A court in the Kyrgyz capital has fined an ethnic Russian journalist the equivalent of $1,100 for publishing articles it considers to be incitements to ethnic hatred.

The Pervomaysky district court in Bishkek ruled that Vladimir Farafonov had insulted the Kyrgyz people, but it rejected the eight-year jail sentence sought by prosecutors.

Farafanov did not attend the July 3 court session out of concerns for his safety.

Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatovic expressed regret at the verdict.

“I have been following this case since its onset and raised it in a letter to Foreign Minister Ruslan Kazakbayev on 14 March. Although I am relieved that the court did not follow the recommendations of the public prosecution and did not sentence Farafonov to eight years in a penal colony, I believe that yesterday’s verdict might negatively influence the journalistic community in Kyrgyzstan,” Mijatovic was quoted as saying in a statement.

“I commended the Kyrgyz authorities when they decriminalized defamation in July last year, which was an important step forward. I strongly believe that while following standards of professional ethics, journalists should be able to write on sensitive issues.”

Ethnic tensions have been high in Kyrgyzstan since major clashes in the south between Kyrgyz and minority Uzbek communities left hundreds dead and many thousands homeless.

Based on reporting by AP, RFE/RL, and ITAR-TASS

http://www.rferl.org/content/kyrgyzstan-court-fines-journalist-inciting-hatred/24634789.html

Tajikistan has repealed a law criminalizing libel and defamation, downgrading the offenses to civil violations.

The office of Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon said on July 4 that Rakhmon had signed the proposal into law.

Independent journalists in that Central Asian republic have come under pressure from authorities since the country gained independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Media freedom advocates and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) welcomed plans to adopt the law earlier this year.

Tajikistan, however, retains controversial legal provisions that make publicly insulting the president an offense punishable by a fine or up to five years in jail.

Based on reporting by AFP and ITAR-TASS

http://www.rferl.org/content/tajikistan-president-rahmon-repeals-law-criminalize-libel/24634761.html

The Russian parliament has approved a contentious bill that activists fear will introduce Internet censorship by blacklisting sites deemed undesirable.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, speaking at a meeting with ruling United Russia party leadership in Moscow Oblast, strongly backed the law.

«The Internet must be free. Secondly, it should be regulated by a set of rules, which mankind has yet to work out, and it’s a very difficult process because we cannot regulate everything, nor can we leave [the Internet] outside the legal realm,» Medvedev said.

«Thirdly, the people’s basic rights and freedoms must be upheld, including the right to information on the one hand and the right to be protected against harmful content on the other hand.»

The bill was rushed through the parliamentary process after the initial reading on July 6.

It has to be signed by the president and is expected to become law in November.

The amendments to an existing information law are being promoted as a crackdown on child pornography but many fear they will have broader implications.

Russian newspapers report the final version has narrowed a previously broad term of «harmful information,» saying only child pornography, suicide how-to instructions, and drug propaganda can lead to website closure without trial.

However, in all other cases, court rulings will be needed to add a site to the register.

Site owners will also have the right to petition against the decisions to include their sites in the register.

Critics Fear Crackdown

The decision to mitigate provisions of the bill likely came as a reaction to an outburst of indignation, which the emergence of the bill produced among leading Internet companies like Yandex, the Mail.ru Group, Google, and human rights groups.

State Duma lawmakers are also expected this week to debate legislation that aims to control nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).

Russia’s lower house of parliament gave preliminary approval on July 6 to a law that would brand many rights and campaign groups «foreign agents,» a move opponents say is an attempt to stifle the anti-Putin movement.

The measure, presented by United Russia, would tighten controls on NGOs that receive foreign funding by forcing them to submit reports on their activities twice a year.

The amendments to the Russian information law and the law on NGOs follow the rapid passage of a law that increased the potential fines for protesters.

They also follow June police raids on the homes of protest organizers, who are accused by authorities of fomenting unrest in connection with protests against Putin’s May 7 return to the Kremlin to start his unprecedented third term as president.

With reporting by AFP and Interfax

http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-passes-internet-bill/24642146.html

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has used an appearance at a conference in Turkmenistan to urge member states not to block Internet resources from public access.

OSCE media representative Dunja Mijatovic made the remarks at the gathering on online media in the Turkmen capital, Ashgabat, on July 5.

«What my office is working on in particular is the reform of media law [in Turkmenistan],» Mijatovic told RFE/RL via telephone. «We are actively engaged and we do hope to be able to see the draft very soon in order for my office and also independent consultants to evaluate it and offer recommendations so that Turkmenistan would have a law that is a modern and liberalized media freedom law, also following everything that is happening in relation to new technology.»

Many websites, including social media platforms and foreign-based opposition news sites, are inaccessible in Central Asia, particularly in authoritarian Turkmenistan.

Advocacy group Freedom House has listed Turkmenistan, an OSCE member, as one of eight «worst of the worst» nations for media freedom.

Noting that the July 5-6 conference was the first of its kind in Ashgabat, Mijatovic said, «that is why it’s even more important to discuss issues of media freedom.»

«We plan to adopt a joint declaration [at the conference] that I intend to send to all foreign ministers of the five Central Asian states in order to [draw their] attention to the issues that are core values of the OSCE’s media freedom commitments,» Mijatovic added.

A correspondent for RFE/RL’s Turkmen Service was barred from attending the conference.

Mijatovic told RFE/RL that she was unaware of that incident.

With reporting by AP

http://www.rferl.org/content/osce-calls-for-open-internet-access-central-asia-turkmenistan/24636005.

EUROPEAN UNION
DELEGATION TO THE REPUBLIC OF TAJIKISTAN

Local EU Statement on decriminalisation of libel in Tajikistan

The European Union Delegation issues the following statement in agreement
with the EU Heads of Mission

The EU Delegation to Tajikistan welcomes the adopted amendments to the Criminal
Code of the Republic of Tajikistan abolishing two articles providing for criminal defamation. The EU Delegation trusts that this measure will make a positive contribution to the respect of the freedom of the media and freedom of expression in Tajikistan.

At the same time, the EU Delegation notes that the Article 137 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Tajikistan still foresees criminal charges in certain cases and encourages the Tajik Government to abolish the remaining provisions and thus entirely decriminalise defamation.

The EU will continue to support the development of media freedom and freedom of
expression in Tajikistan.

In Dushanbe on 05 July 2012

EU Delegation to Tajikistan

Journalists who want to create innovative approaches to social issues can apply for this fellowship.

The Open Society Fellowship seeks “idea entrepreneurs” from across the world who aim to challenge conventional wisdom and are committed to achieving democracy and accountability.

Project themes should cut across at least two areas of interest to the Open Society Foundations. Among these are human rights, government transparency, access to information and to justice, and the promotion of civil society and social inclusion.

Applicants should be fluent in English and possess a deep understanding of their chosen subject, along with a track record of professional accomplishment.

The application deadline is August 1.

For more information, click here: http://www.soros.org/grants/open-society-fellowship

http://www.soros.org/grants/open-society-fellowship