Kyrgyzstan’s parliament has declared Russian politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky persona non grata and banned him from entering the country.

The parliament passed the measure on May 15 by a majority of 67 deputies in the 120-seat chamber.

The decision to ban Zhirinovsky, who is the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, comes after he proposed in the Russian state Duma that Bishkek hand over the mountainous lake of Issyk Kul to Russia in exchange for a write-off of Kyrgyzstan’s some $ 500 million in debts to Moscow.

With reporting by Itar-Tass

http://www.rferl.org/content/kyrgystan-zhironovsky-banned/24987523.html

ALMATY, Kazakhstan — Kazakhstan’s Bureau for Human Rights has criticized authorities for placing a journalist in a psychiatric clinic. 

The chairman of the Almaty-based bureau, Yevgeny Zhovtis, told journalists on May 14 that the case of Aleksandr Kharlamov is reminiscent of the Soviet-era, when dissidents were regularly placed in psychiatric clinics.

Kharlamov was arrested in March and charged with inciting religious hatred.

In April, he was brought from his native town of Ridder in Kazakhstan’s northeast to a psychiatric clinic in Almaty.

Kharlamov’s relatives say they have not been allowed to see him since then. Kharlamov’s wife, Marina Kaplunskaya, told journalists on May 12 that her husband’s case is politically motivated.

According to her, local authorities launched investigations against Kharlamov after an article he wrote criticizing local police was published in a Ridder newspaper.

http://www.rferl.org/content/kazakhstan-rights-group-journalist-psychiatric-clinic/24986089.html

ORAL, Kazakhstan — A trial has begun in this western Kazakh city of four men accused of attacking a prominent journalist. 

Lukpan Akhmedyarov, a reporter for the «Uralskaya nedelya» weekly, was left in serious condition when he was stabbed and shot with an air pistol in April 2012.

Akhmedyarov says the attack was related to his journalistic activities, which have sparked controversies and legal actions.

Akhmedyarov was found guilty in July of insulting a local official and ordered to pay the official a penalty of about $33,000.

In November, he was ordered to pay $7,700 to a financial police officer after a judge ruled that Akhmedyarov had insulted the officer in an article.

In October, Akhmedyarov received the Peter Mackler Award for Courageous and Ethical Journalism in the United States.

http://www.rferl.org/content/kazakhstan-trial-attack-journalist/24985588.html

The human rights groups Amnesty International, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), and Human Rights Watch (HRW) have released statements expressing concern over detained RFE/RL Turkmen correspondent Rovshen Yazmuhamedov, saying he is at risk of torture.

“Though charges against him have not been disclosed by authorities, there are fears that he may have been targeted in connection with his work and that he is at grave risk of torture,” the statement from Amnesty International said.

RSF said Yazmuhamedov’s detention “represents a gross violation of his constitutional rights and the international conventions ratified by Turkmenistan.”

HRW said in a statement issued on May 11 that Turkmen authorities «should immediately free or credibly charge» Yazmuhamedov, who was arrested for «unreported reasons.»

Yazmuhamedov was detained on May 6 in Turkmenabat in eastern Turkmenistan but his family was only able to get word out about the detention on May 9.

Amnesty International noted in its statement that “RFE/RL is one of the few remaining sources of independent information about life in Turkmenistan.»

http://www.rferl.org/content/turkmenistan-rferl-reporter-detained/24982709.html

DUSHANBE — Tajikistan’s Supreme Court has sentenced an official with the opposition Islamic Renaissance Party (HINT) to 14 years in prison. 

Sherik Karamkhudoev was found guilty on May 10 of founding an organized criminal group, organizing mass disorders, and illegal weapons possession.

Karamkhudoev, 46, was the chairman of the HINT branch in the troubled eastern province of Gorno-Badakhshan.

He was arrested in July during a military operation against armed groups in the province.

Karamkhudoev denied taking part in the fighting, and his party called his arrest politically motivated.

The HINT is the only Islamic party that is officially represented in the parliament of a post-Soviet country.

The military operation followed the killing of regional security chief Abdullo Nazarov.

In February, two men from Gorno-Badakhshan were sentenced to 16 and 17 years in prison for killing Nazarov.

http://www.rferl.org/content/tajikistan-islamic-party-karamkhudoev/24982290.html

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.

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

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