In April 2012, the Monitoring Service received 21 reports. Twelve of them describe the factual situation in the media in the light of social, legal and political environment; four reports describe direct violations of rights of media professionals; and five reports describe conflicts and accusations against the media and journalists.

I. 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

19 April
Emomali Rakhmon, President of Tajikistan, Dushanbe

On 15 April 2012, at the opening ceremony of the Moscow Metallurgy Institute in Dushanbe, the President of Tajikistan Emomali Rakhmon called on the media to be objective in their coverage of the Tajik-Russian cooperation.

“I want to ask of the Russian media to broadcast realistic information about our bilateral cooperation and the conditions of living for ethnic Russians in Tajikistan. I’ve got to say that the Russian society does not have real information about Tajikistan and about the level of cooperation between Tajikistan and Russia. For many years, this information has been distorted despite our efforts”.

According to Rakhmon, Russia has in Tajikistan the things, which it does not have in any Central Asia country. As an example, he mentioned the 201-st motorized division and the space surveillance facility “Okno”. The Tajik leader urged journalists to cover the military and technical cooperation between the two countries, as well as Tajikistan’s membership in the Collective Security Treaty and the CIS.

2. Actions of public officials defining the factual situation in the media

25 April
Bek Zukhurov, chairman of the government communication service

According to the Millat weekly (#17, 25.04.2012), the chairman of the government communication service Bek Zukhurov told the media on 23 April in Dushanbe that access to the web sites Maxala.org, Tjknews.ru and Ctntrasia.ru is unblocked. Previously, the communication authorities referred to “technical reasons” for blocking access to certain web sites.

3. Factual situation in the media and freedom of speech

11 April
The Ozodagon weekly

The Ozodagon weekly (#14, 11 April 2012) criticized the Tajik government television for dull and boring programs. The state TV stations broadcast mainly reports and programs covering celebrations of Navruz (the ancient holiday of spring equinox) in the capital and in country regions.

23 April
The Ozodagon information agency, Dushanbe

The information agency Ozodagon received its official registration in Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Iran.

Ozodagon is the first private Tajik news agency accredited abroad. The agency was registered in 2011; it opened its web site; at present, it presents information in Tajik and Russian languages.

The founder of Ozodagon Zafari Yusufi told the media that his agency is going to register in Uzbekistan, but he is not very optimistic about this idea (because of political frictions between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan).

25 April
People’s Democratic Party of Tajikistan, Dushanbe

The ruling People’s Democratic Party of Tajikistan (PDPT) announced the postponing of opening of its radio channel because of financial problems. (Asia Plus, #31, 25.04.2012).

Usmon Solekh, head of the Party’s public relations unit told Asia Plus that his colleagues clearly understand that PDPT has no funds to cover expenditures for the radio. He added that the budget of the Party is being replenished mainly due to the selling of its official weekly newspaper – Minbari Khalk, which has the highest circulation in Tajikistan – 45 thousand copies.

There are eight political parties in Tajikistan. None of them has its own broadcasting body.

23 April
The Khaksuz weekly, Dushanbe

The Uzbek ethnic society in Tajikistan has renewed publication of its newspaper Khaksuz. After fifteen years of inactivity, the periodical received registration at the Ministry of Culture.

Otabek Goibov, a representative of the newspaper told the media that Khaksuz will be printed once a week; the circulation will be 1,500 copies.

Khaksuz appeared in the early 1990-s; in 1997, it was closed.

4. Journalists protecting their civil and professional rights

3 April
The Sughd province Interior Department

Lieutenant colonel Vakhobov, head of the Sughd province transport police told NANSMIT that his agency launched an investigation into the complaint about the incident at the airport in Khujand.

The official acknowledged that representatives of the airport security service were rude with journalists and other passengers who tried to find out information about the delay of a flight.

6 April
All media, Dushanbe

On 5-6 April, the British Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) conducted the first training session for journalists covering conflicts, problems of youth and women. The seminar is held within the framework of the project “The media as a tool for stability and democratic governance in Tajikistan”. The project is financed by the Foreign Ministry of Finland.

12 April
All media, Dushanbe

The British Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) accomplished a training on international standards of journalism an writing analytical articles.

Fourteen journalists from Dushanbe, Kulyab, Kurgan-Tube and Isfara improved their knowledge and writing skills.

II. VIOLATION OF RIGHTS IN THE MEDIA

1. Impediments to professional activities

11 April
Imruz News, Righun

On 8 April, Zavkibek Soliev, photo correspondent of the Imruz News agency was expelled from a stadium at the village of Kalai Nav where he was filming a competition of wrestlers.

A policeman confiscated the correspondent’s ID card and ordered his subordinates to accompany him to the exit.

Soliev told the NANSMIT monitoring service that his ID is still being kept at the police station.

23 April
Turko Dikaev, freelance journalist, Kulyab, Khatlon province

After the publication of a story at www.news.tj about commercial sex services in the village of Navobod in Khatlon province, the author Turko Dikaev was summoned by Saida Nurlamonova, head of the government unit responsible for work with women.

The official was very rude with the journalist accusing him of “writing bad things about the country besieged by enimies”.

2. Ungrounded censorship

12 April
Asia Plus weekly, Dushanbe

The Prosecutor’s Office sent an official letter to the Tajik weekly Asia Plus requiring to share IP addresses of authors posting their comments under the articles.

The information portal news.tj belonging to Asia Plus is one of the most popular information resources. Very often, one can see sharp criticism of the Tajik authorities and particular public officials in comments left of the readers.

3. Ungrounded request to reveal commercial secrets

3 April
The State Antimonopoly Committee, Khujand, Sughd province

The TV and radio companies Asia, SM-1 and Tiroz in the northern city of Khujand told the NANSMIT monitoring service that the Sughd province branch of the government Antimonopoly Committee conducts auditing of their activities.

In the course of the auditing, it became clear that the main focus is made on commercial advertisement activities. Azamjon Akbarov, director of the Asia TV says that the actions of the antimonopoly agency contradict the national legislation and might create impediments for commercial activities of local broadcasting companies.

III. CONFLICTS, VIOLATIONS, ACCUSATIONS

1. Protection of honor, dignity and business reputation

14 April
The Farazh weekly, Dushanbe

On 14 April, the Ismoili Somoni district court in Dushanbe launched an investigation into the case against the Farazh weekly.

Fazlidding Azizov, deputy head of the district administration accused the newspaper of defaming his honor, dignity and business reputation.

According to Gulchehra Kholmatova, the lawyer representing Farazh, the lawsuit was filed after the publication of the article titled “The price of a Mercedes is $22 thousand” (Farazh weekly, 17 August 2011).

The article was written on the basis of court materials describing a traffic accident where the car belonging to the complainant Azizov was damaged. The court ruled that the second participant of the road accident should pay compensation for damages in the amount of $22 thousand for the second-hand Mercedes manufactured in 1990.

The author of the article challenged the court decision saying that the average market price for such king of a vehicle should not exceed $5-6 thousand.

The complainant states that the newspaper and the author of the article Zevar Sharipova have undermined his reputation and demand compensation in the amount of 500 thousand Somoni (more than $100 thousand).

Last fall, the complainant visited the Farazh weekly’s editor suggesting to settle the case by means of publishing refutation in the newspaper. The editor refused to accept the offer, since Azizov had already filed a suitcase”.

In court, the interests of the newspaper are protected by Abdurakhmon Sharipov, a lawyer from the Independent Human Rights Center.

25 April
The Millat weekly, Dushanbe

On 25 April, the Firdausi district court in Dushanbe closed the civil case of the Tajik Ministry of Agriculture filed against the Millat weekly.

In 2010, the Ministry approached the court complaining that an article published by the newspaper defames the dignity of the government body and its officials. The Ministry demanded 1 million Somoni (about $250 thousand) as moral compensation.

In 2011, the Firdausi court satisfied the request of the Ministry setting a penalty of 1,500 Somoni. The newspaper appealed to the court of appellate jurisdiction, and in March 2012, the body cancelled the previous verdict.

ORAL, Kazakhstan – A Kazakh journalist who sustained serious injuries in a recent assault went on trial in absentia on April 27 in a libel case.

Lukpan Akhmedyarov, a correspondent for the «Uralskaya nedelya» weekly in the western city of Oral, was stabbed and shot with a pneumatic pistol on April 19.

He received a subpoena to attend the trial from hospital but was unable to do so due to his health condition.

A top official in the West Kazakhstan Oblast, Tilekqabyl Imashev, has filed a lawsuit against Akhmedyarov. Imashev is demanding financial compensation from the journalist, alleging he “hurt his dignity and honor” in one of his articles.

Akhmedyarov says both the lawsuit and the attack against him are politically motivated.

http://www.rferl.org/content/kazakhstan_akhmedyarov/24562132.html

DUSHANBE — A prominent scholar in Tajikistan is being criticized after calling for Muslim prayers in the country to be performed in the Tajik language rather than Arabic.

Zafar Mirzoyon, who is known for his articles on Tajik history and national-identity issues, made the remark last week during a meeting with students at Tajik National University in Dushanbe.

Mirzoyon said reading Koranic verses in a language that a person understands brings them «closer to God.»

Critics say the suggestion defies the Islamic teaching that the Koran should not be translated from Arabic.

Islamic experts in Tajikistan have said Mirzoyon’s suggestion is an «insult» to Islam.

But the country’s Islamic leaders, including the Council of Ulema, have not publicly commented on Mirzoyon’s suggestion or the public debate it has sparked.

http://www.rferl.org/content/tajik_scholar_muslim_prayers_language/24562732.html

Professional, amateur and student photographers worldwide can enter a contest with a US$10,000 grand prize.

The International Photography Awards seek entries for its annual competition featuring eight professional categories — advertising, architecture, deeper perspective, editorial, photography book, fine art, nature and people.

The winner of each category will compete for International Photographer of the Year and the grand cash prize. Student and amateur winners in non-professional categories will compete for the title of the Discovery of the Year, a Lucie Statue and a US$5,000 cash prize.

A selection of 40-50 images of the winning entries will be featured in an exhibition in New York City. The best in show how will then travel to various countries to be included in photo festivals, galleries and other photography-related events.

Entry fees range from US$10-60 with a 10% discount for entries submitted by April 30. The regular deadline is May 31.

For more information, click here: http://www.photoawards.com/en/Pages/Enter/submit.php

http://www.photoawards.com/en/Pages/Enter/submit.php

Journalists interested in taking on an in-depth research project can apply for a fully funded fellowship in Europe.

The European Institutes for Advanced Study Fellowship Program offers 10-month residencies in one of the following cities — Berlin, Bologna, Brussels, Bucharest, Budapest, Cambridge, Helsinki, Jerusalem, Lyon, Nantes, Paris, Uppsala, Vienna or Wassenaar.

The program offers two types of fellowships. Junior fellowships are offered to researchers with a PhD and 2-9 years of subsequent research experience. Senior fellows must have a PhD and at least 10 years of research experience.

Junior fellows receive a EU?26,000 (about US$34,002) living stipend and senior fellows receive EU?38,000 (about US$49,695). All fellows receive basic social security coverage, accommodation or support for relocation, a research budget and travel expenses (one round trip).

Applicants cannot apply to an institute located in their country of nationality or residence. Submit an application form, a list of previous publications, 2-5 research samples, a detailed research proposal and two recommendation letters by June 7.

For more information, click here: http://www.2013-2014.eurias-fp.eu/home

http://www.2013-2014.eurias-fp.eu/home

Journalists of any nationality can submit works published in Spanish to a contest with a US$7,900 prize.

Fundación Miguel Gil Moreno and Random House Mondadori present the Miguel Gil Moreno Award for Journalism.

Print, radio, broadcast or online journalists whose work have been published in Spanish, either as the original language or translated, can participate.

The winner will receive EU?6,000 (about US$7,900).

Articles must have been published in 2011. The deadline is April 30, 2012.

For more information, in Spanish, click here: http://www.apmadrid.es/images/stories/Bases%20XI%20PremioMiguelGil.pdf

http://www.apmadrid.es/images/stories/Bases%20XI%20PremioMiguelGil.pdf

ORAL, Kazakhstan — A Kazakh journalist who sustained serious injuries in an assault says the attack must have been ordered by individuals «who did not like my articles.»

Lukpan Akhmedyarov, a correspondent for the «Uralskaya nedelya» weekly in the western city of Oral, told journalists at his hospital bed on April 24 that the attackers apparently knew the exact time on the evening of April 20 when he usually left his apartment to park his car for the night.

He therefore believes the attack was premeditated and well-organized.

International organizations and rights groups have condemned the attack on Akhmedyarov, who was known for his critical reporting on the Kazakh authorities, and called for a thorough investigation.

On April 23, former U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan William Courtney called for an international investigation into the brutal beating of Akhmedyarov.

«Without doubt, the attackers acted at the behest of someone in power,» said Courtney, who was ambassador in the early 1990s. «Under these circumstances, only an international investigation will be credible,» he told RFE/RL.

Courtney said it would be «very useful» if the United States pushed for an Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe investigation.

A correspondent for the «Uralskaya nedelya» weekly in the western city of Oral, Akhmedyarov was stabbed and shot by a pneumatic weapon on April 20.

The paper’s editor in chief, Tamara Eslyamova, told RFE/RL on April 23 that Akhmedyarov had been moved from intensive care to a regular hospital room and was now able to talk.

Akhmedyarov’s colleagues say they believe the attack was connected to his professional activities and criticism of the government.

http://www.rferl.org/content/us_envoy_wants_international_probe_into_kazakh_journalist_attack/245580

ORAL, Kazakhstan — Colleagues say the life of a Kazakh journalist who received serious injuries in an assault is no longer in danger.

Lukpan Akhmedyarov, a correspondent for the «Uralskaya nedelya» weekly in western city of Oral, was stabbed and shot by a pneumatic weapon on April 19.

“Uralskaya nedelya» editor in chief Tamara Eslyamova told RFE/RL that Akhmedyarov has been moved from intensive care to a regular hospital room and is able to talk.

Akhmedyarov’s colleagues say they believe the attack was connected to his professional activities.

International organizations and rights groups have condemned the attack and called on Kazakh authorities to investigate.

Since late 2009, Akhmedyarov has been the target of at least three defamation lawsuits from Kazakh authorities over his critical reporting of their activities.

http://www.rferl.org/content/kazakhstan_journalist_stabbed_shot/24557167.html

ORAL, Kazakhstan — A correspondent for Kazakhstan’s newspaper «Uralskaya nedelya» is in critical condition following a late-night armed assault by unknown attackers.

Lukpan Akhmedyarov was attacked on April 19 near the entrance to his apartment building in the western city of Oral.

Witnesses say there were as many as five assailants.

«Uralskaya nedelya» Editor In Chief Tamara Eslyamova told reporters that Akhmedyarov had been beaten and stabbed.

”He has got eight stab wounds on his back, and they [doctors] also say he got a blow on the back of his head,» she said. «There is an open wound there.»

Akhmedyarov has organized and spoken at numerous demonstrations and has been critical of the killing of at least 16 protesters by police in December 2011 in the town of Zhanaozen.

On March 7, he was stopped by police three times in one day. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists has called on Kazakhstan to investigate the attack.

Eslyamova told RFE/RL that Akhmedyarov had to undergo surgery overnight.

According to Eslyamova, Akhmedyrov’s wife has been told by her employers that officers of the National Security Committee had visited the company and warned that “she might have problems if her husband would not stop organizing gatherings.”

An official at the Oral City Police Department, Quat Duisenghaliev, told RFE/RL that investigations are under way and that “two hooligans» were suspected of attacking the journalist. He declined to give further details.

Meanwhile, police spokeswoman Gulzhan Qanatova told RFE/RL that investigations have been officially launched into the «premeditated assault and attempted murder.»

«Investigative and operative measures are being under way to resolve this crime,» she said. «A group of the best investigators of the investigative directorate at the West Kazakhstan Oblast interior department has been created. The case is under the strict control of the Kazakh Interior Ministry’s leadership.”

Elsewhere, a number of Kazakh journalists and activists held a press conference in Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty, on August 20, calling on Kazakh authorities to thoroughly investigate the attack.

Tamara Kaleeva, the head of Almaty-based Adil Soz (A Just Word) nongovernmental organization, claimed at the press conference that journalists in Kazakhstan are being assaulted on a regular basis.

«Our journalists are being attacked all the time,» she said. «Every year we register more than 10, almost 20 assaults on journalists.”

International Condemnation

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has condemned the attack and called on Kazakh authorities to immediately investigate the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice.

CPJ Deputy Director Robert Mahoney said in a statement that the near-fatal attack on Akhmedyarov «shows just how dangerous it is to be an independent investigative journalist in Kazakhstan.»

The Organization for Cooperation and Security in Europe (OSCE) also condemned the attack which it described as «shocking.» OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatovic said in a statement it was of «crucial importance» to determine whether the attack was connected to Akhmedyrov’s journalistic work.

Akhmedyarov has been targeted for his reporting in the past. By late 2009, at least three defamation lawsuits had been filed by Kazakh authorities against the journalist in relation to his critical reporting.

With reporting by Interfax

http://www.rferl.org/content/kazakh_journalist_critical_condition_following_attack/24554410.html

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: April 30, 2012

The U.S. Embassy in Tajikistan is pleased to announce a region-wide competition for project proposals that advance economic opportunities for women in South and Central Asia. The grant program will support projects focusing on advancing economic opportunities for women in Central and South Asia. Proposals should focus on the following four themes:

* Improving the Business Environment for Women

* Accessing Finance

* Expanding Markets through Trade

* Building Capacity through Business Associations, Mentoring, and Internships

Projects should address ways to improve women’s regional business linkages, ideas to connect businesses across borders, funding technical assistance to increase the use of technology or market readiness or facilitating exchanges between large and small firms to help them better compete in the market place SCA is not/not likely to fund proposals for conferences or meetings. Proposals may be country-specific, but priority will be for those that are regional in nature and/or link to Afghanistan. Proposals should not exceed $50,000, and it is preferable that they are no less than $20,000.

Proposals should contain clearly formulated goals and target groups, and show the ability of the applying organization to carry out the project.

Proposals and a completed SF form 424, attached separately, should be submitted in English only via e-mail to: GrantProposalsDushanbe@state.gov.

For more information please contact Sherzod Abdujabborov and Malohat Shoinbodova in the U.S. Embassy’s Public Affairs Section.

Tel: (992 37) 229 2315, 229 2000; fax: (992 37) 229 2050

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

http://dushanbe.usembassy.gov/