WASHINGTON — A top official has told a Congressional committee that although the United States sees no «imminent Islamic militant threat to Central Asian states,» the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan is looking for opportunities to expand its presence in the region as part of a long-term strategy to broaden its influence.

Testifying before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake said Central Asian states faced challenges that could fuel radicalism and threaten U.S. interests in the region.

He said the United States was working with those governments to help them address cross-border challenges like terrorism and proliferation.

But he also said that Washington won’t stop pressing regional leaders on the need to implement democratic and human rights reforms.

http://www.rferl.org/content/us-central-asia-islamist-threat/24914755.html

DUSHANBE — A popular television channel in Tajikistan’s capital has gone off the air after broadcasting an interview with a prominent dissident poet. 

On the evening of February 24, the Poytaht (The Capital) public television channel showed an interview with Gulrukhsor Safieva, who is known for her verses criticizing the Tajik government.

The channel has been unavailable since the morning of February 25.

Poytaht is controlled by the Dushanbe city administration.

Officials at Tajikistan’s State Television and Radio Corporation told RFE/RL that the channel stopped broadcasting because of technical problems with transmission equipment.

http://www.rferl.org/content/tajik-tv-off-air/24912906.html

DUSHANBE — A son of the head of Tajikistan’s State Railway Company has won a libel case against the weekly newspaper «Imruznews.»

The Ismoili Somoni District Court in Dushanbe has ruled that the privately held newspaper must pay 50,000 somonis ($8,000) to Rustam Hukumov for damaging «his honor and dignity.»

The court also required the weekly to publicly apologize for its article titled «Hukumov and Bakiev Became Headaches For Their Fathers.»

It compared Hukumov with the son of ousted Kyrgyz leader Kurmanbek Bakiev.

Both Bakievs are wanted on corruption charges.

The newspaper’s lawyer, Gulchehra Holmatova, told RFE/RL that she plans to appeal the court’s decision.

She said the trial was held behind closed doors, which was a violation of procedural regulations for such cases.

http://www.rferl.org/content/tajikistan-libel/24911764.html

A well-known Tajik journalist and activist has been stabbed in Moscow.

Bakhtior Sattori told RFE/RL in a telephone interview on February 20 that an unknown assailant attacked him near his apartment.

Sattori said he was stabbed in the stomach and face on February 19.

He underwent surgery and doctors say his condition is serious but stable.

Sattori said he has no idea who is behind the attack.

He said the attacker’s face was covered but he described the man’s eyes as looking «Central Asian.»

Sattori, 49, worked at the Tajik Embassy in Moscow before becoming the press secretary of the Tajik Migration Service’s representative board in Moscow.

After losing his job last year, Sattori became an active member of an organization called the Training Club of Tajikistan’s Future Government.

http://www.rferl.org/content/tajik-activist-stabbed/24907630.html

Awell-known Tajik journalist and activist has been stabbed in Moscow. 

Bakhtior Sattori told RFE/RL in a telephone interview on February 20 that an unknown assailant attacked him near his apartment.

Sattori said he was stabbed in the stomach and face on February 19.

He underwent surgery and doctors say his condition is serious but stable.

Sattori said he has no idea who is behind the attack.

He said the attacker’s face was covered but he described the man’s eyes as looking «Central Asian.»

Sattori, 49, worked at the Tajik Embassy in Moscow before becoming the press secretary of the Tajik Migration Service’s representative board in Moscow.

After losing his job last year, Sattori became an active member of an organization called the Training Club of Tajikistan’s Future Government.

— RFE/RL’s Tajik Service

http://www.rferl.org/content/tajik-activist-stabbed/24907630.html

The Open Society Documentary Photography Project (http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/about/programs/documentary-photography-project) announces a grant and training opportunity for documentary photographers from Central Asia, the South Caucasus, Afghanistan, Mongolia, and Pakistan.

The grant is being offered to:

visually document issues of importance in the region; and
provide training and support to photographers from the region.

Approximately 10 cash stipends in the amount of $3,500 each will be awarded to photographers to produce a photo essay on a current human rights or social issue in the region. Grantees will participate in two master-level workshops on visual storytelling through photography and multimedia. These workshops are led by internationally-recognized photographers and industry professionals who will then provide ongoing mentorship and support throughout the six-month grant term.

The Open Society Foundations will pay travel and hotel expenses and provide a per diem to cover meals and incidentals for the workshops.

The deadline for proposals is March 5, 2013.

For more information on the grant, please visit: http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/grants/production-grants-individuals

Journalists from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Poland, Russia, Ukraine and other Commonwealth of Independent States countries can apply for this fellowship.

Internationale Journalisten-Programme (IJP) offers the Marion Gräfin Dönhoff Fellowship for young journalists. The aim of the program is to give young journalists an idea of the politics, economy, culture and social life of Germany, and give them an opportunity to gain work experience in foreign newsrooms.

Staff or freelance journalists ages 23 to 35 can participate in the program. Applicants must have excellent knowledge of the German language.

Fellows will intern in German newsrooms and work as foreign correspondents covering events in Germany for their countries’ media.

Participants will receive stipends of EUR€3,900 (about US$5,300) each, which will cover travel expenses, health insurance and accommodations.

The deadline is April 15.

For more information, click here: http://www.ijp.org/doenhoff.html?&Result%3A_no_post_sending_forms_are_found%3B=

Investigative journalists reporting across borders can enter a competition.

The Daniel Pearl Awards, sponsored by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), reward excellence in cross-border investigative reporting.

The award was created in honor of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, who was slain in 2002. Past ICIJ award winners have reported about abuses faced by immigrants in American workplaces and the involvement of Sweden in the CIA secret renditions program.

The competition is open to journalists of any kind of media who have reported in at least two countries on a topic of world significance. Two US$5,000 first-place prizes will be awarded, one to a U.S.-based journalist or news outlet and one to a non-U.S.-based reporter or outlet. Five finalists will receive US$1,000. In addition, the judges at their discretion may award a special citation for work that is unusually enterprising or done under especially challenging circumstances.

The deadline has been extended to April 30.

For more information, click here: http://www.icij.org/awards

As part of the range of Fulbright programs, the Fulbright Foreign Student Program offers graduate students and young professionals the opportunity to earn a Master’s degree in the United States.

The Fulbright Foreign Student Program is open to all fields of study, with the exception of medical sciences.

Eligibility:

·         Applicants must be citizens of Tajikistan residing in Tajikistan at the time of application or permanent residents holding a valid passport issued by Tajikistan.

·         Applicants must have completed their undergraduate education and hold a degree that is at least equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s degree.

·         Applicants should have a sufficient level of English to enable them to successfully complete full-time graduate study in the U.S. with a recent paper-based TOEFL score of 550 or higher or equivalent test (i.e. internet-based TOEFL (IBT) or computer-based TOEFL (CBT)).

·         Strong preference will be given to applicants who have not had extensive recent experience in the U.S.

·         An applicant who is currently in the U.S. is ineligible for a grant.

·         In order to be eligible for the program, applicants must currently reside in their country of citizenship.

·         An applicant’s financial need or status will not be a factor in the selection process.

Complete Applications Include:

·         Completed online application form

·         Academic transcripts, diplomas, and translations

·         Three reference letters

·         TOEFL and GRE test scores (if available) More information about the tests and sample exams can be found on www.ets.org/toefl and www.ets.org/gre. In some cases a GMAT is also necessary.

·         Signature form

·         Resume or CV

·         Copy of passport bio-data page

Program Provisions: All grantees receive tuition, a monthly stipend for up to 24 months, supplemental health and accident benefits, a book and equipment allowance, travel support, and the opportunity to attend Fulbright enrichment activities.

Selection Criteria:  Applicants must have a sufficiently high level of English to undertake full-time graduate-level study in the U.S.; must have outstanding academic records; must have satisfactory required test scores of TOEFL, GRE, or GMAT; and should be able to demonstrate high motivation, serious commitment to completing the program, and leadership potential upon returning home.

Application Deadline:  May 31, 2013.

Applicants can access the online application by going to https://apply.embark.com/student/fulbright/international/20/

Please address your questions to:

Shafoat Kabilova, U.S. Embassy, Public Affairs Section

109 A Somoni Avenue, Dushanbe, Tajikistan

Tel: (992 37) 229 2314, 229 2000

E-mail: FulbrightTajikistan@state.gov

Web: http//dushanbe.usembassy.gov

ALMATY, Kazakhstan — An Almaty court has fined the editor in chief of a banned Kazakh newspaper for violating the ban. 

Tatyana Trubacheva’s «Golos respubliki» (Voice of the Republic) newspaper and dozens of other media outlets were banned in December 2012 for carrying what the authorities deemed «extremist content.»

The court ruled on February 7 that Trubacheva must pay a $220 fine after she and her team started printing a new newspaper called «Ripablik» two weeks ago.

On the new weekly’s pages, Trubacheva is identified as «Ripablik’s» reader in chief.

«Ripablik» issues 99 copies a week, which allows it to avoid official registration.

Trubacheva’s lawyer told RFE/RL that she will appeal the court’s decision.

Before the hearing started on February 7, the newspaper’s journalists staged a protest in front of the court building calling the court action an act of oppression against independent media in Kazakhstan.