A trial for three organizers of a rally supporting jailed journalists in Kazakhstan began today in Almaty, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reports.

Raushan Esergepova, the wife of the jailed «Alma-Ata info» newspaper editor Ramazan Esergepov; Vladimir Kozlov, leader of the unregistered opposition group Alga; and Rozlana Taukina, the head of the Kazakh nongovernmental organization Journalists in Trouble, are accused of violating a law on the holding of rallies, marches, and demonstrations in holding a rally last week.

The three say the charges against them are politically motivated.

On January 6, a flash-mob protest action was held in central Almaty to support jailed journalists, including Esergepov, «Vremya» newspaper correspondent Tohniyaz Kuchukov, writer Alpamys Bekturganov, and «Law and Justice» editor in chief Tokbergen Abiev.

Esergepov was found guilty in August of revealing state secrets after publishing some government documents. Abiev was convicted for investigating judicial corruption. Writer and journalist Alpamys Bekturganov was imprisoned after writing a critical article about West Kazakhstan Governor Baktykozha Izmukhambetov, who won a libel case against him.

http://www.rferl.org/content/article/1926321.html

Prices on printing services in Khujand, administrative center of the northern Sughd province have drastically increased, and local newspapers cannot afford such expences.

The government newspapers Khakikati Sughd (4750 copies), Sughd Khakikati (Uzbek-language newspaper, 2000 copies), and Sogdiiskaya Pravda (Russian-language newspaper, 1950 copies) always were printed in the Khujand printing house. According to publishers, they have printed the recent two issues in a printing house in the city of Istravshan. The average cost of one copy in Istravshan is 5-6 Dirams. All the papers mentioned above are published twice a week.

NANSMIT Monitoring Service

Unknown individuals position themselves as employees of the private newspaper Varorud.

In this regard, the Varorud editing board approached heads of public agencies and private organizations to make sure that the visitors are real journalists.

Administration of Varorud decided to produce new ID cards for its employees.

Note: Varorud is a media holding comprising of a news agency and a weekly. It operates in Tajikistan’s Sughd province.

NANSMIT Monitoring Service

Uzbekistan’s Prosecutor-General’s Office interrogated two independent journalists today in Tashkent, RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service reports.

The prosecutor’s office «invited» several journalists who have worked or currently work for foreign media outlets to come for meetings, including Basil Markov, Sid Yanishev, Marina Kozlova, and former RFE/RL correspondent Khusnitdin Kutbitdinov.

Yanishev and Kutbitdinov held their meetings today. Markov and Kozlova have said they will refuse to attend such a meeting unless they are ordered to do so.

Yanishev told RFE/RL that Bahram Nurmatov, the assistant to Tashkent’s prosecutor-general, told him the interrogation was initiated after National Security Service and Foreign Ministry files on Yanishev’s activities were sent to the prosecutor’s office.

Yanishev said he was shown his file and was interrogated about his activities. He said he was questioned about which international conferences he had attended, foreign payments he received, and any contact with foreign embassies.

Yanishev said he was asked to sign an explanatory note at the end of the questioning. He said that no charges were officially brought against him.

Kutbitdinov told RFE/RL that Nurmatov told him there were reports that he had provided «discrediting information» to foreign websites using pseudonyms. Kutbitdinov said told Nurmatov he was unfamiliar with the pseudonyms and did not write any of the information that was shown to him.

Galima Bukharbaeva, an independent Uzbek journalist and editor of uznews.net who lives in exile in Europe, told RFE/RL that the interrogation procedure at the prosecutor’s office is a typical practice used by the Uzbek government to intimidate journalists in Uzbekistan.

http://www.rferl.org/content/Uzbek_Prosecutors_Office_Interrogates_Independent_Journalists_/1923684.

A prominent voice of political dissent in Kyrgyzstan was silenced today when opposition journalist Gennady Pavlyuk died from injuries sustained when he fell from a high-rise building in Kazakhstan.

Investigators are treating his death as a murder.

Pavlyuk’s body was discovered outside an apartment block in Almaty on December 16 with multiple injuries, including a cracked skull and broken ribs. His feet and hands were bound behind his back with duct tape.

Pavlyuk worked for several newspapers in Kyrgyzstan, including as editor in chief of the Bishkek edition of the Russian weekly «Argumenty i fakty» and for the Russian «Komsomolskaya Pravda v Kirgizii.» Pavlyuk, an ethnic Russian, often wrote under his Kyrgyz penname, Ibragim Rustamek.

The 51-year-old never regained consciousness following the attack, remaining in a coma in an Almaty hospital until his death.

Attack On Press Freedom

Supporters have described Pavlyuk’s murder as an attack on press freedom and follows a spate of violent incidents against Kyrgyz journalists and civil society representatives this year.

His work as an opposition supporter and outspoken critic of the Kyrgyz government has led to speculation that his death was related to his work.
He was reportedly planning to launch an online publication called atameken.kg, the same name as the Kyrgyz opposition party Ata-Meken.

Ata-Meken leader Omurbek Tekebaev has reportedly said he held a meeting with Pavlyuk earlier this month and that the «plan to set up the publication was in place.»

However, Tekebaev insists that atameken.kg was going to be an independent, «patriotic» website, not an official party newspaper as some media have reported.

«I think this is a politically motivated crime,» he said on December 21. «It’s yet another attack in order to restrict freedom of speech in Kyrgyzstan.»

“During the past several months,» Tekebaev told RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service, Pavlyuk «published several articles and interviews in which he criticized the current Kyrgyz authorities, explaining the real meaning of their newly initiated reforms.»

Lured Away?

Police are reportedly considering Pavlyuk’s «professional activities» among the possible motives for the crime, although it remains unclear what brought the journalist to Kazakhstan.
Tekebaev suggests that Pavlyuk «was possibly lured away to the neighboring country to eliminate him there.»

The Kyrgyz government has come under increased criticism following a number of attacks on journalists and political activists this year.

Ilim Karypbekov, chief spokesman for the Kyrgyz president’s secretariat, acknowledged the problem during an interview with RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service today.

«You are right. Recently, attacks on journalists, the use of force against them in the Kyrgyz Republic have increased,» Karypbekov said. «It’s a very sad thing, but if we look at [police actions], they are trying hard to investigate these cases. And even though we can’t say they are always successful, they are trying.»

The attack on Pavlyuk marked the third incident involving journalists working in Kyrgyzstan in December alone.

Aleksandr Evgrafov, a correspondent for Russia’s Rosbalt news agency in Bishkek, was beaten up in the Kyrgyz capital earlier this month.

Days later, an envelope carrying a threatening message and a shell from a Kalashnikov was sent to the “Osh Sami” newspaper in the southern Kyrgyz city of Osh.

The parliament’s Social Democratic faction said on December 21 that at least 60 attacks on journalists have taken place in the country since 2006.

Independent journalists Alisher Saipov and Almaz Tashiev were murdered in 2007 and 2009, respectively.

At least six journalists have left the country over the past three years and sought political asylum abroad because they said they feared for their lives.

Farangis Najibullah (RFE/RL)

Источник: http://www.rferl.org/content/Violent_Death_Of_Kyrgyz_Journalist_Follows_A_Disturbing_Pattern/1910726

A rally was held in central Almaty today in support of jailed journalists in Kazakhstan, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reports.

The event was held under the banner «Freedom to journalists convicted for their professional activities» and marked the first anniversary of the arrest of Ramazan Esergepov, editor of the weekly newspaper «Alma-Ata Info,» who was sentenced to three years in prison in 2009 for publishing classified documents.

Police monitored the event, which remained peaceful. It was organized by Esergepov’s wife, Raushan Esergepova, the Kazakh nongovernmental organization Journalists in Trouble, the political group Alga, the opposition National Social-Democratic Party, and the Azat (Freedom) party.

Activists released balloons with the names of jailed journalists, including Esergepov, «Vremya» newspaper correspondent Tohniyaz Kuchukov, writer Alpamys Bekturganov, and «Law and Justice» editor in chief Tokbergen Abiev.

Rozlana Taukina, the head of Journalists in Trouble, told RFE/RL that the action is aimed at reminding society about human rights violations in Kazakhstan.

Esergepov was found guilty in August of revealing state secrets after publishing some government documents.

Abiev was convicted for investigating judicial corruption.

Bekturganov was imprisoned after writing a critical article about West Kazakhstan region Governor Baktykozha Izmukhambetov.

Activists told RFE/RL they believe Kuchukov — who was sentenced to four years in prison for his role in a deadly traffic accident — was also convicted for his journalistic activities, because of his strict sentence.

Esergepova told RFE/RL that she had visited her husband in prison on New Year’s Eve. She said she hoped he would be released on parole soon, since he has served one-third of his sentence.

http://www.rferl.org/content/Kazakhs_Rally_In_Almaty_To_Support_Jailed_Journalists/1922549.html

The leading voice of Kyrgyzstan’s opposition has alleged government involvement in a recent journalist’s murder and claimed correspondence in the hands of investigators sheds light on the motive, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reports.

Journalist Gennady Pavlyuk, 51, died on December 22 of injuries suffered six days earlier when he was thrown from a building in Almaty, in neighboring Kazakhstan, with his hands and feet bound.

The leader of Kyrgyz opposition Ata-Meken (Fatherland) party, Omurbek Tekebaev, told RFE/RL that he gave Kazakh investigators e-mails between himself and Pavlyuk that help explain why the current Kyrgyz government wanted Pavlyuk dead.

Tekebaev said it is evident from the correspondence that Pavlyuk — who was working on the creation of a website and a newspaper for Ata-Meken — supported opposition parties and worked hard to change Kyrgyzstan’s political leadership.

Tekebaev said the messages reflect the slain journalist’s views of the Kyrgyz government along with his civic values and ideals, and added that the e-mails should be a source of pride to Pavlyuk’s family and friends.

Tekebaev said Pavlyuk had recently been forging the information and ideological policies of Ata-Meken.

He said those who allegedly ordered Pavlyuk’s death were motivated by the knowledge that it would be hard for the opposition to find anyone who could complete his projects.

Tekebaev said Pavlyuk’s death should be seen as a warning not only to Ata-Meken but also to all opposition activists, rights defenders, and independent journalists in Kyrgyzstan.

Pavlyuk was the founder of the «White Steamer» newspaper and website and had worked for the newspaper «Vecherny Bishkek» (Evening Bishkek) and the Russian weekly «Argumenty i fakty.»

Kazakh media quoted police sources in that country saying over the weekend that there were indications that Kyrgyz secret service officers may have been involved in Pavlyuk’s murder.

Kyrgyz intelligence officials countered that Kazakh media were disseminating lies.

The Kyrgyz opposition has called Pavlyuk’s death an attack on press freedom and alleged it was part of the government’s campaign to silence dissent.

The killing was sharply condemned by international human rights organizations, including the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and Reporters Without Borders.

http://www.rferl.org/content/Kyrgyz_Opposition_Leader_Claims_Government_Ordered_Journalists_Death/19

BISHKEK — The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) says it will provide the family of murdered Kyrgyz journalist Gennady Pavlyuk with an independent lawyer, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reports.

The OSCE decision was made after Pavlyuk’s wife and Tolekan Ismailova, the head of the Kyrgyz rights organization Citizens Against Corruption, called on the OSCE and the Russian Embassy in Bishkek to help conduct an independent investigation into Pavlyuk’s death.

Pavlyuk, 51, died in a hospital on December 22, six days after he was thrown from a high building in Almaty with his hands and feet bound.

Kazakh media quoted Kazakh police sources over the weekend as saying there were indications that Kyrgyz secret service officers may have been involved in Pavlyuk’s murder.

But Kyrgyz secret service officials accused the Kazakh media of disseminating false information.

Pavlyuk, an ethnic Russian, was the founder of the «White Steamer» newspaper and website and had worked for the newspaper «Vecherny Bishkek» (Evening Bishkek) and the Russian weekly «Argumenty i fakty.»

http://www.rferl.org/content/OSCE_To_Provide_Lawyer_For_Family_Of_Slain_Kyrgyz_Journalist/1921610.ht

Round-Up 2009: Wars and disputed elections: The most dangerous stories for journalists / Bilan 2009 : Guerres et élections contestées : sujets les plus dangereux pour les journalistes

Reporters Without Borders / Reporters sans frontières

Round-Up 2009

30 December 2009

Press freedom in 2009

76 journalists killed (60 in 2008)
33 journalists kidnapped
573 journalists arrested
1456 physically assaulted
570 media censored
157 journalists fled their countries
1 blogger died in prison
151 bloggers and cyber-dissidents arrested
61 physically assaulted
60 countries affected by online censorship

Full report: http://www.rsf.org/IMG/pdf/Bilan_2009_GB_BD.pdf

Wars and disputed elections: The most dangerous stories for journalists

Two appalling events marked 2009: one was the largest ever massacre of journalists in a single day – a total of 30 killed – by the private militia of a governor in the southern Philippines and the other was an unprecedented wave of arrests and convictions of journalists and bloggers in Iran following President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s disputed reelection.

A total of around 160 journalists in all continents were forced to go into exile to escape prison or death, often in very dangerous circumstances. The Iranian press photographers crossing the Turkish border to escape arrest or the Somali radio journalists fleeing to neighbouring countries to avoid certain death had all reported essential news and information that some people would go to any lengths to suppress.

Wars and elections constituted the chief threat to journalists in 2009. It is becoming more and more risky to cover wars as journalists themselves are being targeted and face the possibility of being murdered or kidnapped. But it can turn out to be just as dangerous to do your job as a reporter at election time and can lead directly to prison or hospital. Violence before and after elections was particularly prevalent in 2009 in countries with poor democratic credentials.

No one should be surprised that, as bloggers and websites continue to flourish, censorship and repression have surged proportionately. There is almost no country nowadays that has entirely escaped this phenomenon. As soon as the Internet or new media (social networking, mobile phones etc) start to play a leading role in the spread of news and information, a serious clampdown follows. Bloggers are now watched as closely as journalists from the traditional media.

Our major concern in 2009 has been the mass exodus of journalists from repressive countries such as Iran and Sri Lanka. The authorities in these countries have understood that by pushing journalists into exile, they can drastically reduce pluralism of ideas and the amount of criticism they attract. “This is a dangerous tendency and it must be very strongly condemned,” Reporters Without Borders secretary-general Jean-François Julliard said as this review of 2009 was released.

Number of journalists killed up by 26 per cent

Almost every journalist killed in 2009 died in their own country. The exception was Franco-Spanish documentary film-maker Christian Poveda, who was murdered in El Salvador. “Less known to international public opinion than the foreign correspondents, it is these local journalists who pay the highest price every year to guarantee our right to be informed about wars, corruption or the destruction of the environment,” Julliard said.

The year began very badly with the Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip. As well as refusing to allow foreign media into this territory, the Israeli government carried out military strikes against buildings housing media, in violation of international humanitarian law. Two reporters were killed in these attacks. Journalists and human rights defenders in the Russian Caucasus went through a terrifying year. The witnesses to the dirty war waged by Moscow and its local allies to be “eliminated” with complete impunity included Natalia Estemirova in Chechnya and Malik Akhmedilov in Dagestan.
Radical Islamist groups caused the death of at least 15 journalists worldwide. Nine reporters were killed in Somalia, where the Al-Shabaab militia carried out constant targeted killings and suicide attacks. Four of these journalists worked for Radio Shabelle, which does its best to provide news amidst the surrounding chaos. Reporters in Pakistan have increasingly been targeted by the Taliban in the northwest of the country.

Kidnappings have also continued to rise. Most cases are concentrated in Afghanistan, Mexico and Somalia. New York Times journalist David Rohde and his fixer managed to escape from the Taliban but Afghan reporter Sultan Munadi was killed in the military operation launched to rescue him.

“Three years have passed since the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1738 on the protection of journalists in conflict zones but governments still seem incapable of protecting reporters,” Reporters Without Borders said.

Other forms of violence, physical assaults and threats have gone up by a third (from 929 cases in 2008 to 1,456 in 2009). Journalists are most at risk in the Americas (501 cases), particularly when they expose drug-trafficking or local potentates. Asia comes next with 364 cases of this kind, chiefly in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal. The number of censored media is escalating alarmingly with nearly 570 cases of newspapers, radio or TV stations banned from putting out news or forced to close. This happened to a satirical magazine in Malaysia, a score of reformist newspapers in Iran, Radio France Internationale in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the BBC World Service in Rwanda.

The number of journalists arrested fell slightly (from 673 in 2008 to 573 in 2009) above all because there were fewer cases in Asia. The largest number of cases was in the Middle East.

Election violence

The 30 journalists killed in the Mindanao Island bloodbath in Philippines had been covering an attempt by a local governor’s opponent to run as a candidate for regional elections in 2010. Tunisian journalist Taoufik Ben Brik was imprisoned in the days following President Ben Ali’s reelection, while his colleague, Slim Boukhdhir, was brutally assaulted. Several journalists were attacked and others received death threats in Gabon following President Ali Bongo’s reelection. Around six media were also temporarily shut down for reporting on the post-election violence and criticising members of the new government. Protests about President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s controversial reelection in Iran prompted a horrifying wave of repression against the media.

Pluralist elections that should be a symbol of democracy and free expression can turn into a nightmare for journalists. State media are too often prevented from giving fair and balanced coverage of all the candidates’ campaigns. Such was the case during the contentious Afghan elections and the travesty of an election in Equatorial Guinea. The most committed journalists can be exposed to reprisals from a rival camp. Media access is not always properly observed, as evidenced in provincial polling in the Tamil areas of Sri Lanka.

The most serious problems arise when results are announced. Overwhelmed by an opposition movement that was relayed online and in the reformist press, Ahmadinejad’s supporters launched an ultra-violent crackdown on hundreds of journalists and bloggers, accusing them of being spies in the pay of foreigners or bent on destabilising the country.

The courage shown by journalists this year before and after elections earned them periods in custody, mistreatment and prison sentences that were in some cases extremely harsh. These post-election crackdowns should stimulate the international community to seek better ways of protecting the press after rigged election results are announced.

“This wave of violence bodes ill for 2010, when crucial elections are scheduled in Côte d’Ivoire, Sri Lanka, Burma, Iraq and the Palestinian Territories” said Reporters Without Borders, which often carries out media monitoring during election campaigns.

More than 100 bloggers and cyber-dissidents imprisoned

For the first time since the Internet’s emergence, Reporters Without Borders is aware of more than 100 bloggers and cyber-dissidents being imprisoned worldwide for posting their opinions online. This figure is indicative above all of the scale of the crackdown being carried out in around ten countries. Several countries have turned online expression into a criminal offence, dashing hopes of a censorship-free Internet.
The Internet has been the driving force for pro-democracy campaigns in Iran, China and elsewhere. It is above all for this reason that authoritarian governments have shown themselves so determined to severely punish Internet users. This is the case with two Azerbaijani bloggers, who were sentenced to two years in prison for making a film mocking the political elite.

Although China continued to be the leading Internet censor in 2009, Iran, Tunisia, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam and Uzbekistan have also resorted to frequent blocking of websites and blogs and surveillance of online expression. The Turkmen Internet remains under total state control.
This year, bloggers and ordinary citizens expressing themselves online have been assaulted, threatened or arrested as the popularity of social-networking and interactive websites has soared. Egyptian blogger Kareem Amer is still in jail, while the famous Burmese comedian Zarganar still has 34 years of his prison sentence to serve. The approximately 120 victims of Internet policing also include such leading figures in the defence of online free expression as China’s Hu Jia and Liu Xiaobo and Vietnam’s Nguyen Trung and Dieu Cay.

The financial crisis has joined the list of subjects likely to provoke censorship, particularly online. In South Korea, a blogger was wrongfully detained for commenting on the country’s disastrous economic situation. Around six netizens in Thailand were arrested or harassed just for making a connection between the king’s health and a fall in the Bangkok stock exchange. Censorship was slapped on the media in Dubai when it came for them to report on the country’s debt repayment problems.

Democratic countries have not lagged far behind. Several European countries are working on new steps to control the Internet in the name of the battle against child porn and illegal downloads. Australia has said it will set up a compulsory filtering system that poses a threat to freedom of expression. Turkey’s courts have increased the number of websites, including YouTube, that are blocked for criticising the republic’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

“The number of countries affected by online censorship has doubled from one year to the next – a disturbing tendency that shows an increase in control over new media as millions of netizens get active online,” said Lucie Morillon, head of the Internet and Freedoms Desk. “That is why Reporters Without Borders will launch a new campaign against the Enemies of the Internet on 12 March.”

Media on trial

At least 167 journalists are in prison around the world at the end of 2009. One would need to go back to the 1990s to find so many of them in jail. Although the UN special rapporteur on freedom of expression keeps reiterating that imprisonment is a disproportionate punishment for press offences, many governments keep laws that allow them to jail journalists, and continue to abuse these laws. The sentences given to journalists in Cuba, China, Sri Lanka and Iran are as harsh as those imposed for terrorism or violent crime.

Imprisonment and brutality are too often the only way authorities react to journalists. At least one journalist is assaulted or arrested every day in the Middle East. More than 60 journalists were physically attacked or arrested in Iraq in 2009. In the Palestinian Territories, more than 50 journalists were detained by Hamas in the Gaza Strip and by Fatah in the West Bank.

Africa and Asia were neck and neck in the numbers of journalists detained. More than 10 journalists were arrested in 2009 in Niger, Gambia and Somalia, while Eritrea maintained its dubious distinction of jailing the most journalists in Africa, with 32 of them behind bars. In Asia, arrests are thankfully down, but the Chinese and Pakistani security forces continue to arrest foreign or local journalists when they crossed the “red lines” they are supposed to observe.

The 28 June coup in Honduras, which was backed by the conservative press, resulted in the persecution of journalists suspected of sympathizing with the ousted president, Manuel Zelaya, and the suspension or permanent closure of their media. Finally, Cuba drew attention to itself again this year with at least 24 arrests and two new long jail sentences, bringing to 25 the number of journalists in prison.

When the powerful are not arresting journalists, they are harassing them by constantly dragging them before the courts. One editor in Algeria, Omar Belhouchet, was summoned before judges 15 times in 2009. The opposition press in Turkey and Morocco have been bombarded with law suits, which almost always lead to convictions or closures because the courts are more inclined to favour the plaintiff than the media.

Choosing exile to stay Alive

For the first time, the Reporters Without Borders annual roundup includes figures for journalists who have been forced to leave their countries because of threats to their lives or liberty. A total of 157 journalists went into exile in the past year, often in very harsh conditions. Among the countries where the exodus of journalists and bloggers was particularly dramatic were Iran, with more than 50 fleeing, and Sri Lanka, with 29. In Africa, some 50 journalists fled the chaos in Somalia while scores of Eritreans sought refuge abroad for fear of being targeted for reprisals by the continent’s worst dictatorship. Journalists also fled Guinea, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Mexico, Colombia and Ethiopia.

This new measure is an indication of the level of fear that exists within the media in some countries. Journalists encounter many hazards as they go into exile and seek an uncertain future. Some wait months, even years, to get protection and possible resettlement.

Reporters Without Borders / Reporters sans fronti&

Источник: http://www.rsf.org/IMG/pdf/Bilan_2009_GB_BD.pdf

Coordinator of the monitoring network in Tajikistan
Abdufatoh Vohidov
Chief of legal service
Orifjon Azimov
Chief of project in Tajikistan
Nuriddin Karshiboev

Freedom of Speech in Tajikistan December 2009

In December 2009 the NANSMIT Monitoring Service received 19 reports. Fourteen of them describe the factual situation in the media in the light of socio-legal and political environment; three reports describe direct violations of rights of media professionals; and two reports describe conflicts and accusations against the media and journalists.

I. PECULIARITIES OF 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

9 December
Emomali Rakhmon, President of Tajikistan, Dushanbe

On 8 December, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rakhmon had a meeting with representatives of the Tajik mass media, executive authorities and government agencies.

The head of the state discussed the issues of influence of the mass media on the society. “I urge journalists to unite in the name of vitally important interests of Tajikistan, whereas public officials should not divide the media into “the state” and “non-state” ones.

21 December
Sherkhon Salimzoda, State Advisor to the President on Legal Issues, Dushanbe

Sherkhon Salimzoda, State Advisor to the President on Legal Issues urged Tajik journalists to comprehensively cover the forthcoming parliamentary elections. Salimzoda applied to journalists at the seminar “Mass media and the right to participate in political life and governance” organized by the Tajik government and the Friedrich Ebert Fund.

2. Evaluation of the factual status of the media and the freedom of speech

7 December
Radio Vatan, Khatlon province

On 6 December, the private Tajik radio company “Vatan” launched broadcasting in Khatlon province of Tajikistan on the frequency of 102,4 FM.

So far, Khatlon was covered only by official broadcasting companies. Radio Vatan has become the first private broadcaster who received the license and expanded the area of its information influence.

11 December
Eurasian Media Forum in Moscow

The Russian capital hosted a two-day Eurasian Media Forum attended by 150 top managers of the media, representatives of the CIS and Baltic States, politicians and public figures. The Russian news agency “RIA Novosti” was the main organizer of the Forum. Tajikistan was represented by Sadriddin Shamsiddinov, director of the State News Agency “Khovar”.

This was the fourth International Forum; the first one was conducted in 2006. Participant discussed the issues of professional cooperation, development and opportunities for joint multimedia projects.

16 December
Sukhan weekly, Dushanbe

The Tajik Union of Journalists has launched its own printing outlet – Sukhan. The new weekly is published in two languages – Tajik and Russian.

“The newspaper with the same name existed in the early 1990-s. It was founded by the well-known Tajik journalist Otakhon Latifi,” — says Pulod Nurov, executive secretary of the Union of Journalists. — “It was a very open and audacious source of information. The newspaper was covering the issues of democratic alterations in the society”.

The new outlet is designed as a creative professional platform for journalists conducive to consolidation and unity of the media community in Tajikistan.

17 December
Bulleting of the Tajik Academy of Pedagogical Sciences, Dushanbe

According to the Nuri Zindagi weekly (#51, 17.12.09), the Tajik Academy of Pedagogical issued its educational methodological magazine. The outlet contains materials on the problems of national and global pedagogical practices, teaching techniques, etc.

24 December
Farazh weekly, Dushanbe

The Farazh weekly celebrated its third anniversary. During this period the newspaper has overcome plenty of difficulties, and won the hearts of its audience. At present, Farazh is one of the most popular printing outlet in Tajikistan.

3. Journalists protecting their civil and professional rights

14 December
All media, Dushanbe

On 14 December, the Tajik Union of Journalists, NANSMIT, TajANESMI and the OSCE Bureau in Dushanbe held a round table on the topic “Access to information – guarantee of transparency and accountability”.

Participants discussed legal and practical aspects of access to information. The issue of access to information has become very relevant, especially after the adoption of the government decree “On the order of payment for provision of information to government agencies” endorsed in October 2009.

15 December
Online journalism, Dushanbe

On 15 December the Tajik-Russian Slavic University organized an open lecture on the topic “Human rights initiatives and online journalism”. The lecture is conducted within the framework of the project “Human rights and education through the media in Central Asia” implemented by the UK-based NGO Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR). The project is funded by the European Union.

The main task of the lecture is to share and disseminate information about human rights and the ways of protection of liberties by means of the Internet and online journalism.

19 December
All media, Dushanbe

On 18-19 December, IWPR conducted a ToT (training for trainers) session for representatives of Tajik NGOs and the media.

This training is organized within the framework of the project “Human rights and education through the media in Central Asia” funded by the European Union.

II. VIOLATION OF RIGHTS IN THE MEDIA

1. Ungrounded limitations in access to information

9 December
Vetcherny Dushanbe weekly, Dushanbe

The Tajik weekly “Vetcherny Dushanbe” published an article (#49, 03.12.09) about the termination of broadcasting of the Russian federal TV channel ORT. The newspaper says that residents of the Tajik capital send their letters with complaints and regrets about the missing favorite TV station. Correspondents of “Vetcherny Dushanbe” approached the State Broadcasting Committee for clarifications. They asked dozens of officials including Mr. Sukhrob Aliev, head of Teleradiocom, the technical service under the Committee. The journalists received no intelligible answer.

The newspaper approached personally Mr. Asadullo Rakhmonov, head of the Broadcasting Committee. He promised to answer, but did not respond.

15 December
All media, Dushanbe

“The Decree of the Tajik government “On the order of payment for information to the government institutions” makes the government and private mass media unequal,” — said Abdusattor Nuraliev, professor of the Tajik-Russian Slavic University. The statement was made at around table organized by NANSMIT, the Tajik Union of Journalists, and TajANESMI under support of the OSCE Bureau in Tajikistan.

The week-known Tajik lawyer Rakhmatillo Zoirov criticized the Decree. He revealed 12 discrepancies with the Tajik law “On access to information”. Nuriddin Karshibaev, chairman of NANSMIT said that the incompliance between the Tajik laws and bylaws leads to misinterpretations in the legislation.

2. Violation of economic rights in the media

24 December
SMT TV, Dushanbe

The Ozadagon newspaper (#51, 24.12.09) published an article titled “Who’s stronger – SMT or ORT?”. “It’s been several years since the Russian ORT channel rebroadcasts its programs on the territory of Tajikistan without an official license fro the Tajik Ministry of Communication and Transport”, — says the article. — “During the last few months, the two stations – the Tajik SMT and the Russian ORT – have been broadcasting on the same frequency.”

ORT is being broadcast by the Russian 201-st infantry division deployed in Tajikistan. The military unit does not have the license, whereas the SMT TV has it.

Zinatulloh Ismoilov, director of SMT complaints that his company has all relevant permissions, but it has been experiencing problems because of the careless attitude of the communication officials. “We approached the Ministry several times. They promised to help, but nothing’s changed”, — said Ismoilov.

Experts say that the “broadcasting incident” turns into a political farce. And it is taking place on the eve of the parliamentary elections.

III. CONFLICTS. VIOLATIONS INCRIMINATED TO THE MEDIA AND JOURNALISTS

1. Claim for protection of honor, dignity and business reputation affected by publication of certain data

9 December
The Committee on Emergency Situations and Civil Defense, Dushanbe

The Paikon weekly (#39, 09.12.09) published a letter of the chairman of the Committee on Emergency Situations and Civil Defense, who addressed Tajik journalists asking them to properly check the data they receive.

This report is based on compiled materials from the media and private information presented by correspondents of the NANSMIT Monitoring Network

Coordinator of the Monitoring Service
Abdufattokh Vokhidov

Project Manager
Nuriddin Karshibayev