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

In May 2009 the NANSMIT Monitoring Service received 17 reports. Ten 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 four 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. Public speeches and statements of superior officials defining the factual situation in the mass media

6 May
All media, Dushanbe

On the eve of the International Freedom of Press Day the international non-governmental organization Freedom House published a traditional report Global Press Freedom 2009.

Tajikistan is rated 168-th among the 195 countries, where Freedom House assessed freedom and security of the media. Tajikistan shares this line with Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Sudan.

2. Journalists protecting their civil and professional rights

2 May
Bobojon Ikromov, freelance journalist, Khujand, Sughd province

Well-known Tajik journalist Bobojon Ikromov received an international award “Intellect of the Nation” for his merits in intellectual development of the society and high professional achievements. The conferment ceremony took place in Moscow, Russia, on 29 April, within the framework of the program Leaders of the XXI Century.

4 May
All media, Dushanbe

Dushanbe hosted a round table on the occasion of the International Free Pres Day. The event was organized by the National Association of Independent Media, Tajikistan (NANSMIT), the Tajik Union of Journalists, the Media Alliance of Tajikistan and the International Association of Persian-language Journalists “Afruz” under support of the OSCE Bureau in Tajikistan.

Human rights activists suggested to exclude the article from the Tajik Criminal Code establishing criminal responsibility for libel and defamation. Authoritative specialists on international law say that in many countries such accusations as libel and defamation of honor and dignity are considered in court in accordance with civil investigative demands.

Articles 135 and 136 of the Tajik Criminal Code limit the freedom of speech and expression. With this purpose in view, the Tajik media NGOs and professional unions set up a commission, which will prepare recommendations and proposals to the government and the parliament of Tajikistan.

8 May
IWPR, Dushanbe

The Tajik office of the British Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) is going to expand the regional network of journalists from remote areas. With this purpose in view, IWPR held a two-day training course on international standards of journalism for media professionals in the rural regions of Tajikistan.
Lola Olimova, IWPR representative in Tajikistan says that the training was conducted within the framework of the IWPR project “Human rights and legal education through the media” financed by the European Commission. The Eurasia Foundation, which implements its own project “Tajik Regional Network of Correspondents”, was a co-organizer of the training.

13 May
Tajik media organizations

The Tajik Union of Journalists, the National Association of Independent Media, Tajikistan (NANSMIT), the Media Alliance of Tajikistan and the Tajik Memorial Fund of Journalists dessiminated a joint statement expressing concerns regarding purposeful criminal persecution of Ozodbek Khosabekov, the author of an open letter addressed to deputy prime minister Asadullo Gulomov. The letter was published in the Asia Plus weekly (#2, 10 January 2008). The author criticized the Civil Construction Department in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous province for no-purpose spending of national funds.

The Tajik media organizations have approached the Supreme Court and the Prosecutor’s Office to protect Khosabekov’s constitutional right on freedom of expression and fair justice.

II. VIOLATIONS OF RIGHTS AMONG JOURNALISTS AND THE MEDIA

1. Impeding access to the Internet

3 May
Babilon-Т, Internet provider, Dushanbe

Participants of the seminar “Access to Information in Tajikistan: legislation and practice” held in Khojaobigarm (70 kilometers to the North from the Tajik capital) on 1-3 May failed to open the web site of NANSMIT — www.nansmit.tj

Organizers of the seminar took good care of logistical provisions, including wireless access to the Internet. Consultants from the UK and Kazakhstan expressed a desire to familiarize themselves with the web resource of NANSMIT. They managed to open the web site only through the anonymizer software (it hides the opening IP address).

NANSMIT expressed its concerns to managers of the Babilon-T company. The conflict was resolved under mediation of Asomuddin Atoev, chairman of the Association of Internet Providers of Tajikistan. According to Asoev, Babilon-T did not have any bad intentions, and the problem was caused by technical reasons.

2. Violation of the principle of publicity of lawsuit

21 May
Vetcherny Dushanbe weekly, Dushanbe

Galina Dzutseva, correspondent of the Vetcherny Dushanbe weekly was refused access to courtroom for hearings on the case of Mr. Mirzoev, former director of the city zoo. The director was accused of neglect of official duties in relation to an accident in April 2006, when a little girl was maimed by a bear.

Four years have passed, but the litigation is not over. The proceedings were being held in an open court, but journalists were not allowed to attend it.

III. CONFLICTS. VIOLATIONS INCRIMINATED TO THE MEDIA AND JOURNALISTS

1. Accusation of embezzlement and document forgery

25 May
Pulod Umarov, former editor of the Tong newspaper, Khujand, Sughd province

The Khujand city court scheduled hearings on the case of Pulod Umarov, former editor of the Tong newspaper for 25 May. However, the hearings were postponed until a “special order” is issued by the authorities (according to the court secretary Mr. Rakhmatov).

Pulod Umarov and two other persons – accountant of the newspaper S. Umarova and entrepreneur D. Toshmatov are accused of embezzlement and document forgery, on Articles 257 and 340 of the Tajik Criminal Code.

2. Claims on protection of honor, dignity and business reputation following publication of certain data

7 May
Khoji Akbar Turajonzoda, parliamentarian, Dushanbe

On 9 April the newspaper Sobitiya (Events) published an article titled “Turajonzoda is a KGB agent”. Khoji Akbar Turajonzoda is a famous and, in some sense, a notorious figure in the Tajik political arena. In the early 1990-s he was holding a post of Kazi Kalon (superior spiritual leader of Tajik Muslims); at present he is a member of the Tajik parliament.

On 7 May Turajonzoda published his feedback on the article in the Ozodagon weekly. He says that he ahs been asking the editor of Sobitiya to publish his original confutation and to make public the name of the author of the previous article, since he wants to file a charge against him in court, but the editor declines his request inventing new reasons every time.

Additional relevant information is available at this link: http://www.asiaplus.tj/en/news/19/42500.html

14 May
Khoji Akbar Turajonzoda, parliamentarian, Dushanbe

Tajik Aluminum Company (Talco) released a statement over an article titled “Ravobiti Nek bo Russia ba Manfiyati Milli Most” (Good Relations with Russia Are for the Benefit of Our National Interests) by member of the Majlisi Milli (Tajikistan’s upper chamber of parliament) Hoji Akbar Turajonzoda that was published in the Dushanbe weekly, Farazh, on February 5.

In the statement, Tajik aluminum group expressed disagreement with position of Mr. Turajonzoda over the fate of the Tajik aluminum smelter.

Speaking in an interview with Farazh, Turajonzoda noted that proceedings from its national interests, Tajikistan ought to sell the aluminum plant the Russian Federation that would allow the national budget to receive additional considerable funds.

In the meantime, Talco notes that receipts to the republican budget from payments made by Talco are increasing. In 2005, Talco transferred 135 million somoni in taxes and other payments to the country’s budget, while in 2008, this figure reached 270 million somoni, according to the statement. In 2004, Talco paid 11 million US dollars for electricity supplies, while last year, the company’s electricity supply payments exceeded 100 million US dollars, the statement noted.

On the preferential terms created by the government for Talco, the statement noted that Russia’s aluminum company RusAl, for example, now paid 0.15-0.85 cent for 1 kWh of electricity, while Talco currently paid for electricity supplies at the rate of 1.5 cents per 1 kWh. “RusAl pays taxes at the rate of 45 US dollars per one ton of primary aluminum, while Talco pays taxes at the rate of 197 US dollars per one ton of aluminum,” the statement said.

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

The Tajik parliament’s lower house has adopted amendments to the law on the National Bank of Tajikistan that put more power in the hands of the country’s president and ban central bankers from doing business with private companies, RFE/RL’s Tajik service reports.

Other changes include a requirement that all National Bank profits go directly to the state treasury.

The measures are seen as a response to inspections of Tajikistan’s central bank last year by an independent British auditor that revealed some $1 billion in irregularities between 2004 and 2008.

Tajik officials have been hard-pressed to explain the financial shortcomings.

Among other things, the Tajik president should now propose candidates for seven-year terms to chair the central bank, and retired bankers will be included on the bank’s governing board.

http://www.rferl.org/content/Tajik_Deputies_Amend_Law_On_National_Bank/1742372.html

Safo Safarov, executive director of the School told the Asia Plus news agency that the new training courses are organized for young media professionals working for both printing and electronic media. The project is supported by UNESCO and the Democracy Development Commission under the US Embassy to Tajikistan.

About 120 young journalists aged 18-30 will take part in the training sessions, which will be held twice a week in Tajik and Russian language groups during the summer. The courses are sub-divided by topics: “Printing media”, “Radio” and “Television”.

Upon the accomplishment of the courses, the youngest journalists (mainly students of Tajik universities) will have a chance to pass internship in the leading domestic electronic media.

The Tajik Independent School of Journalism will provide participants of the course with relevant equipment and access to the Internet.

www.asiaplus.tj

To the surprise of some Tajiks suffering from recent mudslides and floods, an unlikely friend has extended a helping hand. Uzbekistan, which for much of the post-Soviet era has had bitter relations with Tajikistan, recently delivered emergency food and reconstruction aid to help its blighted neighbor.

Heavy April and May rains have caused deadly mudslides and ruined crops across vast areas of Tajikistan. At least 28 people have been killed since late April and up to 15,000 displaced by the weather-related catastrophe, according to UN and government estimates. Responding to a May 20 plea for help, Tashkent promised 1,400 tons of emergency food and building materials. A train carrying the aid arrived on May 23, the Avesta news agency reported.

Some 22,000 hectares of the country’s premiere cash-generating cotton crop have been destroyed, according to the Tajik Agriculture Ministry. Overall, 40,000 hectares of crops, worth at least $20 million, have been ruined. The affected areas represent roughly 5 percent of all land under cultivation in Tajikistan. Forty of the country’s 58 districts have reported suffering damage from natural disasters. The devastation could lead to dire shortages of essential foodstuffs in the coming months.

Azizbek Sharipov, Chairman of Tajikistan’s National Association of Farmers said it is too late in the season to replant cotton, as the soil is oversaturated with water. Adding to their burden, «most, if not all farmers are looking for loans to buy seeds and other necessities for [replanting],» he told EurasiaNet. Even if some farmers can procure seeds, the Agriculture Ministry has admitted that a fuel shortage poses an additional obstacle to replanting. As a result, some farmers may lose up to half their future cotton harvest.

For the past two years, Tajikistan has been reeling from a combination of drastic shortages of heating, electricity and food, as well as natural disasters. In a letter sent to the United Nations on May 18, the Tajik government expressed concern that the weather was projected to remain rainy in the weeks to come, leaving the country vulnerable to more mudslides.

«Although the government has the relevant infrastructure and disaster response plans in place, it is still missing the capacity to cope with these challenges alone,» says Goulsara Pulatova, Regional Director for the UN’s International Strategy of Disaster Reduction (ISDR). Pulatova suggests international assistance should be primarily focused on communities’ capacity building, since many villages are located in isolated mountainous areas.

A variety of international aid organizations have issued emergency appeals for disaster relief in Tajikistan. On May 23, the International Federation of the Red Cross called for over $800,000 in donations, either in cash or in durable items such as tents, to assist 726 recently displaced families.

In its appeal for 2009, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) suggested that, even before the recent rains, Tajikistan stood on the precipice of a humanitarian emergency. Harsh weather during the 2008-09 winter season was projected to put a large percentage of Tajik households in danger of hunger, according to the FAO appeal, which was issued in late 2008.

«One-third of severely food-insecure households reported to have consumed their seed stock, while 15 percent sold much-needed livestock for cash in order to meet basic needs. Inadequate storage facilities caused preventable losses to key productive assets, including over 50 percent of potato seeds. Without assistance, farmers will be unable to purchase the basic inputs they need to ensure an adequate harvest, and increased food security, by spring 2009,» the appeal stated.»

«Tajikistan is prone to frequent natural disasters — such as earthquakes, floods, avalanches, and drought — which increasingly erode the food production capacity, purchasing power and food security of the country’s most vulnerable and resource-poor communities,» the FAO appeal continued. «Thousands of households risk long-term destitution and heightened vulnerability to future shocks if assistance is not provided to restore food production and livelihoods in a way that is conducive to lasting recovery.»

Posted May 28, 2009 © Eurasianet
http://www.eurasianet.org

EurasiaNet

Источник: http://www.eurasianet.org

The authorities in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO) and the Pamiri media discussed the issues of disaster preparedness and public information in the city of Khorog, administrative center of GBAO.

The seminar “The role of the media in disaster preparedness for communities” was organized by the DIPECO project funded by the European Commission Humanitarian Office (ECHO), and implemented by FOCUS Humanitarian Assistance, an international NGO.

Shamsiya Shodibekova, DIPECO project coordinator says that the role of the media in the Pamirs is very important – since this mountainous region is very prone to various natural calamities, such as seasonal floods, mudflows, stone and snow avalanches and earthquakes.

The seminar was also attended by the Emergency Committee servicemen and representatives of meteorological, health and paramilitary services.

www.asiaplus.tj

The Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) invites journalists from developing Asia and the Pacific to submit published articles written in 2008 or 2009 in connection with the 2009 annual Developing Asia Journalism Awards (DAJA) competition.
The subject matter of the articles should be in line with one of the following four categories.
i. Poverty impact of the global financial crisis
ii. Government responses to the global financial crisis
iii. Infrastructure development
iv. Climate change adaptation
An international panel of judges will select the 20 best articles written by journalists who will then be invited to ADBI in Tokyo for a four-day training program running from 20-23 October 2009.
The training program will provide an opportunity for participants to discuss and debate the above four issues with leading experts. There will also be practical sessions designed to help journalists prepare clear, accessible stories that help promote economic and financial literacy.
Winners of each of the four categories, as well as two special prizes for (i) best development journalist of the year; and (ii) best young development journalist of the year (under 30 years of age) will be selected from these 20 articles. Awards will be given at the conclusion of the training program. Special prizes may be given to entrants in the main award categories or to separate entries.
If you are interested in participating in the 2009 DAJA program, please register online at http://www.adbi.org/daja.awards/register.php. When you have registered, you will be sent instructions by email of how to login to your account to submit articles.
The closing date for entries is Wednesday, 15 July 2009, 6.00 pm, Tokyo time.
The Asian Development Bank Institute was established in 1997 in Tokyo, Japan, to help build capacity, skills, and knowledge related to poverty reduction and other areas that support long-term growth and competitiveness in developing economies in the Asia-Pacific region.
*****
ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in the Asia and Pacific region through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration. Established in 1966, it is owned by 67 members – 48 from the region. In 2008, it approved $10.5 billion of loans, $811.4 million of grant projects, and technical assistance amounting to $274.5 million.

http://www.adb.org

A 15 May report by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said continuous torrential rain since 20 April had displaced more than 734 families (over 15,000 individuals), and was stretching emergency supplies country-wide.

«We ask the international community to help replenish our stocks so we can continue to respond to the onslaught of small-scale emergencies,» Gabriella Waaijman, an OCHA regional disaster response adviser in Almaty (Kazakhstan), told IRIN.

The Tajik government has said heavy rain between 20 April and 15 May caused flooding and mud flows in 25 of the country’s 58 districts, leaving over 21 people dead. Some 14,000 hectares of agricultural land had been damaged and 3,600 people had lost their homes, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, with Khatlon and Sughd provinces worst hit.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has agreed to provide 150 tents to the newly displaced families.

According to OCHA, additional tents, bedding, clothes and kitchen utensils will be needed until displaced families are properly resettled.

Construction tools are also urgently required, as well as training on disaster and earthquake-proof construction methods, as the government has promised to provide safe housing for the displaced.

http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?Reportid=84463

The management of the Tajik state aluminum company TALCO is going to bring to account Khoji Akbar Turajonzoda, the member of Majlisi Oli (upper chamber of the parliament). This information appeared in the SSSR weekly (14 May 2009).

According to the source close to the aluminum company, the recent political intrigues around TALCO and its noted representatives, as well as libel and publically voiced conjectures, are undermining its image.

According to SSSR, the conflict has been lasting for three months. Turajonzoda called TALCO “a harmful enterprise for the Tajik economy”, and recently, after the reprint of an article titled “Turajonzoda is a KGB agent?” and acute feedback in the newspapers “Millat”, “Nigokh” and “Ozodagon”, the parliamentarian came up with a public statement saying that the information campaign against him is launched by TALCO.

The TALCO lawyers have called Turajonzoda’s reaction “a libel against the managers of the enterprise”, and currently are preparing an application to the court.

Khoji Akbar Turajonzoda remains one of the very few controversial characters in the Tajik political arena. In the twilight of the Soviet era he held a title of Kazi Kalon (superior spiritual leader), and in the early 1990-s headed the Islamically oriented United Tajik Opposition (UTO), which opposed the secular government and unleashed the protracted bloody civil war in Tajikistan. Shortly after the signing of the Peace Accord between the warring factions in 1997, he received a position in the government (according to the Peace Agreement quota). For several years he held a post of deputy prime minister.

At present, Turajonzoda is known as one of the wealthiest entrepreneurs in Tajikistan involved in cotton business.

Publications about the parliamentarian’s “murky past” and his relations with the Russian special services appeared recently in a number of Russian newspapers and online media.

The independent school of journalism “Tajikistan – XXI Century” will hold a three-month summer course for young journalists.

Safo Safarov, executive director of the Tajik school of journalism told the Asia Plus news agency that the courses will be organized within the framework of the project “Strengthening professional knowledge and skills among young journalists”. The program is supported by the UNESCO International Program on Development of Communication (IPDC) and the US Embassy’s Democracy Development Commission.

About 60 young journalists aged 18-30 will take part in the courses. Training sessions will be held twice a week in Tajik and Russian groups, and will cover the following topics: “Printing Media”, “Radio” and “Television”.

The journalism school selected experienced professional trainers for the sessions. After the courses, journalists will have opportunities to pass internship in the leading printing and electronic Tajik media.

http://www.asiaplus.tj/

Freedom of the Press 2009 identifies the greatest threats to independent media in 195 countries and territories. Released in advance of World Press Freedom Day May 3, the report shows a seventh straight year of decline in global media freedom, with twice as many losses than gains.

There are particularly worrisome trends in East Asia, the former Soviet Union and the Middle East and North Africa. Given an economic climate that is certain to further strain media sustainability and diversity in rich and poor countries alike, pressures on media freedom are increasingly threatening the considerable gains of the past quarter century. Below are several critical tools to highlight data from the annual survey of global press freedom, and to help explain the newest findings in their historical context.

To learn more: http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=470

http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=470