A newspaper “Sarikol” published in Murghab district of Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast has launched a new item: “Studying the State language!”

Sultan Parmanov, editor of the newspaper says that publication of educational materials will enable readers to easily learn the language. Besides that, readers can cut pieces from newspapers and gradually compile a Tajik-Kyrgyz dictionary.

Murghab district is located in Eastern Pamir. About 14 thousand residents are Kyrgyz-speaking.

Pamir Media

An opening ceremony of a public organization “Ittilot va Muoshirat” (Information and Intercourse) took place on 4 April in the Tajik capital. The new organization is an assign of the Republican Press Center that was created under the auspices of the Tajik Foreign Ministry and the UN Peace Building Bureau in Tajikistan.

Davlat Nazriev, head of the Foreign Ministry’s Information Department says that the Republican Center has acquitted itself well, and the organizations has a capacity to help journalists in their professional activities and to become a bridge between the society and the power.

Nazriev also said that the Ministry is currently considering the issue of holding press quarterly press conferences at the organization’s conference hall – it would be convenient for both journalists and heads of government institutions.

“Ittilot va Muoshirat” is an independent non-governmental organization pursuing the goals of developing the media market in Tajikistan, strengthening public and international relations in the sphere of information, disseminating information and enhansing professional media.

Among practical tasks of “Ittilot va Muoshirat” are training of media professional, arrangement of press conferences, educational and research programs, etc. During the last year, the organization conducted 18 press conferences on the most topical issues such as “Current conditions and perspective development of Tajikistan’s energy sector”, “Countering human trafficking”, “Rational use of water resources”, etc. The agency also conducted 8 training sessions and two cycles of master classes.

Representatives of the OSCE Center in Dushanbe and the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) expressed their readiness to support the new public organization.

NANSMIT Monitoring Service

From 29 to 31 March 2008, Eurasia Foundation conducted a workshop on international standards of journalism for media professionals from provinces of Tajikistan.

The workshop was conducted by a well-known media expert Andre Loersh who presented the main principles and standards of news writing for information agencies.

This was the second workshop conducted within the framework of the project “Tajik network of regional correspondents”. The project is designed to enhance information flows from remote areas of Tajikistan. The first workshop on international standards of journalism was organized jointly by the British Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) and Internews Network.

Apart from training, Eurasia Foundation provided the eight journalists, participants of the workshop with computers and means of communication. Besides that, these journalists receive financial support in the form of honoraria for publications in the Tajik media.

Since 2006, the project on support of regional journalists has been under implementation under financial support of the government of Netherlands and the Bureau on Democracy, Human Rights and Labor.

On 17-19 April, Paris will be hosting the First Media Development Forum. Among the participants will be representatives of non-governmental organizations from the countries of Eastern Europe and the former USSR, including Tajikistan; there will be also representatives of international and donor agencies interested in strengthening democratic media in Eurasia.

It is expected that the Forum will host 100 participants. They will come to Paris to exchange information and fresh ideas on the development of the media, and to consider challenges they might face while implementing their projects and initiatives. Organizers of the Forum expect that the event will enhance cooperation among regional public organizations and strengthen the regional strategies.

The Eurasian Forum is part of the Global Forum of the Media Development Initiative, which took place in October 2005 in Amman, Jordan. The Global Forum was organized by a number of media entities such as Internews, BBC, World Service Trust, IFEX, Media Rights Agenda, South-East Press Alliance, and International Association of Newspapers.

NANSMIT

A workshop on the topic “Protection of citizens’ rights in civil justice” took place on 27 March at the resource center of the Public Institute “Youth and Civilization” in the city of Khujand. Twenty journalists took part in the workshop.

This workshop is part of the initiative of the Public Institute “Youth and Civilization” in partnership with the Fund of Legal and Economic Reforms in Kyrgyzstan.

Sheroz Sharifov, information expert of the Public Institute says that the organizers developed an exclusive module on legal education for the participants.

The second workshop, on the issues of “Protection of citizens’ rights in criminal justice” is scheduled for 29 March. The next workshop will be dedicated to the issues of “Appeals against unlawful actions of public bodies in court”; it is scheduled for 30 March.

It is expected that more than 60 people will take part in the workshops, and more than 100 journalists will receive printing materials, which will help them enhance their legal knowledge and skills.

NANSMIT, Monitoring Service

Khamrokhon Zarifi, head of the Tajik Foreign Ministry told the media that the office of the United TV Channel of Aghanistan, Tajikistan and Iran will be opened in Dushanbe. This decision was made at a meeting of foreign ministers of the three Persian-language countries.

Zarifi also noted that Tajikistan Он также отметил, что Таджикистан приложит все усилия для того, чтобы создать необходимые условия для функционирования офиса этого телеканала.

A joint final statement signed on 25 March by the foreign ministers of Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Iran says that the 1150-th anniversary of Abuabdulloh Rudaki, the founder of Persian literature will be widely celebrated in the three countries.

http://www.toptj.com/

In late April 2008, NANSMIT is holding a workshop “Perspectives of Media Trade Union in Tajikistan”. The event will be supported by the Finnish Foundation on Media, Communication and Development under the Union of Journalists of Finland.

Those wishing to take part in the workshop and make their input in the development of the Tajik media trade unions can contact NANSMIT at: coordinator@nansmit.tj.

Detailed information on the forthcoming workshop is available at: http://www.nansmit.tj/?page=events&id=69

NANSMIT Monitoring Service

A new State TV channel to be created in Tajikistan

President of Tajikistan Emomali Rakhmon appreciates the increase in the number of non-government media outlets and considers them a platform for discussions of the most topical problems in the society. This statement was made by Rakhmon at a traditional seasonal meeting with the Tajik intelligentsia. However, Rakhmon criticized the official media noting that they provide Tajikistani with out-of-date information. Very often, the official press and television ignore ongoing events, thus giving a chance to foreign media – especially the Russian mass media – to fill in the information vacuum. “It is necessary to create an information TV channel in the country”, — said the President.

“Prior to learning about a certain accident in the country from the local radio and television, the Tajik people learn about it from the Russian mass media. It often leads to misunderstanding of the situation; it leads to false information, prejudiced interpretations and exaggerations. At the recent government session, I have charged the officials to promptly share official information with the State media – so that the information would not be distorted. I have also given an order to the chairman of the State TV and Radio Committee to create a special information channel, which will broadcast news and stories about the events – not only in Tajikistan, but elsewhere in the world – so that our people would learn about ongoing developments within the country and beyond its boundaries”, — said the President.

To restrain and to keep from…

The President noted that the Tajik-language segment within the global network is very small. “This gap should be filled in order to ensure the information security of the country”, — Rakhmon said. Along with that, he stressed that online publications should not defame human dignity; they should not contribute to fomentation of local conflicts, nepotism and extremism”. Rakhmon asked journalists to restrain from publishing materials containing messages of mistrust and pessimism.

In the meantime, media experts in Tajikistan express concern about the statements made by the country leader. “Some officials can now gamble on that with the purpose to control the press”, — says Nuriddin Karshibayev, chairman of the National Association of Independent Media (NANSMIT).

“A normal official will take the President’s words adequately; but if he is an adulator and social climber, he will apply these words to strengthen pressure on journalists and the media. Our officials have always complained that “the journalists are fond of stirring up the masses, and they should be more careful in order not to disturb stability in Tajikistan. And now, someone who dares to write about the problems of Tajikistani can be immediately “labeled” as a destabilizer of the society”, — Karshibayev said.

A new TV channel or daily papers – what is better?

Regarding the President’s order to create a new State TV channel, Karshibayev says that it would be more efficient to create appropriate conditions for printing and disseminating private newspapers; it would be worthwhile to abolish some of the numerous local official outlets. It is very important that the newspapers will be published every day, not on the weekly basis as it is now.

“I think it would be impossible to resolve the problem of informing the society on the ongoing events in the country. Because of the lack of electricity, half of the year the people do not have access to television, — said Karshibayev. — In my opinion, new public-political newspapers should be created in the provinces of Tajikistan. Such newspapers should be published regularly and reach the remotest areas of the country. The malpractice of publishing the official city, district and province newspapers should be also abolished – since these outlets effectively are tribunes of local authorities. They do not provide readers with alternative information and do not contain any analysis of social and economic problems in the country”.

http://www.toptj.com/

The REGNUM information agency referring to a report launched on 21 March by the international organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said that Tajikistan has fallen into the “secondary” annual list of the countries considered “Enemies of the Internet”. Along with Tajikistan, the list contains such countries as Bahrain, Eritrea, Gambia, Jordan, Libya, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

As for the main “black list” of the countries “Enemies of the Internet”, there are 15 States: “Belarus, Burma, China, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, North Korea, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunis, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.

http://www.toptj.com/

Project HOPE launched a contest on the best publication covering prevention of tuberculosis in Tajikistan

Saodat Kasymova, coordinator of the HOPE project on social mobilization and small grants told the Varorud news agency that that the first three winners will receive prizes from $1000 to $3000.

http://www.varorud.org/