000 somonis in damages after Saidjaffar Ismonov introduced himself as the DPT leader.  In the suit filed against Ismonov, Sobirov, in particular, noted that in an article published in the Dushanbe weekly Farazh last month, Ismonov introduced himself as chairman of the Democratic Party of Tajikistan.

The Democratic Party split after Sobirov formed a separate faction in April 2006, which the Ministry of Justice recognized as the official Democratic Party in October 2006, and at present there are three DPT factions run by Masoud Sobirov, Mahmadruzi Iskandarov and Saidjaffar Ismonov. 

The party congress held by Ismonov’s supporters on January 14, 2007, charged Masoud Sobirov with inaction and removed him.  They elected Ismonov as leader of the party.  But the Ministry of Justice noted that the January 14 congress was held in violation of the party''s charter and Tajik law and denied a request by Saidjaffar Ismonov to be recognized as the leader of the Democratic Party.  

Speaking in an interview with Asia-plus, Saidjaffar Ismonov said that he will not be at law with Sobirov any more.  “I will just say only one thing – to stop split within the party I am ready to unite with all democrats except Sobirov,” Ismonov said.