New York, March 7, 2012—Authorities in Tajikistan must immediately lift the order blocking domestic access to several news websites and Facebook, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

On Friday, the Tajik state communications agency ordered local Internet providers to block access to Facebook and the independent news websites Zvezda, Maxala, CentrAsia, and TjkNews, according to news reports. The agency cited scheduled technical maintenance although it did not explain why it would need to shut down these particular websites, the independent regional news website Ferghana News reported.

Reuters reported that the authorities issued the order the day after Zvezda published a political commentary, headlined «Tajikistan on the eve of revolution,» which TjkNews and CentrAsia republished shortly after. It is unclear if Maxala was targeted for similar reasons. The article covered a recent meeting in which Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon allegedly ordered security services to increase surveillance of local religious groups and members of the Islamic Party of Tajikistan, news reports said. The article also criticized Rahmon for growing authoritarianism, inattention to government corruption, and increasing poverty, CPJ’s review of the articles found.

Minutes of Rahmon’s meeting were also posted on Facebook, which spurred several public comments, before access to the social networking site was blocked, Radio Ozodi, the Tajik service of the U.S. government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, reported.

«We call on officials to immediately restore access to Facebook and to news websites Zvezda, Maxala, CentrAsia, and TjkNews,» CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Nina Ognianova said. «Rahmon’s administration should tolerate the criticism and scrutiny that come with holding public office, and stop censoring critical media.»

One local Internet provider told independent news website Asia-Plus that when it resisted the order, state Internet and communications company Tajiktelekom cut its service. The provider, which asked Asia-Plus not to reveal its name, eventually blocked access to the websites in exchange for restored service.

In a statement published Tuesday, Tajikistan’s Internet Providers’ Association condemned the censorship order and urged authorities to drop it, Radio Ozodi reported.

http://www.cpj.org/2012/03/tajikistan-orders-internet-providers-to-block-webs.php

The Organization For Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has called on Tajikistan to reverse instructions to block social-networking website Facebook and four independent news websites.

Access to the world’s most popular social networking site and Russian-language sites centrasia.ru, tjk.news.com, zvezda.ru, and maxala.org has been cut off since March 3, apparently in response to an order from the state communications agency.

The OSCE described the move as a «worrying development.»

Tajik officials have cited «technical reasons» for the problem and pledged that it would be corrected «soon.»

http://www.rferl.org/content/osce_tajiks_reverse_ban_facebook_news_websites/24508122.html

DUSHANBE — Two rights groups have condemned Tajikistan’s state communications service for blocking Tajik users’ access to social-network website Facebook and several independent news sites.

Facebook and the Russian-language sites centrasia.ru, tjk.news.com, and zvezda.ru on March 6 remained blocked in Tajikistan.

Access has been cut off since March 3, apparently in response to an order from government authorities.

Tajikistan’s Internet Service Providers Association denounced the move as a «direct threat» to Tajik national information security, according to the Tajik Civil Internet Policy Initiative’s website.

U.S.-based Freedom House has also condemned the Tajik government for regularly restricting access to websites critical of the government.

Tajik officials have cited «technical reasons» for the loss of access to the sites and pledged that the reported problem would be corrected «soon.»

http://www.rferl.org/content/tajik_groups_condemn_blocking_of_facebook_news_websites/24506665.html

The Dag Hammarskjöld Fund for Journalists is now accepting applications from professional journalists from developing countries for its 2012 fellowship program. The application deadline is Wednesday, March 30, 2012.

The fellowships are available to radio, television, print and web journalists, age 25 to 35, from developing countries who are interested in coming to New York to report on international affairs during the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly. The fellowships will begin in early September and extend to late November and will include the cost of travel and accommodations in New York, as well as a per diem allowance.

The fellowship program is open to journalists who are native to one of the developing countries in Africa, Asia, South America and the Caribbean, and are currently working full-time for a bona fide media organization in a developing nation. Applicants must demonstrate an interest in and commitment to international affairs and to conveying a better understanding of the United Nations to their readers and audiences. They must also have approval from their media organizations to spend up to two months in New York to report from the United Nations. Click here for full eligibility criteria and documentation requirements and the fellowship application form.

In an effort to rotate recipient countries, the Fund will not consider journalist applications for 2012 from nations selected in 2011: China, Ethiopia, India and Nigeria. Journalists from these countries may apply in 2013.

Four journalists are selected each year after a review of all applications. The journalists who are awarded fellowships are given the incomparable opportunity to observe international diplomatic deliberations at the United Nations, to make professional contacts that will serve them for years to come, to interact with seasoned journalists from around the world, and to gain a broader perspective and understanding of matters of global concern. Many past fellows have risen to prominence in their professional and countries. The program is not intended to provide basic skills training to journalists, as all participants are media professionals.

Questions about the program, eligibility and application process can be directed to fellowship(at)unjournalismfellowship.org.

http://www.scholarshipwarrior.com/2012/02/29/united-nations-journalism-fellowships-for-developing-co

The media-freedom representative of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has called on Kyrgyzstan’s government to immediately lift its block on the Fergananews.com news website.

OSCE official Dunja Mijatovic issued a statement calling on Kyrgyz authorities to ensure Internet freedom in the Central Asian country.

The website — which is also known as Fergana.ru and Fergana.news — was blocked by the state-controlled Internet services provider Kyrgyztelecom on the written instructions of the Kyrgyz State Communications Agency.

Another Internet service provider, Aknet, also reported receiving such a letter, although many other Kyrgyz Internet providers said they had no such information.

In mid-2011, the Kyrgyz parliament passed a resolution calling on the website to be blocked throughout the country, citing the site’s coverage of the June 2010 violence in southern Kyrgyzstan.

http://www.rferl.org/content/osce_urges_kyrgyzstan_to_ligt_ban_on_news_websute/24497968.html

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: March 16, 2012

The U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe announces a request for proposals under the 2012 Democracy Commission Small Grants Program. The purpose of the program is to award small grants for specific projects that support the development of democratic institutions in Tajikistan. Primarily, grants will be awarded to non-governmental, non-profit organizations (NGOs). The amount of a grant must not be more than $50,000 (USD), but the Commission will give priority to applications that implement similar projects with lower budgets. To be eligible for consideration, every applicant must be engaged in or carry out a project the purpose of which is to promote the development of democratic institutions in Tajikistan. The Democracy Commission Small Grants Program has existed in Tajikistan since 2001.

The U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe will accept proposals for consideration by the Democracy Commission Small Grants Program on the following themes:

Fostering a strong and independent media

· Organizational management

· Media Legal Defense

· Media Legislation

Proposals should contain clearly formulated goals and target groups, and show the ability of the applying organization to carry out the project. Prior to submission all applicants requesting over $25,000 USD must obtain the organization’s Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) DUNS (www.dnb.ru) and get registered in the CCR: (https://www.bpn.gov/ccr/default.aspx).

Proposals along with the filled-out SF form 424 attached separately should be submitted in English only via e-mail to:

Email: GrantProposalsDushanbe@state.gov

Contact person: Sherzod Abdujabborov

U.S. Embassy, Public Affairs Section

Tel: (992 37) 229 2315, 229 2000;

fax: (992 37) 229 2050

Note: Projects with a computer based English translation will not be accepted.

The U.S. Embassy’s Democracy Commission Grant Program is limited to organizations based in Tajikistan. Projects NOT funded by the U.S. Embassy Democracy Commission Program include those requested by non-Tajikistani organizations, those relating to partisan political activity, charitable activity and humanitarian aid, fund-raising campaigns, commercial projects, those involving individuals not affiliated with an organization that can provide long-term sustainability to the project, and those that duplicate existing projects.

Grant application forms are available in the attachment or on our web site http://dushanbe.usembassy.gov/demcom.html They can also be obtained from the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe via the email noted above. If you have additional questions or need consultation on your project proposal please contact the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy at the numbers above on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:30 to 12:00.

http://dushanbe.usembassy.gov/

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is calling on Afghan authorities to fully investigate the murder of radio journalist Samid Khan Bahadarzai and bring those responsible to justice.

In a statement, the media advocacy group said Bahadarzai, who worked for the Melma Radio station, was found dead near his home in eastern Afghanistan’s Paktika Province late on February 21 or early on February 22.

Several reports said he had been decapitated, while one Afghan daily, Pajhwok Afghan News, reported he had been stabbed and shot in the head.

Police are reportedly investigating whether his death was linked to a telephone call he received on February 21 by unidentified men who requested a meeting.

The Taliban has denied responsibility for the murder.

The CPJ said 21 journalists have been killed in Afghanistan since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001.

http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan_urged_to_investigate_reporters_death/24494656.html

New York, February 23, 2012-The Kyrgyz government’s decision to block access to the independent news website Ferghana News contradicts the country’s declared commitment to press freedom and should be overturned immediately, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Kyrgyzstan’s largest Internet provider, the state-controlled Kyrgyztelecom, has blocked domestic access to the Moscow-based website since Monday, Daniil Kislov, the editor of Ferghana News, told CPJ. Up to 50 percent of Internet users in Kyrgyzstan use Kyrgyztelecom to connect to the Web, the journalist said. Kislov also told CPJ that since authorities had already urged other Internet service providers to block the website, Ferghana News might soon be completely inaccessible domestically.

Kyrgyztelecom told Ferghana News that Prime Minister Omurbek Babanov had ordered the blocking of the website. News accounts reported that a June 2011 parliament resolution, following an investigation into the causes and developments surrounding the June 2010 ethnic conflict, urged the government to block the website. The resolution did not offer any explanation for the decision, CPJ research shows. In addition, there was no court order for the blocking, as required by the country’s media law, Kislov told CPJ.

In an interview with the Kyrgyz service of the U.S. government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, parliament member Tokon Mamytov said that Ferghana News had published materials that spread ethnic and religious strife in Kyrgyzstan, and that the site’s coverage of the country’s events was mostly negative and discredited the ethnic Kyrgyz people. Mamytov denied that the resolution violated freedom of speech, RFE/RL reported.

«This is a deeply disturbing assault on Internet freedom where yet again an authoritarian government gets an Internet service provider to do its censorship dirty work,» said CPJ Deputy Director Robert Mahoney. «The Kyrgyz authorities must immediately restore access to Ferghana News.»

Ferghana News has long been at odds with Kyrgyz authorities. In March 2010, authorities blocked the website after it reported on government corruption and human rights abuses in Kyrgyzstan, but denied doing so, according to CPJ research. This is the first time the government has issued written orders to block the website, CPJ research shows.

CPJ is a New York-based, independent, nonprofit organization
that works to safeguard press freedom worldwide