TURKMENABAT, Turkmenistan — An RFE/RL correspondent based in Turkmenistan’s northeastern city of Turkmenabat has been detained by local police. 

Rovshen Yazmuhamedov, 30, has worked for RFE/RL since September 2012.

His reports have focused mainly on social issues.

On May 9, Yazmuhamedov’s relatives informed RFE/RL’s Turkmen Service that he had been detained three days earlier.

«[Rovshen] left from home at around 2:30 p.m. on May 6, saying he would come back soon. Then he did not return,» his mother, Parcha Yazmuhamedova, explained. «I waited for him until 2:30 a.m. He did not come back in the morning either, then I received a call from them. A prosecutor was calling and asking for his passport. He said ‘Rovshen is with us.’ They told me to bring a copy of his passport. [Once there] I was waiting outside for a while, then they called me in. Rovshen was there, they showed him to me.»

Authorities have not given any explanation for Yazmuhamedov’s detention.

According to the relatives, the journalist is being held at a detention center run by the Interior Ministry’s Directorate No. 6, which is mainly involved in investigating organized crime and terrorism-related cases.

The relatives tell RFE/RL Yazmuhamedov has been interrogated by Turkmenistan’s security services several times in the past.

In the meantime Yazmuhamedov’s mother said authorities were installing monitoring devices around the family’s home.

«They have been installing [cameras around our house] since morning. I don’t understand why they are doing this?» Yazmuhamedova said.

RFE/RL correspondent Ogulsapar Muradova was detained in June 2006 and convicted of weapons possession charges that August at a closed trial that lasted some two hours.

Muradova was sentenced to six years in prison, but in September 2006 her family was informed she had died in custody.

A government autopsy, whose results were never released to the family or made public, reportedly found that Muradova died from blows to the back of her head.

Turkmenistan is one of the most isolated countries in the world. The government greatly restricts foreigners’ access to the country and the ability of its citizens to travel outside the country.

All media in the country is state-controlled and it remains difficult to obtain information from outside media sources.

http://www.rferl.org/content/turkmenistan-rferl-correspondent-detained/24981293.html

U N I T E D   N A T I O N S                                             N A T I O N S   U N I E S

THE Secretary-General

Message On World Press Freedom Day

3 May 2013

Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right, enshrined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is a cornerstone of good governance, sustainable development, and lasting peace and security.

Yet every day around the world, journalists and media workers are under attack.  They face intimidation, threats and violence from governments, corporations, criminals or other forces that wish to silence or censor.

The theme of this year’s World Press Freedom Day, “Safe to Speak: Securing Freedom of Expression in All Media”, highlights the need for action to upholding the right of journalists to carry out their vital work.

From traditional media platforms such as radio, print and television, to newer and more and more popular social media, blogs and citizen-led reporting, journalists are increasingly at risk.

Over the past decade, more than 600 journalists have been killed – at least 120 in the past year alone.  Hundreds more have been detained.  The dangers are not only physical: from cyber-attacks to bullying, the powerful are deploying numerous tools to try to stop the media from shedding light on misrule and misdeeds.

These are individual tragedies; collectively, they are an assault on the right of all people to the truth.  I am especially concerned that so many of the perpetrators escape any form of punishment.

The United Nations system has established a Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity.  The plan aims to raise awareness and to support practical steps to create a free and safe working environment for journalists.

As we mark World Press Freedom Day, let us pledge to do our utmost to enable all journalists in all media to do their jobs.  When it is safe to speak, the whole world benefits.

On the 20th anniversary of World Press Freedom day, the EU pays tribute to journalists worldwide who dedicate their lives — sometimes at great personal cost — to reporting events or expressing views that many might prefer to silence.

A free, independent and vibrant press is indispensable in any democratic society.  The EU is determined to fight for press freedom worldwide and condemns the increasing level of intimidation, violence and censorship that journalists face in many countries. The EU calls on all governments to allow journalists to work in safety and security, and without the fear of censorship or prosecution.

Freedom of expression must be defended both in the traditional media and on the Internet.  The EU will continue to promote freedom of expression on-line and offline, not least as new information technologies can be key in promoting human rights and democracy.   The EU will continue to condemn violations of the right to freedom of expression in all media with a view to ensuring that journalists across the world can discharge their professional duties without hindrance.

 

May 3 marks the 20th annual World Press Freedom Day, aimed at calling attention to the fundamental right to freedom of expression and threats to it. 

May 3 was proclaimed World Press Freedom Day by the UN General Assembly in 1993. Freedom of expression is enshrined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon marked the day on May 2 at a conference in New York. He said international cooperation under UN supervision is necessary to protect journalists from attacks.

«The violence we condemn today highlights the relevance of the United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity,» he said. «The plan and its recently adopted implementation strategy aim to promote collaboration among governments, regional human rights bodies, nongovernmental organizations, media organizations, and the UN family.»

Ban also highlighted the importance of media freedom for democracy and human rights.

«All journalists, across all media, need to be able to do their jobs,» he said. «When it is safe to speak, the whole world benefits.»

ALSO READ: Sound Bites Aside, Azerbaijanis Have Little To Celebrate This Press Freedom Day

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has, meanwhile, released its annual list countries where journalists are murdered regularly and governments fail to solve the crimes.

The 2013 Impunity Index is led by Iraq, which the CPJ says «has the world’s worst record on impunity,» with 93 cases of journalists killed over the past 10 years in which no one was convicted. The vast majority of those killed — 95 percent — were local journalists.

Iraq is followed by Somalia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Afghanistan, Mexico, Pakistan, Russia, and Brazil.

The CPJ says that although no journalists have been murdered in Afghanistan since 2008, authorities «have shown no progress in pursuing suspects in the five unsolved cases over the past decade.»

The CPJ also noted Pakistan’s failure to prosecute a single suspect in the murders of 23 journalists over the past decade and said that five journalists were murdered in 2012 alone.

Russia comes ninth in the index, with 14 unsolved murder cases since 2003. The CPJ says journalists in the North Caucasus have been the most vulnerable in recent years, highlighting the case of Kazbek Gekkiyev, a state television anchor working in the region who was shot dead in December 2012.

Rights watchdog Amnesty International, in a report released to mark the day, said Syrian rebels and regime forces are both responsible for killing, arresting, and torturing scores of journalists.

With reporting by AFP and AP

http://www.rferl.org/content/world-press-freedom-day/24975281.html

The media freedom representative of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has criticized Azerbaijan for not living up to its commitments to decriminalize defamation. 

Dunja Mijatovic made the statement while attending events to mark World Press Freedom Day in the Costa Rican capital, San Jose.

Mijatovic said Baku pledged to decriminalize defamation in 2006 but that the government has recently proposed amendments that «go in the opposite direction.»

She said she was also concerned by a proposal to include «all publicly accessible online resources» in the proposed law.

The government and family of Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev have been the subject of numerous media reports alleging nepotism and corruption, including some based on online corporate registration records.

http://www.rferl.org/content/osce-azerbaijan-defamation/24974994.html

Solidarity, Cooperation and Support Читать далее MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING ADOPTED BY PARTICIPANTS IN FORUM OF CENTRAL ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS: →

WASHINGTON — Media freedom throughout the world declined last year to its lowest point in almost a decade, according to a new report from Freedom House, a U.S.-based democracy monitoring organization. 

The group’s annual “Freedom of the Press” report was released on May 1 in Washington, D.C.

Project director Karin Deutsch Karlekar says the findings show «negative trends in most regions of the world.»

North Korea and Turkmenistan tied for the title of the worst country for media freedom, with Uzbekistan and Belarus close behind.

Karlekar maintained that, although Kyrgyzstan was in the «not free» category, it has a number of independent outlets and called it a «bright spot in the Central Asia region.

She also noted that Kazakhstan appeared to be heading in the wrong direction.

«Kazakhstan is also very restricted and actually this year we’re highlighting Kazakhstan because of a fairly significant decline that we noted in 2012, where the space for independent voices was sort of narrowed even further,» she said, making reference to the «authorities banning around 40 opposition media outlets, increasing levels of violence and [the] legal persecution of independent media and journalists.»

Georgia and Armenia were praised for showing strong improvements, but Karlekar warned that Azerbaijan’s media environment had deteriorated.

«Azerbaijan is also a country of concern for us and scores quite bad,» she said. «It’s similar to [the] situations in Kazakhstan and Russia.»

Karlekar attributed the decline in Azerbaijan’s rating to «increased violence against journalists and also legal amendments that further limited access to information.»

‘Big Improvement’ In Afghanistan

Freedom House found the Russian government has almost «complete control over television, radio, and the print press.»

Karlekar suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin used that control during last year’s presidential elections and in a number of other ways.

«The situation continued to be quite bad and quite restrictive in Russia and we were particularly concerned with some of the laws that were enacted during the year, particularly, on the media front, a law that basically would allow for further censorship of Internet-based content, and that law took effect in November,» she said. «And, given that the Internet is this sort of relatively open space in Russia, that was definitely an issue that caused concern during the year for us.”

Afghanistan ranked as the second most improved country in Asia and was considered to have been one of the year’s «success stories» thanks to the decrease in violence against journalists and a reduction in the official censorship and prosecution of the press.

«Afghanistan actually showed a big improvement this year in our index,» Karlekar said. «Apart from Burma, it was the country in Asia that showed the biggest improvement, and we really saw a number of positive trends in 2012, including a decrease in violence against journalists, an increase in the number of new private media outlets that were more able to freely criticize the government and other political actors, and a decline in [the] official censorship and prosecution of journalists.»

Karlekar said little has changed in Iran and the Islamic republic remained ranked in the bottom eight worldwide for media freedom.

She described Pakistan as having a very vibrant media, but cited a «very high level of violence and intimidation against journalists.»

http://www.rferl.org/content/freedom-house-media-freedom-low-point/24974229.html

Freedom of Speech in Tajikistan

April 2013

In April 2013, the Monitoring Service received 18 reports. Nine 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 four 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

24 April

 

Dunja Mijatovic, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media

On 24 April, Dunja Mijatovic, Special Representative of OSCE on Freedom of the Media presented comments on Tajikistan’s draft law “On periodicals and other mass media” to the Parliament’s working group, which worked on that document. The new law was endorsed in March 2013.

In the letter addressed to the head of the Parliament’s working group, Mijatovic indicated a number of positive changes in the Tajik media legislation conducive to strengthening journalists’ rights and improving access to information.

However, the OSCE official stressed that the legislators and the executive authorities should develop practical measures to make the legal alterations efficient.

Dunja Mijatovic expressed appreciation over the involvement and participation of the civil society institutions in the development of the new law.

26 April

 

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dushanbe

The Asia Plus weekly (#30, 25.04.2013) published an article titled “MFA RT: Information war against Tajikistan is underway”.

The Tajik Foreign Ministry expresses concern over the information campaign conducted by the Russian mass media, which defames the image of Tajikistan.

“It is surprising that the information campaign involves Russian public officials, well-known public leaders and scientists”, — the MFA statement says. — “The information campaign against Tajikistan pursues certain political goals”.

26 April

 

Broadcasting Committee, Dushanbe

The Tajik Committee on Radio and Television gave an errand to private FM radio stations to arrange live broadcasting of the President’s message to the Parliament.

Usually, the annual speech of the President before the Parliament is broadcast by all government electronic mass media. This year, the state broadcasting agency decided to involve private media in Dushanbe; private radio stations in Sughd province have been practicing such broadcasting for a few years.

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

3 April

 

Asomuddin Atoev, chairman, Association of Internet Providers, Dushanbe

The Farazh weekly published an interview with Asomuddin Atoev, the chairman of the Tajik National Association of Internet Providers (#14, 3 April 2013).

Atoev shared his thought regarding the transition of the Tajik TV stations to the digital format of broadcasting in 2015. Atoev says that many residents of Tajikistan are not aware of such transition and keep buying old models of TV sets, which are not suitable for receiving digital signals.

24 April

 

All media, Dushanbe

The Farazh weekly (#17, 24.04.2013) published the results of an opinion poll on the freedom of expression in Tajikistan. The public opinion survey was conducted among well-known journalists.

Most of the respondents said that the Tajik legislation guarantees the freedom of expression, but in reality, the freedom of speech is limited in view of the number of reasons.

The Tajik journalist Rakhmatkarim Davlat told Farazh that many media professionals are practicing self-censorship, especially on the eve of the presidential elections, in fear of retaliation by the authorities.

 

3. Journalists protecting their civil and professional rights

4 April

 

Migration Service under the President, Dushanbe

The Imruz News weekly (#53, 3.04.2013) reports that the Executive Office of the President warned Safialo Devonaev, the head of the National Migration Service for violation of ethical norms in communication with the media.

In March 2013, the Migration Service held a press conference; journalists from the weeklies Imruz News, Farazh and Najot were not allowed to attend the event. Imruz News sent a complaint to the President’s Office, after which the incident was discussed. The President’s Office acknowledged that the actions of the Migration Service were unlawful.

4 April

 

All media, Dushanbe

The Tajik NGO Prevention of Domestic Violence (PDV) held a seminar in Dushanbe for media professionals on the issues of efficient prevention of violence in families and communities.

Twenty five journalists from Khatlon province and from Dushanbe took part in the seminar.

21 April

 

All Media, Kulyab

The authorities of the city of Kulyab in Khatlon province established an annual professional award for journalists. The award is named after the Tajik journalist Kuvvatali Kholov.

The award will be given to outstanding journalists contributing to economic, social and cultural development in Kulyab. The late Kuvvatali Kholov dedicated his life the the profession of journalism.

II. VIOLATIONS OF RIGHTS IN THE MEDIA

1. Ungrounded limitation of access to information

1 April

 

Abdujabbor Rakhmonov, rector of the State Pedagogical University, Dushanbe

The rector of the Tajik State Pedagogical University Abdujabbor Rakhmonov applied to the Somoni district police station demanding to launch an investigation into “illegal actions” of Markhaboi Khokim, correspondent of the Asia Plus weekly.

The journalist was working on an article about the students of the Pedagogical University; with that purpose, she was filming and talking with students. She was summoned to the rector’s office; the rector considers that the journalist had no right to take pictures and communicate with students without having a permission from the University administration.

On 5 April, the Somoni district police station concluded that the journalist’s behavior contains no components of crime or violation whatsoever.

 

3. Violation of economic rights in the media

26 April

 

Radio Vatan, Dushanbe

Private radio stations in the capital Dushanbe received an errand from the State Broadcasting Committee obliging them to broadcast the speech of the President Emomali Rakhmon at an annual meeting with the Parliament.

According to Vera Kulakova-Brannerud, director general of Radio Vatan, the government communication agency promised to help with technical arrangements for live broadcasting. However, the private radio company has its own commitments before its clients, advertisers. “According to the contract, we must broadcast ads and commercials strictly on time – advertisers have paid for that, and we have no idea how to resolve this problem”, — said Kulakova.

4. Denial of registration of a medium

30 April

 

Adolat, printing outlet of the Democratic Party of Tajikistan, Dushanbe

The leader of Tajikistan’s Democratic Party Saidjaffar Ismonov told Radio Ozodi (Radio Liberty / Radio Free Europe) that the Ministry of Justice refused to re-register the Party’s printing outlet Adolat referring to the fact that the newspaper has not been published for a long period of time.

The Democratic Party decided to rename its periodical into Oshkoro (Openness) and re-register the newspaper. The Party leader says that all relevant documents needed for the registration have been presented to the Ministry of Justice.

III. CONFLICTS AND VIOLATIONS

1. Protection of honor, dignity and business reputation

4 April

 

Imruz News weekly, Dushanbe

According to the Asia Plus weekly (#23, 1.04.2013), the Economic Court in Dushanbe suggested the conflicting parties in the case “Tojiron against Imruz News” to come to an amicable agreement.

Faizinisso Vokhidova, the lawyer of the Imruz News weekly told Asia Plus that the company Tojiron rejected this offer saying that the enterprise’s reputation has been affected.

2. Temporary denial of accreditation

20 April

Radio Sadoi Khuroson, Dushanbe

The Tajik foreign ministry terminated accreditation of journalists working for the Iranian Radio Sadoi Khuroson.

According to Abdulfaiz Atoev, head of the ministry’s unit responsible for contacts with media and foreign policy planning, Sadoi Khuroson used to disseminate false information, and it did it deliberately. The official referred to the statement made by Rakhmatillo Zoirov, the leader of the Tajik Social-democratic Party regarding the Tajik territories “donated” to China.

The official added that the foreign ministry is ready to reconsider its decision and resume the accreditation.

3. Accusation of administrative violations

2 April

 

M. Vokhitova, TV Jahonoro, Sughd province

The court in Bobojongafurov district, Sughd province determined the guilt of M. Vokhitova a journalist who worked for TV Jahonoro and ruled to she must pay a fine in the amount of 400 Somoni.

Previously, the court in the city of Khujand, the administrative center of Sughd province stated that the case against Vokhitova was closed because of the limitation period, but later, the materials were sent to the Bobojongafurov district court.

The journalist was accused of breaching administrative rules (Article 373, part 1 of the Tajik Administrative Code). The lawyer of Vokhitova says that “the person cannot be brought to responsibility if three months passed after the violation had been committed” (Article 33 of the Administrative Code).

 

SUGHD, Tajikistan — The Regional Court of Tajikistan’s Sughd Province has upheld a ruling to shut down a nongovernmental organization dedicated to human rights.

The leader of the organization Civil Society, Mohiniso Horisova, told RFE/RL that she plans to appeal the court’s decision.

In January, a court in the city of Khujand ruled that Horisova’s organization must be shut down for using the wrong address in its registration documents and for failure to clearly define its leadership.

Horisova called the ruling politically motivated.

Civil Society has been operating in Tajikistan for 11 years. It has been holding seminars, roundtable discussions, and training that focused on human rights, social issues, and initiating legal reforms.

The organization has been discussing possible reforms of presidential and parliamentary election laws.

Tajikistan’s presidential election is scheduled for November.

http://www.rferl.org/content/tajikistan-ngo-human-rights/24972595.html

By Richard Solash

WASHINGTON — A U.S. government advisory body says that Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan are among the world’s worst violators of religious freedom. 

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom’s 2013 report says the countries should be designated “countries of particular concern” by the U.S. government for “particularly severe” violations — a designation that allows for arms embargoes and other restrictions.

The countries’ violations are said to include carrying out or tolerating «acts such as torture, prolonged detention, or disappearances, or other flagrant denials of the right to life, liberty, or the security of persons.»

Iran and Uzbekistan, along with China, North Korea, and several other countries, have already been designated by the White House, although restrictions on Uzbekistan have been waived.

Restrictions based on the designations also expire in August if the Obama administration does not renew them.

The report also listed Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russia among second-tier violators, where «at least one, but not all three, of the elements of the ‘systematic, ongoing, egregious’ standard» for violations is met.

The second-tier designations are meant to «provide advance warning of negative trends.»

The commission, a bipartisan body, said it based its recommendations on «the standards found in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international documents.» The commission said it also worked with human rights groups, victims of religious persecution, policy experts, and U.S. officials and made country-visits in formulating its findings.

This year’s report covers from January 31, 2012 to January 31, 2013.

According to the commission, that period saw continuing deterioration of religious freedoms in Iran — a trend it say is «likely to worsen» as the June presidential election approaches.

Alleged violations include continued imprisonment Baha’is, abuses against Christians and Sufi Muslims, and state-sponsored anti-Semitism.

The commission called on the U.S. administration to «continue to identify Iranian government agencies and officials — including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and President [Mahmud] Ahmadinejad — responsible for severe violations of religious freedom» and sanction them.

In Iraq, the report said religiously motivated violence by extremist groups «continues with impunity.» It also said the government in Baghdad last year «took actions that increased, rather than reduced, Sunni-Shi’a and Arab-Kurdish tensions.»

The report blasted Pakistan for «fail[ing] to protect members of religious minority communities, as well as the majority faith.» It described sectarian violence as «chronic.» It also said Islamabad’s anti-blasphemy laws and related legislation «foster an atmosphere of violent extremism and vigilantism.»

The three Central Asian countries listed among the report’s worst of the worst were all cited for severe repression of nearly all religious activity beyond what is sanctioned by the state.

Prison terms for attending unapproved religious gatherings in Tajikistan, raids on religious communities in Turkmenistan, and state censorship of all religious materials in Uzbekistan were among the restrictions cited.

The report recommended making U.S. aid to Tajikistan contingent upon improvements, boosting U.S. broadcasting to Turkmenistan, and removing a waiver on penalties against Uzbekistan.

The U.S. waiver on penalties against Tashkent on religious freedom grounds has been in place since 2009.

This year’s report said, «There is concern that U.S. policy on Uzbekistan prioritizes that nation’s strategic importance as a key part of the Northern Distribution Network.»

Among second-tier countries, the report decried the Afghan constitution’s «explicit fail[ure] to protect the individual right to freedom of religion or belief.»

It highlighted the detention and imprisonment of «nonviolent religious activists» in Azerbaijan.

The commission said a religious registration law in Kazakhstan had led to «a sharp drop in the number of registered religious groups, both Muslim and Protestant.»

In Russia, the report said that «various laws and practices increasingly grant preferential status to the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church.» It also cited rampant abuses in Chechnya.

http://www.rferl.org/content/religious-freedom-us-iran-iraq-pakistan-uzbekistan-tajikistan-turkmenistan/24973030.html