The 2017 World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reflects a world in which attacks on the media have become commonplace and strongmen are on the rise. We have reached the age of post-truth, propaganda, and suppression of freedoms – especially in democracies. Читать далее 2017 World Press Freedom Index – tipping point →

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) wrote the following letter to Uzbekistan’s new president, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, after his installation on 14 December. It asks him to end the draconian censorship in Uzbekistan, which is ranked 166th out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2016 World Press Freedom Index, and to quickly carry out the reforms needed to ensure respect for the right to information and media freedom in accordance with Uzbekistan’s constitution. Читать далее RSF writes to Uzbekistan’s new president →

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is stepping up cooperation with the National Association of Independent Mass Media in Tajikistan (NANSMIT) with the aim of providing journalists with more support following recent developments that do not bode well for freedom of information in Tajikistan. Читать далее RSF reinforces alliance with partner in Tajikistan →

Читать далее RUSSIA​. Journalists arbitrarily included in list of alleged terrorists →

Press release
20.04.2016

2016 Press Freedom Index:

Another turn of the screw in the post-Soviet region

Media freedom has declined steadily in the post-Soviet states. Nearly two thirds of the region’s countries are ranked around 150th or lower in the Index and their scores keep on falling.

The fact that Russia (148th, up 4) improved its ranking slightly should not raise hopes because its score fell as a result of the persecution of critics, which has reached levels not seen for three decades. And Russia’s behaviour has legitimized the growing repression throughout the region because Moscow acts as a regional “model,” albeit a negative one as regards media freedom.

Beset by economic and security threats, the region’s authoritarian regimes seemed to know only one response – tightening the screw – although their crackdowns just fuelled more tension. In Tajikistan (150th, down 34), which fell furthest in the Index, President Emomali Rahmon used “counter-terrorism” as grounds for gagging critics and consolidating his personal power, and in so doing jeopardized the fragile national consensus.

Brandishing imaginary threats and the resulting need for stability to justify holding on to power is the favourite pastime of the eternal despots in Uzbekistan (166th), Kazakhstan (160th), Turkmenistan (178th), Azerbaijan (163rd) and Belarus (157th). The regional economic crisis, the shockwave from the Ukrainian revolution and in some cases the uncertainty surrounding an approaching succession provided further grist to their mill. Not content with having long suppressed all expression of discontent, these regimes tightened their grip on Internet users and hounded the few remaining independent journalists.

After plummeting in the 2015 Index because of the Maidan crackdown and the fighting in the east, Ukraine (107th) has jumped 22 places in the latest Index thanks to a significant decline in violence and to some long-awaited reforms. But major challenges remain, starting with the oligarchs’ grip on the media and the “information war” with Russia. There was little change in the four regional countries that continued to be ranked best: Georgia (64th), Armenia (74th), Moldova (76th) and Kyrgyzstan (85th). Aside from the disparities in the situation of each of these four countries, media polarization and the lack of media independence are major challenges that they all share.

Located on its southwestern edge, Turkey (151st) suffered the region’s second biggest fall in score because of the turmoil resulting from the Syrian conflict and the resumption of fighting with the PKK Kurdish rebels. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s growing authoritarianism and the paranoia displayed by the authorities just deepened the fault lines in an already polarized society.

REPORTERS WITHOUT BORDERS | REPORTERS SANS FRONTIÈRES | РЕПОРТЕРЫ БЕЗ ГРАНИЦ

Johann Bihr | Йоханн Бир
Head of Eastern Europe & Central Asia Desk | Responsable du bureau Europe de l’Est & Asie centrale | Глава отдела Восточной Европы и Средней Азии

____________________________________________________________________________________________

CS 90247 — 75083 Paris cedex 02 — France

Tel : (33) 1 44 83 84 67

Fax : (33) 1 45 23 11 51

Skype: europarsf

GPG ID: BB346CFF

www.rsf.org

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In many OSCE-participating states conflict and crisis hamper and endanger an independant, accurate and objective journalism. Sometimes journalism even tends to sharpen conflicts. It´s

difficult to recognize propaganda, hate-speech and different interests of conflict-parties. In addition the personal and digital security of journalists often is threatened.

These problems will be the main focus of the journalism Seminar of taz panter foundation, Reporters Without Borders and German Federal Foreign Office. 14 journalists from OSCE-participating states, especially from Central Asia, Middle and Eastern Europe and Russia will be invited to come to Berlin 29 May to 5 June 2016 to exchange their experience, discuss these issues and more.

The participants will meet journalists, politicians, public stakeholders and experts for international election observation. They will visit the German parliament. In the Federal Foreign Office they will meet representatives of the taskforce for the German OSCE-presidency 2016. They will learn about the German media landscape and exercise some techniques of conflict sensitive journalism. Participants will learn how to upgrade their personal and digital security.

During the stay in Berlin participants are expected to finalize an article covering a topic in the context of the seminar. Ideas and research should be presented in the beginning of the workshop.

The taz panter foundation is focused on training for journalists. This foundation is closely linked to „taz.die tageszeitung“, an independent daily  German newspaper (www.taz.de).
Further information

Expenses including travel costs, hotel-accommodation in bedrooms shared by 2-3 persons and meals will be paid by the German Federal Foreign Office;

pocket-money not included

Requirement for participation

*Journalistic experience for at least 2 years in print-, online-, radio- or TV-outlets or as blogger.

*Working knowledge of Russian and at least very good understanding of English language

*No former participation in workshops of taz panter foundation or Deutsche Welle

*Valid travel documents for applying a visa

Application — not later than 29 February 2016

Journalists interested send 2 documents, both in Russian and English:

*a CV including work experience and knowledge of language

*a motivation statement for participation including your idea for a story and the research

*mail addresses of two journalistic reference persons to be contacted by the taz panter foundation.

Russian version is to be sent to oertel@taz.de and serdyuk@taz.de

English version is to be sent to petra_bornhoeft@web.de

The workshop will be organized by the journalists Barbara Oertel (taz) and Petra Bornhöft (taz panter foundation)

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) says Azerbaijan has given it one month to halt its operations in the country and that Baku provided «no explanation» for the decision.

OSCE spokesman Shiv Sharma told RFE/RL on June 5 that Azerbaijani authorities this week «informed us of their intentions of closing the office» of its project coordinator in Baku and that the 57-member security organization is «now assessing our options.»

The move comes amid heightened criticism of Azerbaijan’s record on civil society and media freedoms by Western officials and international human rights watchdogs.

Rights groups say Baku has escalated its efforts to muzzle government opponents since Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev was reelected for a third term in 2013.

The Vienna-based OSCE has been a prominent voice among those critics.

In November, its media freedoms representative, Dunja Mijatovic, said that «practically all independent media representatives and media NGOs» in Azerbaijan «have been purposefully persecuted under various, often unfounded and disturbing charges.»

Azerbaijan has bristled at Western criticism of its human rights record, saying such censure lacks objectivity.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, which notified the OSCE that Baku was terminating an agreement allowing the organization to operate in the country, had not commented publicly on the situation as of June 5.

Azerbaijan’s human rights record has also faced increasing international scrutiny in the run-up to the European Games, an Olympics-style event limited to athletes from Europe that is set to open on June 12.

Status Downgrade

EU lawmakers last month called on Azerbaijan to release individuals widely seen as political prisoners ahead of the games and urged European leaders to skip the event’s opening ceremony in Baku.

The OSCE office in Baku was downgraded to the office of a «project coordinator,» reportedly at Azerbaijan’s request, in January 2014.

The downgrade of the mission came at the request of the Azerbaijani government, which cited the country’s «significant progress» since the OSCE office in Baku was opened in 1999.

Khadija Ismayilova, a journalist and contributor to RFE/RL currently jailed in Azerbaijan on a series of charges that have been internationally condemned as politically motivated, testified before U.S. lawmakers in November that the downgrade had led to a halt of «most» of the OSCE office’s projects «related to media and combating corruption.»

Among other duties, the OSCE coordinator had been tasked with «implementing OSCE principles and commitments» and «maintaining contacts» with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), local authorities, universities, and research institutions.

NGOs have been among the numerous targets of a crackdown by Azerbaijani authorities, including groups promoting free-media efforts in Azerbaijan.

In April, the Council of Europe’s human rights commissioner, Nils Muiznieks, said «human rights defenders are harassed through restrictive NGO legislation and selectively targeted with criminal prosecutions on charges that defy credibility.»

RFE/RL last month closed its Baku bureau after Azeri authorities sealed the office shut last December in connection with the government-led campaign against foreign organizations. RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani Service, however, continues to operate on digital and satellite platforms.

RFE/RL Editor in Chief Nenad Pejic said on May 22 that the Azerbaijani authorities had acted «illegally and arbitrarily.»

Azerbaijani ‘Masters’

Azerbaijan’s move to close the OSCE office comes just days after the contract of the organization’s project coordinator in Baku, France’s Alexis Chahtahtinsky, expired.

Novruz Mammadov, the deputy head of Aliyev’s administration and director of its Foreign Relations Department, suggested on Twitter on June 1 that Chahtahtinsky was relieved of his duties because of U.S. objections to the French diplomat’s public appearance with Aliyev.

Mammadov appeared to be referring to a July 2014 statement by Daniel Baer, the U.S. Ambassador to the OSCE, in which he criticized Chahtahtinsky for being photographed with Aliyev and Azerbaijan’s foreign minister but not «with civil society.»

«While consultation with the host government is certainly an important part of your work, you work for all of us, and you work for the principles that underlie this organization. Your masters are not the government of Azerbaijan,» Baer said, addressing Chahtahtinsky in the statement.

Baer did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.

But France’s ambassador to the OSCE, Maxime Lefebvre, told RFE/RL that the decision not to renew Chahtahtinsky’s contract was not linked to politics or OSCE-Azerbaijani ties, but rather to «internal management problems.»

Lefebvre said the OSCE «would like Azerbaijan to remain committed» to the organization and «would like the mission to continue its work.»

He added that it would be regrettable if the decision to close the Baku office was confirmed, «because we think it’s important that we keep a field presence of the OSCE in Azerbaijan and that we maintain good relations between Azerbaijan as a participating state with the OSCE.»

http://www.rferl.org/content/article/27055923.html

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan has begun the process of media accreditation for local and foreign media representatives for participation in the High Level International Conference on the implementation of the International Decade for Action “Water for Life”, 2005-2015, which will take place in Dushanbe on June 9 — 11. Читать далее Announcement for Media Representatives →

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on Kyrgyz lawmakers to reject a bill requiring domestic NGOs that receive foreign funding and engage in «political activities» to register as «foreign agents.»

In a statement issued on May 21, the New York-based group said, «Such inappropriate and unjustified interference would be incompatible with the right to freedom of association.»

It said the bill “blatantly flouts” Kyrgyzstan’s national and international human rights commitments.

If adopted, HRW added, the bill will “only stigmatize” NGOs working in Kyrgyzstan.

The Kyrgyz parliamentary human rights committee voted on May 19 to send the bill to full parliament for debate, and its first reading is expected in the coming days.

In 2012, Russia passed similar legislation which human rights defenders and Western governments say has been used to crack down on independent groups.

http://www.rferl.org/content/hrw-calls-on-kyrgyz-to-reject-foreign-agents-bill/27029058.html

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on Kyrgyz lawmakers to reject a bill requiring domestic NGOs that receive foreign funding and engage in «political activities» to register as «foreign agents.»

In a statement issued on May 21, the New York-based group said, «Such inappropriate and unjustified interference would be incompatible with the right to freedom of association.»

It said the bill “blatantly flouts” Kyrgyzstan’s national and international human rights commitments.

If adopted, HRW added, the bill will “only stigmatize” NGOs working in Kyrgyzstan.

The Kyrgyz parliamentary human rights committee voted on May 19 to send the bill to full parliament for debate, and its first reading is expected in the coming days.

In 2012, Russia passed similar legislation which human rights defenders and Western governments say has been used to crack down on independent groups.

http://www.rferl.org/content/hrw-calls-on-kyrgyz-to-reject-foreign-agents-bill/27029058.html