Freedom of Speech in Tajikistan

June 2013

In June 2013, the Monitoring Service received 24 reports. Twelve of them describe the factual situation in the media in the light of social, legal and political environment; five reports describe direct violations of rights of media professionals; and seven reports describe conflicts and accusations against the media and journalists.

I. POLITICAL, SOCIAL, ADMINISTRATIVE AND LEGAL ENVIRONMENT DEFINING THE FACTUAL SITUATION IN THE MEDIA

1. Statements and actions of public officials defining the factual status of the mass media

27 June

Emomali Rakhmon, President of Tajikistan, Dushanbe

The President of Tajikistan Emomali Rakhmon considers that every proud, honest and sane individual should always remember that the essence of the public opinion is a constructive and instructive word, which serves the interests of the people and our beloved country.

Presenting a speech at the state television on 26 June on the occasion of the National Unity Day, Emomali Rakhmon noted that “in current situation, under complicated circumstances, our country needs unity, peace and stability”. “In this regard, the political parties, public organizations and the mass media – for the purpose of protection of the national interests, security, political stability and the national unity of the Tajiks  – must be careful and cautious in the assessment and reflection of socio-political issues”, — stated Rakhmon.

2 . Factual situation in the media and the freedom of expression

3 June

Imruz news weekly, Dushanbe

The Imruz News weekly published an article (#93, 03.06.2013) expressing concern over the perspectives of creating the joint Tajik-Afghan-Iranian television.

Expensive broadcasting equipment delivered by Iran has been conserved by the Tajik customs service for seven months; the Tajik party expects payment of customs fees. The Iranian party, in turn, demands to ship back the expensive equipment.

Experts indicate very slow progress in creating the joint Persian-language TV company. Seven years ago, the presidents of the three countries came up with that initiative. However, in view of numerous problems (political, religious and cultural) the idea remains non-realized.

“The customs fees at the Tajik border is just another link in this chain of impediments”, — the article says.

6 June

K Plus TV, Kazakhstan

The satellite TV channel K Plus is available again in Tajikistan. Since 28 May, it has been jammed (allegedly, by the Tajik government communication service).

Not long ago, K Plus launched programs hosted by Dodojon Atovulloev, the Tajik oppositionist who criticized the president of Tajikistan Emomali Rakhmon and the government. Experts speculated on the relation between the blocking of the TV channel and those TV programs, but later, they came to the conclusion that it is technically impossible to jam the satellite TV signal from the territory of Tajikistan.

19 June

Freedom House, USA

The international human rights watchdog Freedom House has published a report on the development of the civil society in 29 countries in transition belonging to the region of Central Europe – Central Asia.

Tajikistan got the mark of 6,25 on the scale from 1 to 7, where “1” is the highest and “7” is the lowest mark. None of the former Soviet Republics got the highest mark.

The report covers the period from 1 January to 31 December 2012. The democracy development rating is composed of evaluation of the election processes, the civil society, independence of the mass media, the state and local authorities, independence of the judicial system and the level of corruption.

Freedom House reports that the “civil society” rating has deteriorated in Tajikistan because of continuous persecutions of religious leaders and Islamic groups.

In 2012, regardless the decriminalization of libel, Tajikistan went down in the category “independent mass media” – because of the abrupt growth of censorship in the online media and social networks. That was especially obvious after the wide-scale military operation in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province GBAO.

3. Journalists protecting their rights

June 06

Safvat Burkhonov, freelance journalist, Dushanbe

The Tajik freelance journalist Safvat Burkhonov declared a hunger strike in response to the political, economic and social situation in the country.

The journalist demands replacement of the leaders responsible for failures in the national economy; he states that the country must be withdrawn from the artificial isolation, which resulted from unsuccessful and short-sighted foreign policy; he also demands to conduct a reform in the military forces.

Safvat Burkhonov worked in the Tajik newspapers Nerui Sukhan, and SSSR; he is the founder of the NGO Salom, which main goal is to mitigate tension between Dushanbe and Tashkent.

20 June

All media, Khatlon province

Journalists in Khatlon province are planning to create a regional press club.

According to Khamro Salimov, chair of the province branch of the national Union of Journalists, the first meeting will be convened in July. Media professionals are going to discuss the issues of professional ethics and communication with the authorities.

20 June

All media, Dushanbe

A round table session “Preventing radicalism among the youth: the experience of Germany” was conducted in Dushanbe by the National Association of Independent Mass Media under support of the Conrad Adenauer Foundation, Germany.

After the presentation of the book written by V. Schmidt “The youth, Germans, Taliban”, participants discussed the issues of contemporary radicalism and the art of music as a means against radicalism.

21 June

All media, Dushanbe

The National Association of Independent Mass Media held a round table session in Dushanbe on the topic “Reevaluating the Legacy of Stalin”. The event was supported by the Conrad Adenauer Foundation in Central Asia.

The german publicist Christoph Links made a presentation on the German experience of reevaluating the historical legacy of the German Democratic Republic.

II. VIOLATION OF PROFESSIONAL RIGHTS

1. Ungrounded limitation of access to information

6 June

Asia Plus weekly, Dushanbe

The Asia Plus weekly (#42, 06.06.2013) published an editorial titled “When there’s nothing to answer…” criticizing the government ministries and agencies for violating the media legislation.

The author of the publication refers to a recent example – journalists tried to find statistical data on the number of newly created enterprises, which the President Emomali Rakhmon talked about in his annual message to the parliament. The President mentioned the figure 2,200 (enterprises), and 58 thousand new jobs. Journalists approached the Ministry of Finance and the State Statistics Committee asking about the location of those enterprises, but received no answer.

“The state agencies have nothing to say – because those enterprises do not exist at all; maybe some of them had been opened as “window dressing” and were closed shortly afterwards”.

2. Violation of labor rights

4 June

Abdukayum Ayubzod, Dushanbe

On 4 June, at a court session on the civil case of Abdukayum Ayubzod against Radio Ozodi (Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty), a representative of the Tajik Foreign Ministry Murodbek Aslamov told about the reason for termination of the journalist’s accreditation.

The official stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not obliged to explain the reasons of its decision, however, out of respect to the court, it can provide the answer. The official said that the journalist had been warned about the expiration of his accreditation and he should have stopped working for Radio Ozodi until the obtainment of new accreditation.

Kayumzod responded that he was not informed about that decision, and the managers of Radio Ozodi permitted him to continue his professional activities.

Faizinisso Vokhidova, the journalist’s attorney asked the court to reinstate her client in his former position and compensate his losses for the period when he could not perform his duties.

III. CONFLICTS, VIOLATIONS OF RIGHTS

1. Protection of honor, dignity, business reputation, moral compensation

6 June

Samak weekly, Dushanbe

The Tajik poet Askar Khakim filed a defamation suit against the private Samak weekly (printing outlet of the Center of Journalistic Investigations; founded in 2011) demanding a moral compensation in the amount of 150 thousand Somoni ($1=4,75 TJS).

According to Jasur Abdulloev, editor of Samak, the complainant refers to the publication titled “The Tajik non-problematic intelligentsia”. “We wrote about the Union of Artists, but because of a misprint, it said “the Union of Writers”. In the next issue, we apologized for the technical mistake; moreover, we published two refutations by Askar Khakim”.

10 June

Imruz News weekly, Dushanbe

The municipal court in Dushanbe dismissed the complaint lodged by Imruz News against the decision of the Ismoili Somoni district court.

On 25 February 2013, the district court obliged the Imruz News weekly to pay a moral compensation of 50 thousand Somoni to Rustam Khukumov for a publication “defaming his honor and business reputation”.

17 June

Olga Tutubalina, editor, Asia Plus weekly, Dushanbe

Several government-controlled creative unions and universities expressed their intention to lodge a complaint against Olga Tutubalina, editor of the Asia Plus weekly.

Mekhmon Bakhti, the chairman of the Union of Writers has confirmed this intention adding that the decision was made at a joint meeting of the Tajik Academy of Sciences, rectors of universities and creative unions. Asia Plus published an article by Tutubalina where she criticized the Tajik intelligentsia for servility and the absence of civil position on the socio-economic situation in the country.

On 24 June, Mekhmon Bakhti told Asia Plus weekly that the media disseminate incorrect allegations – if Olga Tutubalina brings official apologies, the creative unions will not lodge a file against her.

2. Accusation of extortion

27 June

Makhmadyusuf Ismoilov, regional correspondent, Nigokh weekly, Sughd province

The Tajik Interior Ministry made an official statement about the arrest of Makhmadyusuf Ismoilov, correspondent of the Nigokh weekly in Asht district, Sughd province.

According to the report on the Interior Ministry’s web site, on 24 June, Sanavbar Akhadova, a resident of Asht district approached the police with an extortion complaint against Ismoilov. The complainant stated that the journalist asked her to pay him an amount of $100 – otherwise, he would disseminate information defaming her reputation.

The Interior Ministry also reports that Ismoilov was arrested during an operation, when he was receiving an amount of 800 Somoni from the complainant. The prosecutor’s office initiated an investigation according to the Article 250, part 1 (extortion) of the Tajik Criminal Code.

Makhmadyusuf Ismoilov has been charged in November 2010 and spent 11 months in custody. He was accused of libel, defamation and incitement of ethnic hatred. The court acknowledged his guilt, but later he was amnestied.

Eraj Amon, the manager of Nigokh told NANSMIT that Ismoilov’s case is “pre-orchestrated”. “Makhmadyusuf Ismoilov is not a member of our staff; he is a freelance journalist. Apart from his creative activities, he has been promoting our newspaper in Sughd province; due to his efforts our circulation in that region has increased essentially. People who sell newspapers in Sughd province used to intimidate him, seeing him as their rival in that business”.

DUSHANBE — In Tajikistan, a prominent, independent journalist has been arrested again and charged with soliciting bribes.

The Tajik Interior Ministry announced on June 26 that Muhammadyusuf Ismoilov was arrested earlier this week and accused of demanding bribes from two residents of the northern province of Sughd.

Ismoilov made headlines in 2010 after publishing his investigative reports about what he called a local prosecutor’s illegal activities.

He was then arrested and charged with libel and corruption.

Ismoilov spent 11 months in pretrial detention and was released in October 2011.

While in detention, a local court found him guilty and fined him the equivalent of $9,000.

Ismoilov’s lawyer told RFE/RL on June 26 that he needed to get better acquainted with his client’s case before making any comments on the arrest.

http://www.rferl.org/content/tajikistan-journalist/25028410.html

June 26, 2013

by Konstantin Parshin

Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, seen here on a billboard in the capital Dushanbe, recently greeted the return of Bozor Sobir, a well-known Tajik poet who has lived in the United States for 19 years. Sobir, who received a free apartment upon his return, is now openly supportive of Rahmon’s administration, drawing fierce criticism from a prominent journalist. The leader of the official Writers’ Union has threatened to sue the journalist, Olga Tutubalina, for libel. 

Official recognition as a member of the intelligentsia in present-day Tajikistan means lots of perks, including apartments and access to state-funded vacation resorts. In exchange, members – described as the “conscience of the nation” – are expected to support incumbent authorities. But one journalist is kicking up a storm by shining light on intellectual corrosion in the existing system.

The official “intelligentsia” in Tajikistan harkens back to Soviet days, when an artist or writer whose work buttressed state policies would gain membership in one of several state-supported “creative unions,” such as the Writers’ Union. It was a quid pro quo in which the artists enjoyed a relatively cushy life, and the state enhanced its legitimacy via arts and culture.

Important elements of the old Soviet system remain in place in Tajikistan. Loyalty still matters, and members of the existing, officially recognized intelligentsia are expected to embrace President Imomali Rahmon’s policies, providing the administration with intellectual cover.

The current controversy in Dushanbe began when Bozor Sobir, a poet who had long lived in the United States, returned to Tajikistan in late May. Sobir established his reputation during the Soviet era, and supported the United Tajik Opposition during the country’s 1992-97 Civil War. The victory of forces loyal to Rahmon in that conflict prompted Sobir to leave the country, and he resided in the United States for 19 years before Tajik authorities coaxed him into returning. Upon landing in Dushanbe on May 27, he dutifully praised Rahmon, who will run for another term this fall. Sobir called on Tajiks to unite around the president, and questioned the need for Tajikistan to have multiple political parties.

Those comments prompted Olga Tutubalina, the editor of the Asia-Plus weekly newspaper, to write a scathing commentary on May 30 that condemned Sobir by name and castigated the cozy relationships that many writers and artists maintain with the state. In asserting that many in Tajikistan’s intellectual class are frauds and sell-outs, she quoted a letter that Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin supposedly penned to pro-Soviet poet Maxim Gorky: “In fact, they are not [the nation’s] brains but its [waste].”

“Now, the former democrat and revolutionary [Sobir] has transformed himself into a high priest of authorities’ will,” Tutubalina added, reminding her readers of the poet’s role in the civil war.

Tutubalina’s blast did not go unanswered. A few days later, Writers’ Union Chairman Mekhmon Bakhti reportedly told a meeting of union members that Tutubalina had insulted not only all Tajik intellectuals, but also the whole nation, and that she should be sued. “The journalist misinterpreted Lenin’s words, and it is obvious that she dislikes Tajiks,” he told the Ozodagon news agency on June 17. Tutubalina is an ethnic Russian born and raised in Tajikistan.

“Should anyone say something about the intelligentsia in the same tone in another country – Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan or Georgia, for instance – they would skin that person or would drag him like a sacrificial animal in a game of buzkashi,” added Bakhti, referring to a polo-like game played with a decapitated goat.

For her part, Tutubalina told EurasiaNet.org that she did not mean to insult anyone. At the same time, she insists she has nothing to apologize for. “One particular segment of the intelligentsia does not deserve respect. I meant those who speak only when they get permission from above,” she said.

“Maybe they will take this to court. Initially, I thought that idea comes from certain individuals from the creative unions,” Tutubalina continued. “Now, I am almost certain that this is an order from above. Bakhti said I ‘insulted not only the intelligentsia, but the nation,’ and that ‘I dislike Tajiks.’ These accusations are groundless, but someone wants to make this into an ethnic issue. These statements are pressure on me personally, and on the independent media.”

Bakhti’s comments have divided Dushanbe’s educated class, many of whose members are privately critical of the government’s handling of the Tajik economy, specifically widespread corruption and the implementation of extravagant construction projects. Meanwhile, outsiders are critical of official creative unions for being silent about the problems facing Tajikistan.

“This so-called ‘conscience of the nation’ has slept for so long in cahoots with all the nasty things around it,” author Temur Varky told EurasiaNet.org. “Now, they are shouting about their honor and dignity. Their essence – their adaptive behavior, cowardice and uselessness – has not changed.”

Galina Elbaum, a filmmaker and a member of the Cinematographers’ Union, emphasized that Bakhti should not be seen as a spokesman for all in the creative class. “Not all of the creative unions share the opinion of Mekhmon Bakhti. It is unlikely that they would sign a petition against the journalist,” she told EurasiaNet.org. “A professional journalist has the right to argue and reason, and to do this publicly.”

Bakhti maintains that he and at least nine others plan to file a lawsuit. Libel was decriminalized last year, but it remains a civil offense. Press freedom advocates say that Tajik courts have in the past manipulated damage awards so that they, in effect, cause the bankruptcy of media outlets that have fallen out of official favor. So far this year, according to the National Association of Independent Media, six lawsuits have been brought against journalists, mostly by officials.

Abdugani Mamadazimov, head of the National Association of Political Scientists, told EurasiaNet.org that Tajikistan’s few independent media outlets are more active than its opposition parties, which explains why they face more pressure, especially in election years. “Our mass media and independent journalists are the first to fight for democracy and civil society,” he said. Asked why the Writers’ Union chief cares so much about Tutubalina, Mamadazimov pointed at the ceiling and said, “He got a call from the top and was told to do this.”

Editor’s note:

Konstantin Parshin is a freelance writer based in Tajikistan

http://www.eurasianet.org/node/67181

Online journalists, digital news organizations and students worldwide can apply for an award.

The Online News Association (ONA) and the University of Miami School of Communication are accepting entries for the 2013 Online Journalism Awards recognizing excellence in digital reporting.

This year, ONA is incorporating non-English entries into all categories, which include: breaking news, planned news/events, explanatory reporting, topical reporting, online commentary, feature, student projects, technical innovation, innovative investigative journalism, watchdog journalism, public service and general excellence in online journalism.

Of the 29 awards, nine offer a total of US$37,500 in prize money, including a new US$5,000 award honoring the best in watchdog journalism.

Awards will be given at the Online News Association Conference & Awards Banquet in Atlanta, Georgia. The OJAs, launched in 2000, are the only comprehensive set of journalism prizes honoring excellence in digital journalism.

The entry fee is US$100 for ONA members, US$175 for non-members, US$15 for student members and US$50 for student non-members.

Entries published between June 16, 2012, and June 15, 2013 are eligible. Apply by June 28.

For more information, click here: http://journalists.org/awards/

Journalists and bloggers interested in advancing their knowledge of the sciences can apply.

The Falling Walls Foundation seeks candidates with at least three years professional journalism or blogging experience in which they have written about science.

The fellows will get the opportunity to visit the Falling Walls Lab and attend the Falling Walls Conference in November in Berlin.

The fellowship includes travel expenses, hotel room for three nights and conference fees.

Applicants must complete the online form and submit two work samples together with a cover letter.

The deadline to apply is September 15.

For more information, click here: http://falling-walls.com/press/fellowship/

Photographers with less than five years of experience with portrait photography, regardless of age, can submit their work.

The Contour by Getty Images Portrait Prize will award a US$10,000 grant to one photographer. The winning photographer’s work will be announced with a Getty Images press release, exhibited at the Polka Galerie in Paris in October 2013 and displayed on the Getty Images grants website.

Applicants must submit 10-20 images from their portrait work (either individual images or a series) along with a biography, brief explanation of their approach to portraiture and description of what they would like to accomplish in their careers (each in 1,000 words or less).

Submit your work by Aug. 5.

For more information, click here: http://imagery.gettyimages.com/getty_images_grants/Portrait.html

In a statement on its website, Uzbekistan’s Culture and Sports Ministry has announced a ban on «meaningless» songs that fail to «praise the motherland.»

In a rather insensitively worded ruling, the music of pop groups Mango and Ummon and singers Dilfuza Rahimova, Otabek Mutalhojaev, and Dilshod Rakhmonov were condemned as being «meaningless from musical and lyrical standpoints.» (Ouch!)

They were stripped of their performing licenses, which are issued by an agency within the ministry, Uzbeknavo, and which are needed in order to perform in public in Uzbekistan.

Says the ministry:

Seven other performers were issued «harsh warnings» and given a deadline of July 1 to eliminate what the ministry euphemistically calls their «creative shortcomings.»

Unsurprisingly, the ruling does not apply to the musical oeuvre of the Uzbek pop star Googoosha, also known as Gulnara Karimova, also known as the daughter of authoritarian Uzbek President Islam Karimov, whose most recent music video, «How Dare,» features her gyrating sexily to a thumping beat in front of a half-naked man in a chair who appears to be in some sort of distress.

Perhaps Mango and Ummon and all the others should count their blessings, though. As RIA Novosti points out:

— Grant Podelco

http://www.rferl.org/content/uzbekistan-meaningless-pop-songs/25023250.html

More than 80 journalists forced to flee abroad in 2012

To mark World Refugee Day today, Reporters Without Borders is publishing the accounts of journalists who had to flee abroad to escape threats to their safety. Syrians, Iranians, Eritreans, Somalis and Sri Lankans – they remind us that reporting the news is a dangerous profession, one that can get you killed or imprisoned. More than 80 journalists fled their country in 2012 to escape arbitrary rule, imminent imprisonment, persecutions and threats. Others have continued to flee abroad in the first half of 2013. They need our help more than ever.

Dozens of journalists have had to flee the civil war in Syria, where they are very exposed to the violence and are targeted by a government bent on hiding the scale of his human rights violations from the rest of the world.

The exodus continues in Iran. More than 200 journalists have fled the country in the four years since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s reelection. And the regime is even trying to pressure media beyond its borders. The June 2013 presidential election saw threats and intimidation of the families in Iran of journalists working abroad.

Journalists flee for their lives from Somalia to escape the violence of Al-Shabaab’s militiamen. Journalists flee into exile from Eritrea to escape an arbitrary and despotic regime. Journalists who refuse to toe the editorial line imposed by the government in Sri Lanka often have to flee abroad when the threats get serious.

RWB’s support for journalists who flee abroad

Flight into exile rarely means the end of threats and difficulties. Journalists fleeing abroad usually find themselves stuck in countries that neighbour their own. The borders are easily crossed by representatives of the regime they are trying to escape. Many exile journalists report being watched or threatened by embassy officials or government agents from their country of origin.

Deprived of income after fleeing abroad and often subjected to various financial sanctions before they flee, these journalists are usually in a desperate financial situation that increases the dangers to which they are exposed and adds to their sense of insecurity.

Aware of the vulnerability of these news providers, who have been hounded just for trying to shed light on the everyday reality of life for their fellow citizens, Reporters Without Borders is tireless in its effort to provide them with support.

Of the approximately 60 financial grants Reporters Without Borders has disbursed since the start of 2013, half has been awarded to exile journalists. Three quarters of the grants awarded to journalists from the Middle East have gone to Syrian exile journalists. Reporters Without Borders helps them to cover their basic living expenses or pay their airfare to a safer country.

The Reporters Without Borders Assistance Desk has written more than 80 letters since the start of the year. Almost all of them were to help exile journalists by pressing for a rapid and adequate response from the authorities who are supposed to provide them with international protection.

http://20june.rsf.org/

On the eve of World Refugee Day, Reporters Without Borders is alerting United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres to the need to provide refugee journalists with better protection and is publishing an updated version of its guide for journalists who are forced to flee into exile.

Around 80 journalists fled abroad in 2011 to escape the fate reserved for them by governments hostile to freedom of information. The exodus is continuing this year. Dozens of Syrian, Iranian, Somali and Eritrean journalists have had to flee their countries in the past six months.

Faced by the probability of imminent arrest, physical violence, harassment or even murder, these men and women have had to abandon family, friends and colleagues in a quest for greater security.

Because of a lack of funds or because they departed in haste, they often end up being stranded in neighbouring countries that are accessible to refugees but also to the agents of the governments they are fleeing. As a result, their safety is far from being assured in these countries of initial refuge.

Reporters Without Borders wrote to UN High Commissioner for Refugees Guterres on 30 May alerting him to the situation of refugee journalists in countries such as Turkey, Uganda and Kenya. Today, we are releasing the letter and the recommendations it contains.

We call on UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, to establish an alert mechanism with a designated referral officer within each of its local offices so that cases involving refugee journalists and human rights activists can be identified and handled more quickly because they are particularly exposed to danger.

We also urge the High Commissioner to ensure that refugee journalists and human rights activists get better access to appropriate individual protection, to the emergency resettlement process and to the UN’s mechanism for temporary evacuation to a safe third country.

Finally, Reporters Without Borders is convinced that UN member states have a duty to help protect journalists who are forced to flee into exile because of their work. It therefore urges Guterres to publicly acknowledge that the UN’s traditional protection procedure is not appropriate for refugee journalists and human rights activists, who continue to be in danger in countries of initial refuge, and to urge member states to take the necessary action.

The latest version of the Guide for journalists who flee into exile, which Reporters Without Borders first published in 2009, contains some 30 pages of advice for refugee journalists about UNHCR protection procedures and seeking asylum in Europe and North America. Journalists who have had to flee their country will find information, tips and contacts that will help to guide and assist them during the long and difficult process of starting a new life.

Copy of the letter sent by Reporters Without Borders to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres

Mr. António Guterres
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNHCR
PO Box 2500
CH-1211 Geneva 2
Switzerland

Paris, 30 May 2012

Urgent: Situation of asylum-seeking journalists in transit countries

Dear High Commissioner,

Reporters Without Borders, the leading international NGO defending freedom of information, is extremely concerned about the situation of journalists who apply to UNHCR for protection in the first country they reach after fleeing their own country.

By providing information about the situation of their fellow citizens, by interviewing government opponents, and by drawing attention to human rights violations, corruption and misrule, journalists attract the hostility of regimes and influential groups that do not tolerate freely reported news and information.

Because of their work, journalists are exposed to serious reprisals. Many are forced to flee abroad to escape physical violence, threats, arrests and arbitrary jail sentences. Journalists are easy to identify because they sign articles, appear on TV and speak on the radio. When they flee to a nearby country and register with UNHCR, they continue to be at the mercy of the regimes they are trying to escape because their names, faces and voices are known.

This was seen when Eritrean journalist Jamal Osman Hamad was arrested in Khartoum on 24 October 2011, less than a week after Eritrean President Issaias Afeworki visited his Sudanese counterpart, and 300 Eritrean citizens were deported to their country of origin without UNHCR being able to examine their cases.

Our concern increased when Rwandan journalist Charles Ingabire was gunned down in Kampala on 30 November 2011 in very unclear circumstances. Reporters Without Borders is convinced that an act of political revenge cannot be ruled out.

It is clear that the Rwandan, Eritrean, Ethiopian and Iranian governments, like Somalia’s Al-Shabaab and Latin America’s drug traffickers, have an ability to do harm that reaches well beyond their own borders.

It must however be recognized that, as things stand, there is no adequate mechanism for protecting asylum-seeking journalists (and other news providers), who are all, by the nature of their work, also human rights defenders. Reporters Without Borders would therefore to like propose that local UNHCR offices adopt the following dedicated procedures for the protection of journalists.

Reporters Without Borders asks UNHCR to establish an alert mechanism with a designated referral officer within each of its local offices so that cases of persons who are in particular danger can be identified and handled more quickly. As Reporters Without Borders is in regular contact with journalists who have decided to flee abroad to safeguard their safety and freedom, and as it systematically conducts an investigation whenever it is contacted by a journalist seeking its protection, it is in a position to act as guarantor of the identity and background of journalists who approach UNHCR protection officers.

Adequate safety measures must also be adopted for refugee journalists (and other human rights defenders) including a programme of urban shelters (away from the regular refugee camps), safehouses, and emergency alert and protection mechanisms. Reporters Without Borders has been helping refugee journalists for more than 20 years but, although we are in constant contact with them and give them advice and guidance, we do not have the human and financial resources to enable them to meet their daily needs, including their security needs. It is vital that journalists should have greater access to the emergency resettlement process and to the UN’s mechanism for temporary evacuation to a safe third country. UNHCR should work to obtain greater participation in these programmes by countries that can offer safe refuge.

Reporters Without Borders also urges the United Nations to publicly acknowledge that its traditional protection procedure is not appropriate for threatened journalists and to ask member states to help to make up for the shortcomings. This would enable UNHCR to overcome the culpable inaction of certain western government that use the overall quota as an excuse for doing nothing, although more than 260 journalists have been killed in connection with their work in the past five years and 154 are currently detained.

Our organization very much hopes that you will come out in favour of specific and more personalized treatment of resettlement requests by journalists and human rights defenders who are threatened in transit countries. We also hope that our recommendations will help to bring about a more general overhaul of UNHCR procedures.

We stand ready to provide you with any additional information and to meet with you to discuss these recommendations further. Sincerely,

Olivier Basille
Director General

http://en.rsf.org/refugee-journalists-are-19-06-2012,42818.html