This monitoring presents a compilation of reports from Tajikistan’s media and private reports from the NANSMIT monitoring network in the country.
Coordinator of the Monitoring Network in Tajikistan:
Abdufattokh Vokhidov
Head of the Legal Service:
Orifjon Azimov
Head of the Project in Tajikistan:
Nuriddin Karshibayev

Freedom of Speech in Tajikistan
Situation in December 2008

In December 2008, the NANSMIT Monitoring Service received 21 reports concerning violations of legal rights of journalists. Fifteen of them describe the factual situation in the media in the light of socio-legal and political environment; three reports describe direct violations of rights of media professionals; and three reports describe conflicts and accusations against the media and journalists.

I. PECULIARITIES OF POLITICAL, SOCIAL, ADMINISTRATIVE AND LEGAL CLIMATE IN THE COUNTRY DEFINING THE FACTUAL SITUATION IN THE MEDIA

1. Actions and behavior of officials defining the factual situation in the media

6 December
The Shifobakhsh newspaper, Dushanbe

The first issue of a new printing outlet of the Tajik Health Ministry and the National Healthy Life Style Center has come off the press. The newspaper will be published once a week.
Ziyo Rakhmon, editor of the new weekly is promotion of healthy life style. Shifobakhsh will be published in Tajik language, and in perspective, will appear online.

9 December
All media, Dushanbe

Persecution for telling truth, self-censorship, limited access to publicly important information, “forbidden grounds” – are in the list of troubles of the Tajik journalism. In 2008, these problems have become even more visible and palpable.

Such was the conclusion made by participants of the discussion on Media Sustainability Index (MSI) last Saturday, 6 December. The discussion was organized by International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX). The MSI meetings have become traditional; they are convened annually, by the end of the year.

Among the “newly emerged troubles”, the Tajik media have received amendments to Tajikistan’s Criminal Code establishing responsibility for “defamation of public officials”. Besides that, law-makers decided to “equalize” the media with the Internet, i.e. from now on, everything published in online outlets will be considered as published in printing media.

The Tajik media have to resolve a great number of problems – lack of human resources and trained professionals, poor technical and logistical bases, especially in provinces, etc. – to get closer to the internationally acknowledged standards of journalism.

24 December
All media, Dushanbe

Media professionals and university professors discussed one of the most important issues referring to printing outlets – economic independence of these entities as a major factor of the freedom of media. The discussion was organized by the public political newspaper Jomea and the Tajik Union of Journalists.

Mirsaid Sultonov, professor of the Tajik-Russian Slavic University stated in his presentation that 95 percent of media outlets in Tajikistan are not economically sustainable. Among profitable are the Asia Plus weekly, Digest Press and Reklamnaya Gazeta – all of them are printed in Russian.

Sultonov also stated that the Russian-language press is more professional compared to the Tajik-language newspapers, and the attitude to commercial advertisement in these outlets is more serious.

31 December
Independent newspaper Journalist, GBAO

A pilot edition of a newspaper Journalist came off the press in the city of Khorog, administrative center of Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO). The newspaper is a product of efforts of a local NGO with the same name – Journalist, and 15 volunteers, students of the Khorog State University.

“The newspaper is published within the framework of the project “Enhancing professionalism of young journalism” financed by the US embassy to Tajikistan, — said Mirzojalol Shojamolov, chairman of the Journalist NGO. — The newspaper contains all types of information materials: essays, interviews, feature stories, photo reportages and even poetry”.

The journalism department was created in the Khorog University three years ago, and currently, about 90 students study there.

2. Actions and behavior of officials defining the factual situation in the media

2 December
District newspaper Darvoz, Darvaz district, GBAO

Jura Nazriev, editor of the district newspaper Darvoz informed the NANSMIT monitoring service that the local administration has provided the newspaper with a new building, a computer and relevant technical equipment.

In the meantime, in the neighboring Vanch district, the authorities demolished a building previously belonging to the Vatan newspaper, and the staff was provided with very small premises.

4 December
Kim Gould, deputy ambassador of Great Britain to Tajikistan, Khujand, Sughd province

On 4 December, deputy ambassador of Great Britain to Tajikistan Ms. Kim Gould visited the city of Khujand in the northern Sughd province of Tajikistan.

The British diplomat visited media organizations in Sughd, which received small grants from the Embassy to implement four projects. The projects were designed to strengthen the media potential in mobilizing political parties in the development of civil society.

3. Journalists protecting their civil and professional rights

1 December
All media, Khorog, GBAO

Journalists, representatives of local administrations, NGOs and political parties discussed prospects of development of the media in the city of Khorog, administrative center of Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO).

The local affiliate of the Tajik Union of Journalists, the Civil Society Support Center “Kalam” discussed the problems of the media and issues of access to information.

Media professionals say that financial problems and poor development of the media market are the main reasons of weakness among the local media. A number of printing outlets have been closed during the last several years.

2 December
All media, Dushanbe

On 2 December, the public organization “Khoma” and Internews Network held a round table on the topic “Possibilities for creating public television in Tajikistan”.

The event was organized to attract attention of the authorities and public at large to the perspectives of public television in the country.

Participants discussed the concept and principles of functioning of public television, and experience of other countries.

26 December
Tajik Union of Journalists and NANSMIT, Dushanbe

The Union of Journalists of Tajikistan (UJT) and the National Association of Independent Media (NANSMIT) expressed their concern regarding the escalation of conflict between the Embassy of Russia to Tajikistan and a number of independent newspapers, and call the parties to tolerance and respect to the opinions of opponents.

Detailed information on this is available at:

II. VIOLATIONS OF RIGHTS IN THE MEDIA

1. Ungrounded denial of publicly important information

29 December
Radio Imruz, Dushanbe

On 29 December, Obid Khabibulloyev, correspondent of Radio Imruz approached officials of the Dushanbevodokanal municipal water supply facility to receive information about the water and sanitation situation in the capital.

The officials stated that they need a special permission from the mayor’s office for such information. They added that some media are in the “black list” of those with whom Dushanbevodokanal is not allowed to communicate at all. Among those are Radio Vatan, SMT, and Asia Plus. Radio Imruz, however, was not in that list.

COMMENT

In the case described above, denial of information is ungrounded.

Freedom of speech and the right to use the mass media are guaranteed and protected by Tajikistan’s Constitution. Only data, which present the state secrecy, might be considered as an exception. The data mentioned above is not considered a state secret.

Article 31 of the law “On printing and other mass media” provides journalists with the right to look for, receive and disseminate information by all legal means. And Article 5 of the law in question obliges all government, political and public organizations, as well as their officials to provide the media with all requested data.

2. Ungrounded limitations in dissemination of publicly important information

30 December
Farazh, private newspaper, Khujand, Sughd province

On the New Year’s eve, many readers failed to buy their favorite newspaper Farazh in Sughd province. Almost the whole printout disappeared from kiosks in the city of Khujand and in many other districts of the province.

Commenting on that, Khurshed Atovullo, editor of Farazh told the monitoring service that the reason of disappearance of the newspaper are some articles concerning two marketplaces – Panchshanbe and Afghonbazaar.

The editor also says that his staff intends to republish the articles and carry out an additional investigation of existing problems in the province.

COMMENT

It is unclear who confiscated the printout from sale, but such actions are unlawful. According to Article 22 of the Law “On printing and other mass media”, dissemination of media products is carried out by the publisher directly or on the basis of agreement or by other legal means jointly with communication enterprises or other organizations and individuals. Impeding to dissemination of media products, including confiscation from sale, is illegal unless it is made on the grounds of a verdict officially issued by court.

Regrettably, such cases do exist, and we strongly recommend to the media to investigate and make public every particular case to disclose those who are guilty and make them accountable.

3. Violation of labor rights

17 December
Rano Karimova, coordinator of the Asia TV & Radio company, Khujand, Sughd province

On 17 December, the Khujand city court decided to reinstate Ms. Rano Karimova in her former office on the basis of Articles 198-203 of Tajikistan’s Civil Administrative Code. Rano Karimova is coordinating programs of the Asia TV and radio company.

According to the court verdict, the broadcasting company must pay Karimova an amount of 1,571 Somoni as a compensation for forced idleness.

COMMENT

The court reinstated the journalist in her former office. The employer has the right to appeal against the judge’s decision.

We advise journalists to be more decisive and to stand upon their professional and civil rights.

III. CONFLICTS. VIOLATIONS INCRIMINATED TO THE MEDIA AND JOURNALISTS

1. Claims for protection of honor, dignity and business reputation

20 December
Jumkhuriyat newspaper, printing body of the government, Dushanbe

On 19 December, Muhiddin Kabiri, member of the lower chamber of the Tajik parliament expressed concern in an interview to the Tajik service of Radio Liberty regarding a letter by the Society of Tajikistani in Russia reprinted in the government newspaper Jumkhuriyat.

Initially, the letter was published in the SSSR newspaper, and later, reprinted by Jumkhuriyat. The letter signed by Abdullo Davlatov, chairman of the Society of Tajikistani in Russia and 20 other members contain criticism of Kabiri’s visit to Russia.

Kabiri says that private newspapers have the right to publish such letters – this is the manifestation of the freedom of opinion. However, the reprint in the government newspaper implies an official viewpoint of Tajikistan’s authorities.

Kabiri intends to raise this issue in the parliament.

25 December
Newspapers FК-cаpital, SSSR, Nigoh, Millat, Farazh
Dushanbe
In December, after the gruesome murders of two Tajik citizens in the Moscow region, several newspapers in Dushanbe accused Russian authorities of failing to uphold the civil rights of labor migrants, thereby leaving Tajiks laborers vulnerable to hate crimes perpetrated by criminal gangs and xenophobic nationalists. Adding further insult in the eyes of Tajik journalists, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov took steps in December to limit the number of work permits for foreign labor migrants. Tajikistan, with as many as a million workers in Russia, is deeply dependent on their remittances home.

Responding to the criticism on December 24, the Russian Embassy in Dushanbe sent a protest note to the Tajik Foreign Ministry demanding that authorities take measures to muzzle local media outlets. The embassy accused Tajik journalists of «deliberately» distorting facts, adding that «certain Tajik journalists had taken the liberty of insulting» top Russian officials.

See the full article at: http://www.eng.nansmit.tj/analysis/?id=38

This report is based on compiled materials from the media and private information presented by correspondents of the NANSMIT Monitoring Network

Coordinator of the Monitoring Service
Abdufattokh Vokhidov

Project Manager
Nuriddin Karshibayev

I am looking for video journalists to contribute stories to an international news website that will launch early next year. The per-story fee is very good, and there’s the opportunity to do more than one story on a single issue. We want contributors with a diverse array of skills, experiences and backgrounds who can help us show that there is more than one «truth» to issues. Our slogan is «It’s not about agreeing with everything you see; It’s about understanding where it comes from.»

We welcome good pitches from anyone throughout the world, but I’m specifically looking for video journalists in the following countries now:

Mexico
El Salvador
Philippines
France (Paris)
United States (Chicago, California, Texas)
Ireland
UK
Tajikistan
Moldova
China
Spain
Saudi Arabia
UAE
Kuwait
Ukraine
Sudan
Chad
China
Kenya

Please let me know if you would be interested in contributing, or if you can recommend other journalists in your region.

Thanks,

Emily Kopp
Reporter/Coordinator
The Video Journalism Movement
e-mail: ekopp@vjmovement.com
skype: ekopp-vjm
phone: +31 20 779 7738

The Video Journalism Movement

The reverberations caused by the crash of the Russian economy are shaking Tajikistan at its foundation. Russian officials in recent weeks have ordered drastic cutbacks in the number of guest workers in the country. These decisions stand to have a profound impact on Tajikistan, which is heavily dependent on the remittances sent home by migrant laborers.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said recently that the reduction in guest worker quotas was a natural response to the worsening economic picture in Russia. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. But since Putin’s pronouncement, the outlook for migrant workers has only grown dimmer, underscored by the early December announcement by Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov that the number of foreign laborers in the capital would need to be cut in half.
Russia hosts 1 million Tajik migrant workers, according to authorities there; unofficial figures are much higher. Any significant cut in the number of Tajiks allowed to work in Russia could have disastrous economic repercussions for the Tajik economy, as 98 percent of remittances currently sent home by Tajiks originate in Russia, according to Asian Development Bank figures. Last year, $1.8 billion was transferred into the country through official banking systems, more than twice the size of Dushanbe’s national budget. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Unofficial estimates say migrant remittances are responsible for generating up to two-thirds of the country’s GDP.
With the financial crisis, experts are cautioning that decreasing remittances — and subsequent social pressures at home — are inevitable, heaping more pain upon an already hard-pressed population. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. The Asia-Plus news agency reported that in November alone, the volume of remittance transfers through Tajik banks dropped between 15 and 25 percent over the previous month.
The deputy chairman of the Tajik National Bank, Jamshed Yusupov, told an audience in Dushanbe on December 15 that the economy must brace for a shock. A «second and more powerful wave of the financial crisis is brewing,» he warned, and Tajikistan «will feel very strongly its aftermath.»
The stagnant Tajik economy is unable to absorb a flood of returning workers, observers say. Already, more than 70 percent of Tajiks live in rural areas, where unemployment is already widespread. International financial institutions such as the World Bank, the IMF and the Asian Development Bank all note that the lack of work in rural areas is the main cause of labor migration.
Shokirjon Hakimov, department head at the Tajik Institute of International Relations, feels that a sudden influx of returning of labor migrants could lead to social tension in Tajikistan. «The situation is getting worse . . . and the government has not taken any effective measures so far to create the necessary conditions for their [migrant workers’] employment inside of the country,» Hakimov told the Asia-Plus news agency. He predicts increasing social and political tension, including rising crime and a significant «fall in people’s living standards.»
Others caution that the situation is stoking a brain drain. Lidia Isamova, a journalist and expert on social issues told EurasiaNet that after several years of stability, some of Tajikistan’s smartest professionals are now looking for work abroad due to plummeting need for their skills at home. «Among the migrants of the new wave, there are qualified specialists — those who are always in demand. They can use labor quotas of the countries of ’the near abroad,’ Ukraine, Belarus and the Baltic states,» she said.
But some Russians say that migrants need not worry. It is unlikely, they say, that Russians will be eager to fill the menial jobs that Tajiks and other Central Asian citizens often performed. As politicians last week responded to Putin’s calls for measures limiting foreign work permits, the Russian daily Vremya Novostei commented that such statements are merely lip service. «Statements by the leaders of the state on the necessity of reducing the labor quotas are nothing but reverence to trade unions and United Russia,» read the paper’s editorial page.
Even so, mass layoffs are occurring across the country. According to Russia’s Ministry of Healthcare and Social Development, since the beginning of October almost 30,000 people have been laid off; and hundreds of thousands more have been forced to accept pay cuts.

Editor’s Note: Konstantin Parshin is a freelance journalist based in Dushanbe.

Posted December 16, 2008 © Eurasianet

Konstantin Parshin

Источник: http://eurasianet.org/departments/insightb/articles/eav121608.shtml

International journalists are encouraged to publicize threats to press freedom and track media freedom worldwide on Journalism.co.uk’s new Dipity page.

The Dipity page, called «International Journalism: media freedom around the world,» features a world map including a timeline with news and events related to freedom of the press.

Dipity users can manually update the page’s resources, but Journalism.co.uk will monitor it for any misuse. The page’s followers may receive Twitter updates when the timeline is updated.

To create a Dipity account, sign up at http://www.dipity.com/.

To find out more, visit http://www.journalism.co.uk/5/articles/533032.php

https://www.ijnet.org/ijnet/training_opportunities/online_resource_tracking_media_freedom_around_the

Reporters who work outside the protection of major news organizations are eligible to apply for the Fund for Investigative Journalism for grants to work on investigative journalism stories. Deadline: February 1, 2009.

Established by the late Philip M. Stern in 1969, the fund helps finance investigative pieces on corruption, malfeasance, incompetence, societal ills, and investigative media criticism. Grants range from US$500 to US$10,000.

Applicants must write a letter outlining the story idea, what he or she expects to prove, how this will be done, and sources to be used for the proof.

For application guidelines or more information, visit http://www.fij.org.

https://www.ijnet.org/ijnet/training_opportunities/grants_to_support_investigative_reporting_project

Mukhiddin Kabiri, a member of the Tajik Parliament’s lower chamber expressed concern over the publication of an open letter written by the Society of Tajikistani in Russia.

The letter was published in a recent issue of Jumkhuriyat, an official weekly of the Tajik government. The paper published a letter signed by Abdullo Davlatov, chairman of the Society of Tajikistani in Russia. The letter contained a number of other signatures belonging to the ethnic society’s activists. In his letter, Davlatov and his colleagues criticized the outcomes of Kabiri’s recent trip to Russia.

It should be noted that initially, the letter was published in a private newspaper SSSR, and later was reprinted by Jumkhuriyat.

Commenting on this to Radio Liberty and the Tajik state TV, Kabiri said that private newspapers are free to publish such letters; moreover, this is a manifestation of the freedom of speech. But he is alarmed by the fact of reprinting of the publication in the newspaper belonging to the government. In other words, such a publication is an expression of the government’s official opinion.

“It is worrisome that the government media outlets – instead of calling people for peace and accord – are sowing seeds of discord among different strata of the society, practicing instigation and disseminating libel”, — added Kabiri.

Kabiri is going to bring this issue to consideration of the Parliament. He also required the Parliament to evaluate the outcomes of his official trip to Russia.

Broadcast leaders and journalists will convene to discuss the “Media Impact, Influence and Integrity in Changing Times” at the Sixth Asia Media Summit, scheduled for May 25 to 27, 2009 in Macau, China.

The annual summit’s purpose is to gather broadcasting leaders from Asia and around the world to discuss the media’s role in society and its development. Participants will network, share business strategies, and address various challenges to the industry.

This year’s summit will cover a wide range of topics such as media recruitment, coverage of food and fuel prices, small media stations management, media in conflict zones and emerging democracies, as well as new media and the next generation, marketing and advertising strategies, and creating media literate citizens. The full program can be downloaded here.

The Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD), based in Malaysia, organizes the summit each year with several international partners and sponsors.

For more information, including visa information, or to download the registration form, visit http://www.aibd.org.my/conferences/ams/.

https://www.ijnet.org/ijnet/training_opportunities/registration_open_for_asia_media_summit_2009_1

IREX Europe is pleased to announce a newspaper feature article competition focusing on social affairs journalism with an emphasis on women’s and children’s rights.

The competition is part of the EC funded project «Mobilising the Media in Support of Women’s and Children’s Rights in Central Asia» implemented by IREX Europe in Partnership with the BBC World Service Trust, and local partners Eurasia Media Centre (Yekaterinburg, Russia), National Association of Independent Media of Tajikistan (Dushanbe, Tajikistan), Bereke (Shymkent, Kazakhstan) and Osh Media Resource Centre (Kyrgyzstan). All journalists working in newspapers in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are eligible.

The production of materials will take place under the editorial guidance of BBC and IREX Europe experts. The participants of production workshops will enjoy full financial and logistical support from the Project. The winners in each country will go on a study tour abroad, while runners-up will receive valuable prizes. But in order to compete you have to first complete a distance learning “i-learn” programme on journalism.

If you want to join in you need to submit a short resume of information about yourself, stating name, place of work and contact details. This should be submitted to the Project e-mail: casianpro@elcat.kg. From these email applications the program will select those who can move on to the next stage and follow the “i-learn” training using the i-Learn system developed and run by the BBC. Only candidates who have completed the i-learn training will be able to take part in the production workshops. On i-learn course completion, successful candidates will be sent application forms for final selection.

Deadline for registration: 20th December 2008. The deadline for completion of on-line training: 10th January 2009.

For more information, you can call on + 996 312 324952 to talk to the Project Regional Media Co-ordinator, Gulnura Toralieva.

Flora GRAIONI

Program Manager — IREX Europe

53 rue de Saint-Cyr

69009 LYON

FRANCE

Tel and Fax: +33 (0)4 78 91 44 67

Mob: +33 (0)6 72 57 46 50

Website: www.europe.irex.org

SOCIAL AFFAIRS JOURNALISM COMPETITION BY IREX

A competition will award the best journalist materials on hypertension and obesity, published in Russian. Deadline: December 20.

International reporters from print and broadcast media outlets are invited to participate, though all materials must be submitted in Russian. Works must have been published between March 1 and December 20, 2008.

Prize winners will be announced at the annual Russian Press Ball in January, 2009. Award winners will receive a laptop, a digital camera and a digital recorder.

The contest is organized by the Russian Union of Journalists and the Russian Society on Hypertension with the goal to propagate a healthy way of living. The official sponsor is a Japanese-based A&D medical equipment company.

Information is available (in Russian) at http://www.ruj.ru/news_2008/080826-1.htm, http://www.and-rus.ru/ and http://www.gipertonik.ru/.

https://www.ijnet.org/ijnet/training_opportunities/competition_to_award_journalists_covering_hyperte

Persecution for telling truth, self-censorship, limited access to publicly important information, “forbidden grounds” – are in the list of troubles of the Tajik journalism. In 2008, these problems have become even more visible and palpable.

Such was the conclusion made by participants of the discussion on Media Sustainability Index (MSI) last Saturday, 6 December. The discussion was organized by International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX). The MSI meetings have become traditional; they are convened annually, by the end of the year.

Among the “newly emerged troubles”, the Tajik media have received amendments to Tajikistan’s Criminal Code establishing responsibility for “defamation of public officials”. Besides that, law-makers decided to “equalize” the media with the Internet, i.e. from now on, everything published in online outlets will be considered as published in printing media.

The Tajik media have to resolve a great number of problems – lack of human resources and trained professionals, poor technical and logistical bases, especially in provinces, etc. – to get closer to the internationally acknowledged standards of journalism.

ABOUT IREX
IREX is an international nonprofit organization specializing in education, independent media, Internet development, and civil society programs in the United States, Europe, Eurasia, the Middle East and North Africa, and Asia. Founded in 1968, IREX has an annual portfolio of $50 million and a staff of over 500 professionals worldwide. IREX and its partner IREX Europe deliver cross-cutting programs and consulting expertise in more than 50 countries.

NANSMIT