BISHKEK — The Kyrgyz parliament has adopted a resolution calling for a news website to be banned, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz and Uzbek services report.

The parliament deputies said on June 17 that fergana.ru «ignites ethnic hatred» among Uzbeks and Kyrgyz and therefore should be blocked. Deputies officially recommended that the Prosecutor-General’s Office take measures to try to prevent access to the website in Kyrgyzstan within three months.

The decision was based on a suggestion by the parliamentary commission on the deadly ethnic clashes between local Uzbeks and Kyrgyz in the southern Osh and Jalal-Abad regions last year.

Danill Kislov, the chief editor of the Russia-based website, told RFE/RL that Kyrgyzstan would not be the first Central Asian country to ban fergana.ru. He said Uzbek officials did the same in 2005 after the site’s coverage of the massacre of protesters in the Uzbek city of Andijon by security forces.

Kyrgyz deputy Tursunbai Bakir Uulu, who has previously served as the country’s ombudsman, told RFE/RL that the decision to block the site was correct. He said in order to prevent deadly ethnic clashes similar to those that took place last year — when more than 400 people were killed — it is necessary to block the site.

Bakir Uulu added that he recommended to parliament that two other websites in the country — dizel.kz and parus.kz — also be blocked as they «try to create tensions between ethnic groups in the country.»

Bishkek-based journalist Akmat Alagushev told RFE/RL that the parliament’s decision to pass the resolution was incorrect.

He said those kinds of decisions mean «the introduction of censorship in Kyrgyzstan.» Alagushev added that it is not even technically possible to fully block a website from readers.

Media rights activist Tattu Mambetalieva told RFE/RL that in taking such action the parliament «has made a wonderful advertisement for fergana.ru.»

http://www.rferl.org/content/kyrgyz_parliament_recommends_website_be_/24238951.html

REPORTERS WITHOUT BORDERS/ REPORTERS SANS FRONTIÈRES

PRESS RELEASE/ COMMUNIQUÉ DE PRESSE

17.06.2011

English: http://en.rsf.org/tajikistan-bbc-world-service-reporter-held-in-17-06-2011,40479.html

Français: http://fr.rsf.org/tadjikistan-un-correspondant-de-la-bbc-detenu-17-06-2011,40477.html

TAJIKISTAN: BBC World Service reporter held in northwestern city

Reporters Without Borders is very concerned to learn that Urinboy Usmonov, a reporter for the BBC World Service’s Uzbek-language service, is being held in a police station in the northwestern city of Khujand for allegedly belonging to Hizb-ut-Tahrir, a non-violent Islamist movement that is banned throughout Central Asia.

“We call on the Tajik police and judicial authorities to clarify the nature of Usmonov’s detention and to produce evidence of the allegations being made against him,” Reporters Without Borders said. “So far, it is the police who have behaved illegally in this case.”

Usmonov’s family began looking for him when he went missing on the evening of 13 June. They were surprised to see police officers escort him to his home the next day. The police searched the police and announced that he was under arrest. Family members said they were signs that he had been mistreated.

He has been denied the right to see his lawyer, Fayziniso Vokhidova, since his arrest. Vokhidova said a prosecutor told her that Usmonov had declined the use of her services. But such a refusal can only be made in writing, and in the presence of a lawyer. Usmonov has not been allowed to see his family either.

“Usmonov has diabetes,” Reporters Without Borders was told by Khayrullo Ubaydullaev, the head of the BBC’s Uzbek-language service. “As well as a lawyer, it is vital that he has access to his medical treatment.”

The interior ministry claimed that Usmonov joined Hizb-ut-Tahrir in 2009 and that he had “promoted” it in his reports and on online social networks. But in a statement, the BBC said he had covered the trials of Hizb-ut-Tahrir activists at its request and that it had no reason to believe the allegations.

Alisher Sidikov, the head of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Uzbek service and a former colleague of Usmonov, told Reporters Without Borders that Usmonov often covered Hizb-ut-Tahrir and other sensitive subjects, such as border problems and the very controversial Rogun dam project, the source of considerable tension between Tajikistan and neighbouring Uzbekistan.

“Usmonov has nothing in common with an extremist and his stories are never biased,” Sidikov said. “But he is always very critical of the Tajik and Uzbek authorities. He is a very independent person and I cannot imagine him submitting to the discipline of a clandestine movement. He is also the president of the Uzbek section of the Union of Tajik Writers. A clandestine organization would never allow the representative of an official body to become a member. For all these reasons, he is the last person I would suspect of belonging to this organization.”

Reporters Without Borders added: “There is little doubt that Usmonov was arrested because of his journalistic activities. “Using the fight against extremism in order to crack down on dissidents is standard practice in Tajikistan. In the absence of hard evidence, the authorities must free him unconditionally at once.

“As far as we know, nothing was taken from his home. Nonetheless, we warn the police against trying to criminalize the mere possession of Hizb-ut-Tahrir leaflets. Such abuses are common throughout Central Asia and they were used as grounds for making outrageous charges against RFE/RL reporter Alisher Saipov, who was murdered in Kyrgyzstan in 2007. People who have received leaflets should not be confused with the activists who distribute them. Being aware of press releases and statements is an integral part of a journalist’s work.”

Independent media and religious groups have suffered of late as a result of harsher repression by President Rahmon’s autocratic regime. When clashes intensified last autumn in Rasht Valley, many media were accused of “complicity with the terrorists” just for reporting the clashes. A total of 150 Hizb-ut-Tahrir activists were arrested last year. Sharifjon Yokubov, said to be its leader in the northwestern Sughd region, was arrested on 14 June.

Some Reporters Without Borders contacts said Usmonov’s arrest could also be an attempt to intimidate the Uzbek community in Tajikistan, which is increasing being made to pay for a diplomatic dispute between Dushanbe and Tashkent.

http://en.rsf.org/tajikistan-bbc-world-service-reporter-held-in-17-06-2011,40479.html

A Tajik lawmaker has called on the country’s parliament to ban the sale of a video game depicting a fictional antiterrorism operation carried out by U.S. and Chinese troops on Tajik territory.

Davlatali Davlatzoda, a parliamentarian for the ruling People’s Democratic Party, dubbed the video game a «sick fantasy» created by enemies of Tajikistan who want to see the country in constant conflict.

The video game, «Operation Flashpoint: Red River,» was released earlier this year.

The game’s scenario centers on U.S. marines entering Tajikistan from Afghanistan in 2013 to wipe out an imaginary terrorist group, the ETIM. They conduct military operations in villages in Tajikistan’s western areas.

At the same time, eastern Tajikistan is being invaded by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, which seeks retaliation for ETIM’s massacre of Chinese athletes at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

«It is a horrible scene to watch how our villages and towns are being destroyed by the Chinese’ and the Americans’ antiterrorist actions,» the Tajik lawmaker told parliament on June 17.

Davlatzoda has his own ideas about the «agenda» that the video game’s creators had for creating the scenario.

Noting that presidential elections are scheduled for 2013, Davlatzoda says he «deeply believes that certain forces cannot calmly stand by» and let them pass without interference.

Farangis Najibullah

http://www.rferl.org/content/video_game_upsets_tajik_mp/24238463.html

The US Ambassador to Tajikistan made a statement about the arrest of the BBC correspondent.

The video is available at: http://youtu.be/-eOl47ngbd8

http://youtu.be/-eOl47ngbd8

To: Government of Tajikistan
We, the undersigned journalists and members of public, condemn the detention of the BBC journalist Urinboy Usmonov, and call upon the authorities of Tajikistan to grant his immediate and unconditional release from custody.

Usmonov has worked as a local stringer for BBC’s Central Asian Service for more then ten years. He was reported missing by his family and friends on June 13, 2011; soon thereafter he appeared at his home accompanied by eight state security officers, who conducted a search of his home. Usmonov has been accused by the Tajik authorities of having links with the banned Islamic organization, Hizb-ut-Tahrir.

During his career as a professional BBC journalist, Urinboy Usmonov has reported on number of sensitive issues in Tajikistan, including on Hizb-ut-Tahrir. He is not and has never been a member of this organization or had any affiliation with it.

We are appalled by the fact that Usmonov has now been detained for four days without any formal charges being put forward against him. He has been denied access to legal representation and to his family. Usmonov has diabetes and suffers from a heart condition, and apart from calling for his immediate release, we call upon the Tajik authorities to allow him access to medical care as an urgent matter.

We are particularly concerned about clear signs of beatings and ill treatment of Usmonov during his time in custody that were observed by his family members when he was brought to his home for the security search. We demand an end to this inhumane treatment towards Usmonov, and further demand an investigation into the misconduct of the officers responsible, with punishment for those implicated in these apparent beatings.

We consider the detention of Urinboy Usmonov to be a very serious attack against the free press in Tajikistan, and we call upon the President of Tajikistan, Emomalii Rahmon; the Minister of Internal Affairs, Abdurahim Kakharov; and the Chairman of the State Committee on National Security, Saymumin Yatimov, to facilitate immediate release of Urinboy Usmonov from custody.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

http://www.petitiononline.com/uusm2011/petition.html

To mark World Refugee Day on 20 June, Reporters Without Borders is paying tribute to those journalists who manage to continue working as journalists after being forced to flee their country. By so doing, they defy those who tried to silence them.

Journalists from many different countries were interviewed for the report, entitled Forced to flee but not to stay silent – Exile media fight on. Whether from Burma, Sri Lanka, Rwanda or Cuba, their accounts describe the plight of their fellow journalists and the violation of rights and freedom in their country. Their personal stories are often secondary.

These journalists feel compelled to keep reporting, in order to prevent a veil of silence from being drawn over their country, in order to thwart the press freedom predators who took pleasure in forcing them to flee abroad.

Reporters Without Borders is proud of the fact that it has been able to support some of the initiatives of these exile journalists, whether by providing funding or my helping to make others aware of what they are saying.

This report also includes a summary of what the Reporters Without Borders Assistance Desks in Paris and Berlin have done so far this year.

http://en.rsf.org/forced-to-flee-but-not-silenced-17-06-2011,40475.html

We are concerned by reports that Urunbay Usmonov, a BBC journalist based in Khujand in northern Tajikistan was detained and maltreated by security authorities on 14 June as an alleged member of ‘Hizb-ut-Tahrir’. We have urged the Tajik authorities to clarify the situation as soon as possible.
The UK with EU partners have underlined to the Tajik authorities the importance of media freedom in Tajikistan. We recognise and support the efforts of the Tajik Government in ensuring security and stability in the country, but continue to stress the need for the Tajik authorities to conduct their activities in accordance with their international commitments.
______________________________________________________________________________
For more information please contact:

Jamila Sujud
Press and Public Affairs Officer
British Embassy
65 Mirzo Tursunzade Street, Dushanbe
Tel: (992 37) 224 22 21/ 224 14 77
Facsimile: (992 37) 227 17 26

British Embassy in Dushanbe

Commonwealth of Independent States : «Internet regulation should not curtail freedom of expression»

Reporters Without Borders wrote today to all the leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States – Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan – voicing concern about a framework law on Internet regulation that the CIS adopted on 16 May. It contains several repressive provisions and, although not binding, it is intended to serve as guidelines for legislation in individual CIS member states.

———————————————————————————

Dear Prime Minister,

The press freedom organization Reporters Without Borders would like to draw your attention to Framework Law No. 36-9 “On the Bases of Internet Regulation,” which was adopted by the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth of Independent States on 16 May 2011 in the presence of a delegation from your country.

Although not binding, this law’s 13 articles are intended to serve as a reference for legislation by CIS member countries. However, the implementation of some of this law’s articles would dangerously contradict the principles of online free expression and Net Neutrality by encouraging member states to exercise excessive control over what is a privileged space for exchanging information.

Article 9, about “international cooperation in the domain of Internet regulation,” promotes a dangerous degree of state intervention at the expense of Internet self-regulation. It stipulates that state control over Internet content and users should be reinforced by the creation of various state agencies.

Subsection 2 refers to a body empowered by the authorities to defend the state’s interests over the Internet.” Subsection 3 refers to an agency with the job of registering national domain IP addresses. It would have the power to cancel second-level domain names and therefore to close platforms such as LiveJournal in cases in which the country’s law is broken or in cases of “threats to public order in other countries.” The implementation of this provision would help to divide the Internet into national segments in direct violation of the principle of Net Neutrality, which bans any discrimination as regards network access.

Article 13 is also a source of much concern because it makes it obligatory for Internet access providers to keep user data for at least a year and make it available to the judicial authorities and law-enforcement agencies. The scope of this measure, above all, the nature of the data being retained, must be clearly defined in order to reassure users that their personal data is not being misused by the authorities and to ensure that the length of time it is being retained is not excessive. The Internet should not be used as a space for monitoring and controlling citizens, who have a right to privacy.

We urge your government to take note of these various issues. Internet regulation should not be imposed at the expense of freedom of expression, which is enshrined in international conventions ratified by your country. In a joint declaration on 1 June 2011, the United Nations and the OSCE stressed that, “Restrictions on freedom of expression on the Internet are only acceptable if they comply with established international standards.”

You are bound by this declaration, which contains guidelines that would be a much better source of inspiration for your country’s legislators than Framework Law No. 36-9. It stressed that freedom of expression applies to the Internet as well, and that states have an obligation to promote universal Internet access. We urge you to enshrine Internet access as a fundamental right in your Constitution.

We thank you in advance for the attention you give to our letter.

Sincerely,

Jean-François Julliard

Reporters Without Borders secretary-general

English: http://en.rsf.org/europe-et-ex-urss-internet-regulation-should-not-15-06-2011,40463.html

http://en.rsf.org/europe-et-ex-urss-internet-regulation-should-not-15-06-2011,40463.html

BBC World Service Statement

The BBC has learnt with very great concern of the detention of its
reporter in Tajikistan, Urinboy Usmonov.

Mr Usmonov, who has worked for the BBC Central Asian Service for the
last ten years, was reported missing by his family on 13 June 2011
when he failed to return home after work. At 12:00 BST on 14 June
2011, after increasingly desperate searches by family and work
colleagues, Mr Usmonov appeared at his home accompanied by members of
the Tajik security services. Mr Usmonov’s family reported that he
appeared to have been beaten up.

A search was conducted of his home by the officers and he was then
taken away. He has been denied access to his family since then.

The BBC now understands that Mr Usmonov has been accused of having
links to the Hizbi Tahrir party — an Islamic organisation which is
banned in Tajikistan. Whilst Mr Usmonov has reported on the judicial
trials and activities of the Hizbi Tahrir party in Tajikistan at the
request of the BBC, the BBC has no reason to believe these
allegations. The BBC deplores the alleged treatment of Mr Usmonov
whilst detained, in particular the denial of access to a legal
representative.

The BBC demands that Mr Usmonov is released with immediate effect.

BBC

DUSHANBE — Tajik authorities have detained BBC Uzbek Service correspondent Usmonboy Urunboev in the northern city of Khujand, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reports.

Tajik Interior Ministry spokesman Mahmadullo Asadulloev said on June 15 that Urunboev, who was born in 1951, joined the banned Islamic movement Hizb ut-Tahrir in 2009 and sought to recruit new members for the group through the Internet.

Asadulloev said several people have made statements confirming this information.

Urunboev’s son, Oybek, said police came to the family’s home on June 13 and told them Urunboev had been arrested. Oybek said police searched the house but did not find anything incriminating.

Diplomats at the British Embassy in Dushanbe said they are aware of Urunboev’s arrest and will monitor the case.

Urunboev has worked in Khujand for the BBC for the past 10 years.

http://www.rferl.org/content/tajik_police_arrest_bbc_correspondent/24236215.html