DUSHANBE, November 15, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- Tajik public associations and human rights organizations have released an open letter to Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev over pilots’ case.

Ms. Nodira Abdulloyeva, the labor migration program manager, Human Rights Center says Tajik public associations are seriously concerned over the situation that emerged around the case of two pilots of Rolkan Investments Ltd and “the possibility of negative impact of that [situation] on rights of Tajik labor migrants working in the Russian Federation.”

“We apply to President Emomali Rahmon and Tajik judicial bodies with solicitation to take all necessary measures to ensure a fair trial for Vladimir Sadovnichiy and Aleksey Rudenko,” the letter says.

Taking into account reports about the deportation of Tajik migrants from Russia, we apply to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Russia’s migration bodies not to be guided by the situation around the sentencing of the pilots in Tajikistan in conducting the deportation process, the letter noted.

“At the same time, we call on Tajik diplomatic mission and representative office of Tajikistan’s Migration Service in Russia to pay a special attention to protection of rights of Tajik nationals in the Russian Federation,” the statement said.

Tajik NGOs are seriously concerned over the problems of observance of rights of Tajik labor migrants in Russia.

“We call on the governments of both friendly countries to strengthen their bilateral relations, observe rights and interests of citizens of both nations and adhere to international human rights standards.”

Tajik human rights organizations hope that competent bodies of both countries will prevent violation of obligations on observance of human rights in the framework of membership of both countries in the OSCE and Russia’s membership to the European Convention on Human Rights.