The New-York based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on the Kyrgyz authorities to make public the findings of their investigation into the 2007 murder of an independent journalist in Osh, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reports.

Alisher Saipov, the editor of the local Uzbek-language newspaper «Siyosat» (Politics), was shot dead by an unknown assailant on October 24, 2007.

His colleagues suspect that he might have been killed by agents of neighboring Uzbekistan since he wrote in Uzbek about the situation in that country.

However, Kyrgyz Interior Ministry spokesman Oljobay Kazybaev told RFE/RL those allegations are «untrue.»

Kazybaev said the ministry has made «enormous efforts to investigate» Saipov’s killing.

But he said the «opinions» about the alleged involvement of Kyrgyz or Uzbek security services are wrong because a suspect in Saipov’s killing, Abdufarit Rasulov, has been arrested and his case will soon be brought to trial in Osh.

http://www.rferl.org/content/CPJ_Demands_Results_Of_Probe_Of_Kyrgyz_Journalists_Killing/1859438.html

The European Parliament has awarded the 2009 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to the Moscow-based Memorial human rights group.

The embattled Memorial is led by activist Oleg Orlov. An activist with the group, Natalya Estemirova, was killed in the North Caucasus in July, and Orlov was sued for libel by Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov for accusing him of involvement in Estemirova’s killing.

The Sakharov Prize was established in 1988, shortly before the death of Soviet physicist, rights activist, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Andrei Sakharov.

http://www.rferl.org/content/Russias_Memorial_Human_Rights_Group_Wins_Sakharov_Prize/1858225.html

Ethical Standards of Journalism in Tajikistan

Dushanbe, 14 May 2009

Preamble

• The community of journalists in Tajikistan, considering the Freedom of Speech the basis of its activities, understanding its responsibility for ensuring the Freedom of Speech, declare and adopt the following professional and ethical standards for the mass media and journalists. None of these standards is designed to limit the Freedom of Speech.
1. Mission of the media and journalists

• Honesty, objectivity, justice, pluralism, and respect to human rights are he main principles of activities of the mass media and journalists in Tajikistan.

• Guided by these principles, the media and journalists protect the image of the press.

2. Accuracy of information

• The media and journalists must publish various opinions and viewpoints impartially and without any distortion. Publications should contain balanced opinions. Headlines and images must express the essence of the text.

3. Protection of the source of information

• The media and journalists should respect the source of information, and, if needed, to observe the principle of anonymity, i.e. not to make the name of the source public, and to observe professional secrecy.
4. Opinions, facts and allegations

• The media and journalists shall understand the difference between opinions, facts and allegations. Expression of opinion is not subject to investigation.

5. National morality and respect to cultural values

• While covering any topic, the media and journalists shall respect the national distinctive character and culture. They shall avoid promotion of immorality, which can affect the national moral values. Respect to cultural values shall be present in publications.

• The media and journalists shall avoid any humiliation of peoples and ethnic groups, religions and races; they must respect other people’s world view, traditions and customs.

6. Respect to private life

• The media and journalists shall respect privacy of individuals. Publication of information about somebody’s private life is acceptable only with consent of the individual.

• Publication of stories about somebody’s private life without consent of the individual is not acceptable.

7. Protection of honor and dignity

• Humiliation of dignity, obscenities and libel are not acceptable; glorification of individuals, which goes beyond the ethical standards of journalists is not acceptable either.

8. Presumption of innocence

• While preparing a publication covering a criminal case, the media and journalists shall restrain from personal judgment. The media and journalists cannot voice their opinions about the guilt of an individual until it is proven in court.

9. Non-discrimination

• Discrimination on racial, national, religious, political, social and sexual affiliation is not acceptable in the media. The media and journalists shall restrain from pointing at physical imperfections of persons.

10. Inducing materials and protection of rights of minors

• Journalists and the media shall restrain from publishing materials inducing violence, killing and humiliation, as well as other crimes. The media and journalists shall not make public the names of minors in order to protect them.

11. Ways of collecting data

• Illegal receipt of information, images, voices and other materials referring to private life is not acceptable.

12. Inconsistency between creative activities and commercial advertisement

• Professional mission should not be sacrificed for commerce. There are clear distinctions in the media between creative activities and commercial (advertising) activities.

13. Rewards and privileges

• Any reward or privilege limiting free decision of a medium or a journalist are not in compliance with the image and dignity of the media or journalists.
14. Plagiarism
• Plagiarism is an illicit appropriation of a text, image or voice without permission of the original source, which was demonstrated (or presented) as an original. Journalists must respect the labor of their colleagues.

15. Rectification of errors

• The medium must publish apologies and rectify errors if those took place.

16. Professional solidarity

• The media and journalists should observe principles of professional solidarity. Journalists shall restrain from performing tasks, which undermine their professional reputation and social status. Journalists shall not use the media in their mercenary motives or for settling accounts with their colleagues or adversaries.
• Colleagues must support and protect journalists persecuted for their professional activities.

17. Implementation of these norms

In case of non-observance of these norms, any interested party can apply to the Media Council of Tajikistan. Resolutions will be published in the media

NANSMIT

On 3 October the Tajik television celebrated its 50-th anniversary. The most notable period of development was during the years of independence. Along with the State First Channel, there is a State TV Safina, a special news TV channel Jahonnamo and a TV channel for children Bakhoriston. These TV companies were created by the State TV and Radio Committee under the Tajik government.

On the occasion of the jubilee the Tajik National Press Center organized a seminar “Input of the mass media in the process of democratization”.
The Tajik television was founded in 1959. The first TV program contained a three-minute news segment in Tajik and Russian languages. In 1959 the total number of personnel was 54; at present, 350 specialists work for the four Sate TV stations.

In 2006 the Tajik television switched to digital broadcasting. At present, the First Channel covers 97 percent of Tajikistan’s territory; people in Asia and Europe can watch the Tajik programs via the satellite.

Khovar news agency

On 2 October the Tajik Union of Journalists hosted a discussion on creating an independent national Media Council. The meeting was held upon the initiative of the Union of Journalists, the Tajik National Association of Independent Media (NANSMIT), the Tajik National Association of Electronic Media (TAJANESMI), the Tajik Journalists’ Memorial Fund and a number of Tajik media under support of the OSCE Bureau in Dushanbe.

Chairman of NANSMIT Nuriddin Karshibaev stressed that an initiative group started working in May 2009. So far, the group developed and adopted the Ethical Standards for Tajik Journalists. “The next step is the creation of the Media Council – to protect the rights and ensure the freedoms of Tajik journalists. All necessary documents are already developed,” — said Karshibaev. The Council’s draft charter was designed by media experts who consulted experienced legal specialists.

Participants of the meeting came to the conclusion that the draft constituent documents for the Media Council should be published in local newspapers, and the final version must be adopted after wide discussions.
The final meeting of the task force will be held by the end of October.

NANSMIT Monitoring Service

On 22 September chairman of the Tajik Bar Association Naim Amirbekov had a meeting with Tajik journalists. The meeting was held within the framework of the project “Support to Tajik Independent Media” being implemented by the Tajik National Association of Independent Mass Media (NANSMIT) under support of the US-based non-governmental organization National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

Mr. Amirbekov touché upon the issue of responsibility for mistakes in publications. Usually, newspapers make references to a note on the last page saying that “the editing board bears no responsibility for published materials”. “This does not disembarrass the newspaper from responsibility”, — said Amirbekov. — “Only the court can establish the responsibility for mistakes – deliberate or unintentional”.

The lawyer also made a reference to Article 30 of the Tajik law “On printing and other mass media”, which says that prior to publishing an article, the journalist should check and analyze all data and facts.

NANSMIT Monitoring Service

On 17 September the Tajik private radio company Imruz opened its affiliate in Sughd province of Tajikistan.

The founder of Radio Imruz is the company Oriyono Media Ltd. From 2002 to 2005 Oriyono Media rebroadcast programs of “Russkoe Radio” (Russian Radio). On 15 August 2007 the company launched its own radio station – Radio Imruz.

Up to quite a recent time, Radio Imruz was available only in Dushanbe and its suburbs; however, the company has its correspondents in Sughd province, in Khatlon, in Rasht valley and in Gorno Badakhshan.

Since 17 September Radio Imruz has been broadcasting in Khujand and Chkalovsk and in Bobojon Gafurov district of Sughd province.

Director of the radio company Rustam Joni says that Imruz is a commercial information medium. The company invested $15 thousand to expand the broadcasting coverage, and it will keep allocating additional funds in Sughd province to further improve the quality of its broadcasting.

NANSMIT Monitoring Service

On 15 September Dushanbe hosted a final conference on the project “Mobilization of the Media in Central Asia to Support the Rights of Women and Children”.

The project was implemented by the BBC World Service Trust jointly with international and local partners under a grant support from the European Commission.

Tajik media and leaders of non-governmental organizations took part in the conference. Coordinator of this project in Tajikistan and chairman of the Tajik National Association of Independent Media (NANSMIT) Nuriddin Karshibaev noted the input of journalists in successful implementation of this project. Mr. Karshibaev thanked journalists for their media products, which reflect the problems of women and children.

During the conference participants watched and discussed special documentaries produced within the framework of this project.

NANSMIT Monitoring Service

According to the Global Economic Forum Report, Tajikistan is the last to next among its CIS neighbors in terms of development of information and communication technologies.

According to the web source www.weforum.org, the leader in information technologies in the CIS is Azerbaijan, and Armenia is the last one.

Tajikistan has the 104-th position in terms of the number of subscribers of landline telephony and the 111-th position in terms of the number of mobile telephony. As for the number of Internet subscribers, Tajikistan has the 103-rd position.

Asia Plus

Prosecutor General’s office and the Tajik energy holding Barki Tojik ignored the request of newspaper Nigoh regarding a complaint of the Nurek hydropower plant’s personnel.

On 6 July the Nigoh weekly (#23, 27.08.09) addressed a request on information to the joint stock company Barki Tojik regarding a complaint from employees of the Nurek hydropower plant.

Nigoh has been conducting an investigation on the complaint, which states that chairman of Barki Tojik Sharif Isoev had beaten his subordinates. Journalists face many impediments in their investigation, and the article was published with delay.

In course of investigation journalists established that Sharif Isoev had beaten employees of the hydropower plant accusing them of selling water to the neighboring Uzbekistan; he also illegally fired director of the Nurek hydropower plant Rustam Zogakov. Applicants have been waiting for fair justice and actions by the law enforcement structures against Isoev.

In June the newspaper sent its second written request to the Prosecutor General’s office, but has not received any feedback. It is interpreted as a violation of the Tajik law “On applications of citizens” and the President’s decree “On response of officials to critical and analytical publications in the mass media” (#622).

Management of Barki Tojik sent the following response to Nigoh: “Inpursuance of your request, Barki Tojik is ready to meet with your journalists and provide them with relevant experts for your investigation. Regrettably, we cannot provide you with any written information in view of the lack of technical capacities”.

NANSMIT Monitoring Service