Otakhon Latifi
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Otakhon Latifi | |
|---|---|
Отахон Латифӣ | |
| Born | March 18, 1936 |
| Died | September 22, 1998 (62 years old) |
Otakhon Latifi (Tajik:Отахон Латифи) (March 18, 1936 – September 22, 1998) was a noted journalist and politician from Tajikistan.
He was born in the town of Pendjikent. Under the Soviet Union, he was both Pravda and Izvestiya's correspondent in Tajikistan at various times. He also served as head of the Union of Journalists of Tajikistan.
Career
Latifi branched into politics in 1989, becoming deputy chairman of the Tajik Council of Ministers. He became involved in the peace process that followed the country's bloody post-independence civil war. In 1992, he became Deputy Prime Minister, as part of Tajikistan's national reconciliation government.
Over time, Latifi became a prominent opposition figure, as a senior member in the United Tajik Opposition. This led to a period in exile in Tehran and Moscow between 1992 and 1997 during the Tajikistani civil war. While in Moscow, on August 4, 1994, Latifi was badly beaten outside his Moscow apartment, and key documents relating to the peace process were stolen.
On his return to Tajikistan in September 1997, he chaired the panel for legal issues under the National Reconciliation Commission, a role which he continued until his death.
