New pressure on news outlets in Kyrgyzstan is intimidating independent-minded journalists, media rights activists say.

The troubles began on March 10 when several news websites focusing on Central Asia became unavailable. All had reported critically on alleged connections between businessman Eugene Gourevitch and President Kurmanbek Bakiyev’s son Maxim, a top official at the Central Agency for Development, Investment and Innovation. Gourevitch is wanted in Italy for financial crimes.
For over a week, the news website Ferghana.ru, the website of the Belyi Parus newspaper («White Sail»), along with opposition members’ blogs, were unavailable. Broadcasts of Radio Liberty’s Kyrgyz service and the BBC’s Kyrgyz service have also been interrupted. Prime Minister Daniyar Usenov claimed to be unaware of the troubles.
The pressure appears to have emboldened the opposition. At a demonstration on March 17, the United People’s Movement, an umbrella organization, nominated widely respected former foreign minister Roza Otunbaeva to be its leader, and called for Maxim Bakiyev to step down from the development agency position.
The night before, on March 16, authorities had seized all 7,000 copies of the Kyrgyz-language opposition newspaper «Forum» at the printing facility, and detained six members of the paper’s editorial team for questioning.
Independent bloggers have complained to EurasiaNet of increasing harassment from authorities.
For the first time, authorities are seeking out and pressuring Kyrgyz-language media outlets, says Dinara Oshurahunova, head of the coalition for democracy and civil society. Previously only Russian-language outlets faced such harassment.
«The Kyrgyz language media was not so persecuted before because its criticism [used metaphorical] tales and other style of writing,» she told EurasiaNet.org. «It was not so sensitive. And now, all of the independent media that write and publish about recent scandals, about the opposition protests ? about the increase of [energy] tariffs are being closed down.»
Oshurahunova predicted the crackdown would backfire. «Kyrgyzstan is going to have more dissatisfaction; day by day it will grow. If those in power think that by blocking websites and [seizing] newspapers, nobody will know anything, they are mistaken. People talk and will tell each other,» she added.
The recent troubles follow increasing violence against journalists associated with opposition papers. Last year, at least two Kyrgyz journalists were killed and nine others attacked.
Ferghana.ru reports that since the blockings began, the «majority of local news agencies» have stepped up self-censorship.
«Press freedom violations seem to be increasing in frequency and intensity,» media watchdog Reporters Without Borders noted in a March 17 statement. «By harassing independent and opposition media and allowing those responsible for physical attacks on journalists to go unpunished, the authorities are assuming a decisive share of the blame for the extremely worrying deterioration in the situation.»
The OSCE, Freedom House, and, unusually, the Russian Embassy in Bishkek have also reportedly asked the Kyrgyz foreign ministry to lift pressure on the press.
Posted March 22, 2010 © Eurasianet
http://www.eurasianet.org

EurasiaNet

Источник: http://eurasianet.org/departments/civilsociety/articles/eav032210.shtml

A cameraman for a privately owned Kazakh television channel is reported to have been severely beaten while filming a report in Almaty, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reports.

An Almaty-based media watchdog said Abzal Aghaliev of Tan television was assaulted while filming a fire at a meat-packing factory on March 18.

The watchdog, Adil Soz (A Just Word), said today that Aghaliev was assaulted by Qadyrzhan Mazhinov, executive director of the Nuralem company that owns the factory.

The group also alleged that Mazhinov smashed Aghaliev’s video camera.

Mazhinov has not commented so far on the allegations.

Police have opened an investigation.

Tan television broadcasts primarily news and entertainment programs.

http://www.rferl.org/content/Kazakh_Journalist_Beaten_While_Filming_Report/1988416.html

A court in Bishkek has ordered two independent newspapers to suspend publication for the duration of court proceedings against them.

Babyrbek Jeenbekov, the owner of the newspapers «Nazar» (View) and «Achyk Sayasat» (Open Politics), told RFE/RL he was summoned on March 17 to the Prosecutor-General’s Office and informed that a case for libel will be opened against the two publications.

He also said he has received from Bishkek’s Birinchi May district court written notification of the suspension of publications.

The papers had published an appeal by Jeenbekov’s son Ravshan, an opposition activist in self-imposed exile in the United States. The appeal was addressed to participants in the People’s Congress organized by the opposition on March 17.

Ravshan Jeenbekov accused Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev of issuing orders to police in 2002 to open fire on peaceful protesters in Aksy district. He also implicated members of Bakiev’s family in corruption.

The Kyrgyz Prosecutor-General’s Office has qualified the appeal as mendacious and insulting to Bakiev.

http://www.rferl.org/content/Bishkek_Court_Suspends_Publication_Of_Two_Independent_Newspapers_/19877

DUSHANBE — Tajik President Emomali Rahmon has rejected criticism of last month’s parliamentary elections, describing them as democratic and transparent, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reports.

Rahmon made the comments during an address at the opening session of parliament’s lower chamber.

Rahmon said the February 28 parliamentary elections were democratic and transparent, and that voting took place peacefully.

It was his first response to international observers’ claims that the elections failed to meet many basic democratic standards.

The initial report by OSCE and EU monitors noted «certain small positive steps,» and «a certain level of pluralism.» But they also registered «serious irregularities on polling day including cases of ballot stuffing.»

Rahmon said that all of Tajikistan’s past problems began after an election; for example, the civil war that began in 1992 was triggered by the opposition’s refusal to acknowledge the victory of former Communist Party head Rahmon Nabiyev in the 1991 presidential ballot.

Rahmon said that in the past, political parties could not have waged their election campaign freely. He said that enmity towards opposition parties was not acceptable, and he proposed cooperating with them.

But all key parliament positions were allocated to members of Rahmon’s National Democratic Party of Tajikistan, which won 55 of the 63 parliament seats.

As in previous parliaments, the posts of parliament speaker and deputy speakers were distributed between representatives of various regions.

Former Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Shukurjon Zuhurov, who was elected from the eastern Rasht region — the main opposition stronghold during the civil war — was elected speaker of the lower house.

Former presidential administration head Amirsho Miraliev, who is from Rahmon’s native Danghara district in the southern province of Khatlon, was appointed first deputy speaker.

The two deputy speaker posts went to Nazira Ghafforova, from the northern Sughd Province, and Mirgand Shahbozov, from Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province.

http://www.rferl.org/content/Tajik_President_Rejects_Criticism_Of_Parliamentary_Elections/1985638.ht

The chief editors of the Kyrgyz newspapers «Achyk Sayasat» (Open Politics) and «Nazar» (Attention) were questioned today by officials of the Prosecutor-General’s Office about certain articles in their publications, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reports.

«Achyk Sayasat» chief editor Babyrbek Jeenbekov told RFE/RL that no explanations were given as to why he and «Nazar» chief editor Kenjebek Arykbaev were summoned to the Prosecutor-General’s Office.

He said they went to the office today and were questioned about articles about opposition activities that they had published in their newspapers.

Jeenbekov said the summons might be specifically connected to the newspapers’ publication of an address by his son, politician Ravshan Jeenbekov, to delegates of the National Assembly (Kurultai). Ravshan Jeenbekov is living in self-imposed exile in the United States.

The kurultai is scheduled to be held on March 17 by Kyrgyzstan’s opposition parties and movements.

http://www.rferl.org/content/Kyrgyz_Newspaper_Editors_Summoned_For_Questioning/1985650.html

Freedom House says a decision by Kyrgyz authorities last week to block broadcasting and Internet access to U.S. government-funded news services underscores a «growing concern for freedom of expression in Kyrgyzstan.»

RFE/RL’s affiliate television station Echo of Manas halted programming on March 10 after what the U.S.-based rights watchdog said were government threats to terminate its broadcast license.

Four RFE/RL radio affiliates and two non-U.S. news websites, Centrasia.ru and Ferghana.ru, were also forced to shut down.

Freedom House said in a statement that «Kyrgyzstan once set the standard for tolerance, expression and democratic process in Central Asia.»

It has called on the government to re-affirm its commitment to that standard.

http://www.rferl.org/content/Freedom_House_Calls_On_Kyrgyzstan_To_Loosen_Media_Controls/1985636.html

An independent journalist and two activists of the opposition Ata-Meken (Fatherland) party have been beaten in southern Kyrgyzstan, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reports.

The attack occurred as Ata-Meken party coordinator Asylbek Tekebaev, an associate, and «Press-KJ» chief editor Abdubakhab Moniev returned on the night of March 15 from a gathering of supporters of jailed opposition leader Ismail Isakov in the district of Alay.

Tekebaev said the attackers blocked the men’s car as it approached the town of Karool in neighboring Uzgen district. They broke the car’s windows and severely beat the three men. They also took Moniev’s tape recorder and video camera and told them that they «should behave themselves.»

Tekebaev told RFE/RL that he is sure the attack was politically motivated. Local law enforcement officials declined to comment on the incident.

Tekebaev is the brother of Ata-Meken leader Omurbek Tekebaev.

http://www.rferl.org/content/Kyrgyz_Journalist_Opposition_Activists_Beaten/1985102.html

The editor of an independent Kyrgyz newspaper says Bishkek police confiscated its latest issue on March 15, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reports.

Rakhmatulla Akhmedov, chief editor of the «Forum» newspaper, told RFE/RL that he believes the confiscation was ordered by authorities.

Akhmedov said three trucks carrying 7,000 copies of the newspaper were stopped by police and forced to drive to a police station.

The newspaper’s delivery workers were released by police after local human rights defenders and opposition Social Democratic Party activists got involved in the case, although the newspapers were impounded at the station.

A Bishkek police spokesman refused to comment on the incident.

http://www.rferl.org/content/Kyrgyz_Police_Confiscate_Independent_Newspaper/1985154.html

A Tajik Olympic official says the country sold one of its official accreditations to the Winter Olympics in Vancouver to a Russian comedian.

Muhammadshoh Abdulloev, the head of Tajikistan’s National Olympic Committee delegation to Vancouver, told RFE/RL that prominent comedian Gennady Khazanov officially represented Tajikistan at the Olympics last month.

Abdulloev said the cash-strapped Tajik delegation could not afford to invite Tajik guests to the Olympics and therefore had to sell two of its official accreditations to the Bosco Sport Company for $2,000 and a promise by Bosco to sponsor the Tajik delegation at the Summer Olympics in London in 2012.

It is not known how much Khazanov paid Bosco for the Tajik accreditation.

The Tajik Olympic team was represented in Vancouver by only two athletes — alpine skiers Andrei Drygin and Alisher Qudratov. The International Olympic Committee paid all expenses of the Tajik athletes, their coaches, and officials in Vancouver.

Russian media report that Armenia, Moldova, and Russia are some of the countries that brought prominent Russian actors, journalists, and businessmen as official guests to the Winter Olympics in Vancouver in exchange for cash payments.

http://www.rferl.org/

About 150 people in northeastern Uzbekistan have held a rally to protest the arrest of a local activist, RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service reports.

Protester Olim Hasanov told RFE/RL that the people gathered in front of the municipal council building in Parkent, in Tashkent Oblast.

He said that Azamat Yakubov, the chairman of Parkent’s community committee, planned to lay a gas mainline in his neighborhood. But the prosecutor’s office accused him of embezzling some 5 million soms ($2,500) of the 10 million soms that his neighbors had contributed toward the cost of the project and ordered his arrest on March 10.

Another participant in the demonstration, who asked to remain anonymous, told RFE/RL that Yakubov was arrested because of his human rights activities.

He added that town prosecutor Abdugani Nabiev, who met with the protesters earlier today, told them that if they do not end the picket they will be taken to jail.

http://www.rferl.org/