Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic along a waterway. After Stalin's death in March 1953, Stalinabad, was renamed to "Dushanbe" on 10 November 1961 as part of the De-Stalinization program. In February 1990, tensions between the Tajiks and Armenians squared off in the republic's capital Dushanbe. 26 people died and 565 more were injured and the Soviet troops put down the riots. Both Yaqub Salimov, the Interior Minister and the youth activists were convicted for the participation in the riots. Later on 24 August 1990, Tajik SSR declared its sovereignty over Soviet laws. By 1991, Tajikistan participated in a referendum in March as part of the
Independence Day of Republic of Moldova language law on August 31, 1989, which proclaimed the Moldovan language to be the state language of the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic.On December 21, 1991, Moldova, along with 10 other Soviet republics, signed the act that formed the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Independence Day of Republic of Moldova Independence Day () is the national day of Moldova commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence from the Soviet Union on 27 August 1991. Being a public holiday its a free day for most of the people and employees, also most retail businesses and public institutions are closed on 27