Reporters Without Borders deplores the offensive that the Tajik authorities have launched against media critical of the government, in which several newspapers have been forced to stop printing and access to many websites has been blocked.

In an open letter published by the official news agency Khovar on 4 October, defence minister Sherali Khairullayev accused 17 newspapers* that covered an attack by militants (possibly the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan) on an army convoy in the eastern Rasht valley on 19 September of “complicity with the terrorists” and “committing a grave crime.”

Despite protests from the newspapers and from press freedom defenders such as Nuriddin Karshiboev, the head of the National Association of Independent Media of Tajikistan (NANSMIT), the authorities are continuing their attacks on the media.

Referring to the 1992-97 civil war, President Emomali Rakhmon accused “certain media” on 5 October of “taking their example from the 1990s and being bellicose.” Warning them against just seeking “sensationalism,” he added that “hoping for the support of their foreign protectors will not do them any good.” Other officials such as the education minister have made similar comments. There have also been more direct forms of pressure.

A tax investigation into three newspapers, Faraj, Negah and Millat, was launched on 28 September. A similar investigation was started the next day at three companies that print these newspapers. Syavosh Hamdamov, the head of one of the companies, AToliyev Print, said it was “more of an attack than an investigation” and that his staff had been questioned about the newspapers.

“The reaction of the Tajik authorities is disproportionate and extremely damaging to the country’s image,” Reporters Without Borders said. “They may hope to demonstrate that they control the situation but the result could unfortunately be quite the opposite. “We understand that Tajikstan’s leaders are concerned about stability, as the country was torn by five years of civil war, but repressive and illegal measures will not help.”

The press freedom organisation added: “We urge the authorities to respond favourably to the dialogue proposals being made by journalists and media advocates, and to put an immediate stop to the unjustified attempts to obstruct the media.”

The heads of several news media and organisations that defend the media yesterday requested a meeting with presidential adviser S. Fatoyev to discuss the problems. At the same time, the Association of Independent Media of Tajikistan urged the defence minister to give specific examples to support his charges of complicity with the armed militants.

Several independent news websites are currently inaccessible including those of the independent news agency Avesta.tj and the central Asia news and analysis outlet Ferghana.ru, as well as Tjknews.com and Centrasia.ru. The government is suspected of ordering the blocking although it has said nothing on the subject.

According to Zafar Abdullayev, the editor of Avesta.tj, the blocking started on 29 September. He said several Internet Service Providers told him that officials had instructed them to block the sites. Since the measure has not been officially recognised, the targeted electronic media have no recourse. As their financial situation is already fragile, it could cause them significant problems.

Meanwhile, the weekly newspaper Faraj has been unable to appear for the second week running as it has not managed to find a company willing to print it. The newspaper Paykhon failed to appear on 13 October for the same reason.

Tajikstan’s already precarious independent press has long face hostility from the authorities and the tension has grown steadily since the start of this year. The new outbreak of violence linked to the war in neighbouring Afghanistan, and Tajikistan’s role in that war, has fuelled the flames. Last July, Tajikistan’s deputy mufti, Saidjon Sorbonkhodj, publicly urged the government to close all the independent newspapers, blaming them for the anti-government criticism and protests and singling out Faraj and Paykhon.

A former Soviet republic, Tajikistan became embroiled in a civil war within months of gaining its independence in 1991. More than 50,000 people died in the war, which pushed about a tenth of the estimated 7 million inhabitants into exile. Since then, Tajikistan has suffered the consequences of the war in Afghanistan, including a disturbing level of drug trafficking (80 per cent of the drug seizures in central Asia) and incursions by Islamic militants suspected of seeking refuge in Tajikistan’s mountains.

*The newspapers that have criticised the defence ministry’s military operations include Asia Plus, Faraj, Ozodagon, Negah, Paykon, Fakty i Kommentarii, Sobytia, Bizness i Politika, Tojikiston, Digest Press and Charikhi Gardun.

REPORTERS WITHOUT BORDERS / REPORTERS SANS FRONTIÈRES

Two field commanders of the Islamic opposition located in eastern Tajikistan’s Rasht Valley have reportedly agreed to lay down their weapons and join forces with government troops to «hunt down foreign militants.»

The independent news agency Asia-Plus quoted authorities in Rasht as saying that 27 members of armed groups commanded by Mirzokhuja Ahmadov and Mullo Sadriddin surrendered their weapons earlier this week.

The news came after local media reported on October 14 that Tajik officials were negotiating with local commanders in Rasht to end intense fighting that has been going on in the onetime militant stronghold for nearly a month. The ongoing military operation against militants began when 28 government troops were killed on September 19 when their convoy was ambushed in Rasht’s remote Kamarob Gorge.

Since late September, National Security Council chief Amirqul Azimov and deputy heads of the Interior and Defense ministries have been in Rasht, where they set up the joint staff of power ministries to oversee the military operation.

According to media reports, Azimov and the speaker of Tajik parliament Shukurjon Zuhurov, a native of Rasht, have met with the former Islamic opposition commanders in Rasht to convince them to stop the conflict.

Denied Involvement

Over 60 government troops have reportedly been killed in Rasht in the past month. More than two dozen soldiers were reportedly killed in a helicopter crash officials have attributed to technical failures, although media reports have indicated the helicopter was brought down by militants.
Authorities blamed the September 19 attack on the government convoy on local and foreign Islamic militants. The Interior Ministry’s press office initially linked Ahmadov to the Kamarob ambush. Ahmadov’s house in Rasht was raided by government forces and he went into hiding.

Ahmadov has always denied any involvement in the Kamarob ambush and accused the government of putting pressure on former opposition commanders.

Ahmadov was a commander of the United Islamic Opposition Forces that fought against President Emomali Rahmon’s secular government in the 1992-97 civil war. The war ended with a national peace and power-sharing agreement, which saw former opposition leaders getting a 30- percent share of official positions in local and central governments.

The situation in Kamarob remains volatile, with government troops still engaged in search operations in the mountainous area, where armed militants are believed to be hiding.

Tajik officials and experts close to the government have repeatedly blamed unspecified foreign countries for seeking to destabilize Tajikistan.

Powerful Sponsors

The Interior Affairs Ministry has said government forces recently uncovered a cache with supplies of weapons, food, clothes, and «propaganda materials» in Rasht.

Saifullo Safarov, the deputy head of the Center for Strategic Studies, a Dushanbe-based think tank close to the government, says the scale of militants’ attacks indicate these groups have powerful sponsors behind them.

«It would have been impossible for those armed groups [in Kamarob] to purchase that amount of weapons with their own money,» Safarov said. «They must have received financial support from the outside, unless these weapons are left from the civil-war era. However, it’s difficult to say what country or what group is involved.»

Since the Kamarob ambush, it has been difficult to get information from Kamarob as government forces have closed roads leading to the gorge. Communication lines to Rasht have been cut off since the conflict began in September.

State-run television and radio have largely ignored the fighting in Kamarob, limiting their coverage to listing casualty figures. Officials have been reluctant to publicly explain the situation in Rasht.

Authorities announced this week that militants who laid down their weapons voluntarily would not be prosecuted.

written by Farangis Najibullah, with contributions from RFE/RL’s Tajik Service

http://www.rferl.org/content/Local_Tajik_Commanders_Agree_To_Team_With_Government_Troops_In_Rasht/21

Tashkent’s Mirzo Ulugbek district court has fined an Uzbek reporter for the U.S.-funded radio station Voice of America (VOA) the equivalent of about $10,000, RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service reports.

Abdumalik Boboev, a freelancer for VOA’s Uzbek Service, was found guilty of slander and distributing materials that pose a threat to public order.

The court dropped a charge against him of illegally crossing Uzbekistan’s state border.

An investigation in the case was launched in early September and sent to court soon after.

Boboev told RFE/RL before the trial that all the charges against him are baseless.

Boboev, 41, was among several journalists summoned by the Prosecutor-General’s Office last year for questioning about alleged «unaccredited» journalistic activities.

http://www.rferl.org/content/Uzbek_VOA_Freelancer_Fined/2191941.html

Many Tajiks and Uzbeks believe there is no love lost between their respective presidents, Emomali Rahmon and Islom Karimov.

This week, Karimov took it one step further. He called Tajikistan’s national scheme — the Roghun hydropower plants — a «stupid project.»

If Tajikistan goes on to complete Roghun as planned, it would leave Uzbekistan facing water shortages for eight years until Roghun dam filled with water, Karimov said during his trip to Karakalpakstan autonomous republic.

Karimov likened Roghun to Russia’s Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric station, where an accident caused the deaths of 75 people in 2009. Both Soviet-era giant projects were drafted by the same people some 40 years ago with disregard to safety issues, Karimov said.

Over the past two decades, the two long-serving Central Asian leaders have had a strained relationship and frequent disagreements over almost all major bilateral and regional issues, ranging from security and common borders to transport, energy, and regional cooperation.

Roghun, however, has proved an even bigger disagreement.

Tajikistan depends on Uzbekistan for gas, transport routes, and electricity power lines. For years, Dushanbe has blamed Tashkent for leaving it in an economic blockade by frequently blocking Tajik transit trains and vehicles, cutting off gas supplies and preventing Tajikistan from importing Turkmen electricity through its territory.

Water seems to be the only thing makes Uzbekistan dependant on its impoverished, upstream neighbor.

Dushanbe’s only hope is Roghun, which Tajikistan hopes will make the country a major electricity exporter and puts an end to its energy reliance on neighbors.

Tashkent, however, has asked Russia and the United Nations to pressure Dushanbe to stop the project.

I’ve been fighting against this stupid project for five years, Karimov told Karakalpakstan farmers.

He promised not to let Tajikistan to reduce the amount of water flowing to Uzbekistan and the shrinking Aral Sea even by «one gram.»

Karimov’s speech was greeted with lengthy applause by farmers.

In private, however, some might be wondering the two neighboring nations would have been far better off if their leaders instead opted for cooperation and rapprochement.

Farangis Najibullah, RFE/RL

Источник: http://www.rferl.org/content/Dont_Love_Your_Neighbor/2185027.html

Tajik authorities say graduates of foreign religious schools could pose a threat to their homeland — and they’re taking steps to address the issue.

Tajik students studying at Cairo’s Al-Azhar University say they are concerned about Dushanbe’s request that the prominent Islamic school send back anyone studying outside official government quotas.

Representatives of the students told RFE/RL’s Tajik Service that they have appealed to Tajikistan’s Embassy in Cairo and the university administration to allow some 50 Tajik students to complete their studies at Al-Azhar.

The students entered the university privately and now fear the Al-Azhar might send them home, as required by the authorities in Dushanbe.

«Some students are returning home because their parents have been questioned about their children’s whereabouts,» student representatives say.

The authorities have stressed lately that Tajik citizens should only enter foreign religious schools through government quotas or at least with the knowledge of the country’s education officials.

Education authorities and Tajik diplomats abroad – most notably the country’s ambassador to Pakistan – have repeatedly warned that some young men from Tajikistan have ended up in unregistered and underground madrasahs with extremist agendas.

The most serious warning, however, came most recently from President Emomali Rahmon.

Shortly before the start of the new school year, Rahmon called on parents to bring their children back from foreign madrasahs.

«Most of them will become extremists and terrorists, because those schools don’t only teach religion,» Rahmon said.

He added that the Tajik religious authorities had set up their own religious schools and opened an Islamic university in Dushanbe to train domestic mullahs.

The Education Ministry announced recently that students returning from foreign Islamic schools would take a «rehabilitation» program. The ministry did not elaborate on the details.

Education officials say they do not have the exact number of Tajik citizens undergoing religious studies abroad. They estimate there are at least 6,000 of them. However, they say that only some 2,000 have informed the authorities about their religious studies abroad.

Farangis Najibullah, RFE/RL

Источник: http://www.rferl.org/

As security forces in Tajikistan hunt for suspected Islamic militants in the Rasht Valley, the country’s Defense Ministry is lashing out at media outlets that have questioned the government’s crisis-management skills. Far from cowering in the face of a government attack, however, media outlets are preparing to fight back.

Telephone connections with the Rasht Valley remain severed and state-controlled media outlets are providing few details about the ongoing security sweep in the region. The dearth of verifiable information has fueled speculation about the nature of the threat: officials insist that international Islamic terrorists are behind a string of recent violent incidents [4]. But some observers believe [5] that former opposition elements from Tajikistan’s 1992-97 Civil War may be becoming militarily active again.

Whatever the source, fighting is continuing in the Rasht Valley, according to government reports. On October 4, at least four elite police officers were killed in Rasht’s Kamarob Gorge, scene of a September 19 militant ambush [6] that left at least 28 Tajik soldiers dead. Some reports put this week’s death toll higher.

In an October 4 statement, Defense Minister Sherali Khairulloyev said that media criticism of the government’s response to the militant threat was tantamount to disloyalty. Critical reports help “destabilize” the country, Khairulloyev contended, adding that journalists who continue to question government tactics and strategy could face punishment. Khairulloyev’s statement was published by the state-run Khovar news agency.

The blame and recrimination started on September 25, when the Defense Ministry repeatedly aired a news conference on state television. In the broadcast, Tajik defense officials accused private media outlets of attempting to weaken the country’s leadership by criticizing the government’s response to the recent security challenges – namely, a high-profile prison break [7] in late August in Dushanbe, followed by a suicide bomb attack in Khujand, and the ongoing military operations in Rasht.

Media rights advocates seem undaunted by the Defense Ministry’s PR offensive. In a September 27 statement, representatives of 17 media organizations, including the National Association of Independent Mass-Media in Tajikistan (NANSMIT), rejected the Defense Ministry’s accusations. “Military officials went far beyond their mandates,” the statement asserted. “This is an attempt upon the professional rights of journalists and a violation of the constitutional right of citizens on access to information.”

“We also consider that the Defense Ministry is trying to shift the blame on to the media, whereas the latter carry out their mission in compliance with legislation and professional ethics,” the statement added.

Starting on September 29, some media outlets – including the independent Avesta news agency, tjknews.com and centrasia.ru – experienced periodic access problems in Tajikistan after publishing stories that cast doubt on the government’s version of events. Media representatives suspect the government is taking action to block access to the websites.

NANSMIT chairman Nuriddin Karshibaev told EurasiaNet.org that the government had deployed the tax police in an apparent attempt to silence some nettlesome media outlets. Inspectors were said to be probing the finances of the private Oila printing press, where most of the country’s independent weeklies are printed. There is an “obvious” link between the recent critical coverage and authorities’ “punitive measures,” Karshibaev said.

Marat Mamadshoev, editor of the Asia Plus news agency suggested that recent events were highlighting a “struggle” within government. “There are many people who want to eliminate independent mass media and control everything,” he said. They do this to “avoid criticism.”

NANSMIT representatives say they are preparing for a fight. Both the journalists and the defense minister are demanding apologies from each other. “Non-state media have the duty to make a very clear statement about the suppression of freedom of expression,” Karshibaev said. He added that media representatives were considering filing a lawsuit against the Defense Ministry.
Lidia Isamova, a well-known Tajik journalist and media analyst said the Defense Ministry stance was bringing journalists together in an “unprecedented” show of “solidarity.”

Khurshed Atovullo, chairman of Tajikistan’s Media Alliance, another media rights advocacy body, told EurasiaNet.org that at least five prominent editors had agreed on a response to the defense minister’s accusations. “They will publish their next issue with a blank page carrying the headline, ‘Upon the request of the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Tajikistan, General Khairulloyev,’ instead of telling readers about the events in Rasht,” Atovullo said.

2010 © Eurasianet

EurasiaNet

Источник: http://www.eurasianet.org/node/62089

DUSHANBE — Tajik Defense Minister Sherali Khairulloev has accused independent newspapers of sympathizing with the Islamic militants who
ambushed an army convoy in late August, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reports.

In an official statement issued on October 4, Khairulloev accused the media of «biased and one-sided» coverage of the August 19 attack in Rasht, east of Dushanbe, in which at least 25 Tajik conscripts were killed. He called for legal action to be taken.

Nuriddin Qarshiboev, who heads Tajikistan’s Association of Independent Media, told RFE/RL that Khairulloev’s accusation is unfounded, and he should present evidence to substantiate his charges. Qarshiboev said if he fails to do so, journalists will sue him for libel.

The editors of «Farazh», which was specifically cited by Khairulloev for being biased, and five other independent newspapers — «Busines i Politika,» «Fakty i Kommentarii,» «Asia Plus,» and «Paykon» — plan to leave one page blank in their next weekly editions to protest. They have appealed to other weeklies to do the same.

The independent press and the Defense Ministry have previously exchanged accusations over coverage of the Rasht attack.

Two weeks ago, state television broadcast a Defense Ministry statement criticizing initial coverage of the incident. Independent media outlets responded one week ago by protesting the criticism and demanding an apology from the ministry for «insulting the free media.»

http://www.rferl.org/content/Tajik_Minister_Accuses_Media_Of_Sympathizing_With_Militants/2177185.htm

At present, the newspaper is published twice a week with a circulation of 5 thousand copies. Makhmudjon Ibragimov, head of the municipal analytical-information department in Khujand told Asia Plus that the newspaper has received financial support from the province authorities.

The government newspaper Khakikati Sughd is one of the oldest printing outlets in Tajikistan. It was founded on 30 March 1930, and since then it has changed its name several times. Before the mid 1990-s it was printed under the names of Leninabadskaya Pravda, Khakikati Leninobod, and Leninobod Khakikati. It was printed five times a week with a circulation of 45 thousand copies.

www.asiaplus.tj

VARZOB, Tajikistan, 30 September 2010 — A workshop bringing together media law experts from the lower house of the Tajik Parliament, civilsociety and academia concluded today with concrete proposals to improvethe existing law on press and other mass media.

The three-day expert workshop, supported by the OSCE Office inTajkistan, was initiated by civil society during a public debatefollowing the publication of draft amendments to the law. The Members ofParliament who authored the draft amendments, as well as Andrei Richter,director of the Moscow Media Law and Policy Institute, also took part.

«The public debate on this legal initiative and the openness of membersof parliament to listen to the arguments from media law experts in civilsociety and academia and international expertise at an early stage arean excellent praxis in media law making,» said Dunja Mijatovic, the OSCERepresentative on Freedom of the Media, in a message to workshopparticipants.

Ambassador Ivar Vikki, the Head of the OSCE Office in Tajikistan, said «The workshop made it possible for expert opinions, and civil societyexpertise and experience to be heard by decision-makers in thelegislative process.»

Olim Salimzoda, the Head of the Parliamentary Committee forInternational Relations, Public Organizations and Information, added: «The discussions in this workshop give us excellent insight into issuesthat are of concern for civil society with regard to the regulatoryframework for the media in Tajikistan. We will consider them togetherwith our colleagues in the parliamentary committee in the ongoingdiscussion on this law.»

The workshop resulted in detailed recommendations on the draft whichtake into account experience with the practical implementation of thecurrent law, as well as key OSCE commitments on media freedom, includingaccess to information, defamation and libel and freedom of expression.

For further information, please contact: Michael Unland, Media Officer, OSCE Office in Tajikistan, tel.: (+992 918 67 74 13) E-mail: Michael. Unland@osce.org Website:http//www.osce,org

www.osce.org

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has voiced alarm over the treatment of journalists in Uzbekistan.

The OSCE’s freedom of the media representative, Dunja Mijatovic, said in a statement that she is «alarmed by the unrelenting judicial pressure exerted upon independent journalists in Uzbekistan.»

Writing to the Uzbek foreign minister, Vladimir Norov, Mijatovic expressed concern for two journalists, Abdumalik Boboyev and Vladimir Berezovski, prosecuted for alleged libel.

Mijatovic also expressed concern about three other journalists — Dilmurod Saiid, Solijon Abdurahmanov, and Hairullo Khamidov — who are currently serving jail sentences of between six and 12 1/2 years.

In her letter to the Uzbek foreign minister, Mijatovic wrote that «non state-media in Uzbekistan continue to be the target of unrelenting judicial harassment and this is a matter of serious concern to me.»

— RFE/RL Central Newsroom

http://www.rferl.org/content/OSCE_Criticizes_Uzbek_Treatment_Of_Journalists/2167187.html