Professional media organizations applied to the President of Tajikistan Emomali Rakhmon to take under personal control the court case of Mahmnadyusuf Ismoilov, a journalist from Sughd province accused of defamation, insult, localism and blackmailing. The Tajik National Association of Independent Mass Media (NANMSIT), the Tajik Media Council and the Media Alliance of Tajikistan express concern over the journalist facing 14 years in prison for his publications where he criticized authorities and revealed cases of corruption.

It is especially confusing that complaints in this case are a group of officials from the administration of Asht district in Sughd province; they say they are offended by Ismoilov who dared to criticize them in his articles published in an independent newspaper Nuri Zindagi. The 51-year-old journalist who also suffers from physical disabilities has been held in custody for 11 months.

The case of the Tajik journalist cause a way of criticism among local and international human rights organizations. Experts say that the arrest and punishment of the journalist are absolutely disproportionate to what he could “allegedly do” performing his professional duties.

The US government has also joined the calls for releasing Ismoilov. A few days ago, in the course of discussion of human rights in Tajikistan at the UN Human Righs Council in Switzerland, a representative of a US delegation, the 2-nd Secretary of the US Mission in the UN John Mariz expressed concern over persecutions of journalists and the freedom of speech in Tajikistan. The official also mentioned the increased level of self-censorship in the Tajik media caused by frequent cases of legal prosecution.

The Tajik independent weekly Asia Plus, referring to the new statement released by public organizations, says that “in the process of persecution of Ismoilov, there was a number of egregious blunders violating the national legislation”. Human rights advocates believe that Emomali Rakhmon, as a guarantor of constitutional rights will take this case under his control and the case will be resolved in a fair manner.

http://rus.ozodi.org/ & http://nansmit.tj/news/?id=2251

ASHGABAT — An RFE/RL correspondent in Turkmenistan has gone on trial over allegations that he urged a relative to attempt suicide, in a case his family says is retaliation for his journalistic activities.

Dovletmyrat Yazkuliyev faces up to five years in jail if convicted.

Yazkuliyev was one of the first journalists in Turkmenistan to cover deadly explosions at a weapons depot in the town of Abadan, near Ashgabat, in July, which official media initially downplayed as a minor incident.

RFE/RL President Steve Korn called the case outrageous, saying, «Authorities made no secret of their displeasure with Yazkuliyev after his independent and unscripted reports on Abadan this summer, and these charges seem deceitful and intended to silence him for good.»

Official reports were soon overshadowed by citizens’ posting of images and videos from near the scene of the massive blast, eventually forcing authorities to acknowledge the incident, although reports continued to suggest they were underreporting casualties.

http://www.rferl.org/content/trial_opens_rferl_turkmen_reporter/24349092.html

Full text of the article is here: http://www.eurasianet.org/node/64261

http://www.eurasianet.org/node/64261

ASHGABAT/PRAGUE — An RFE/RL correspondent in Turkmenistan is to go on trial for allegedly urging a relative to attempt suicide, in a case his family says is retaliation for his journalistic activities, RFE/RL’s Turkmen Service reports.

Dovletmurad Yazguliev faces several years in jail if convicted in a trial due to start on October 4.

Yazguliev was detained in his native Akhal province on September 27 and sent to Yashlyk detention center near the capital, Ashgabat.

Yazguliev was charged with driving one of his family members to attempt suicide. However, his relatives say the authorities have interfered in their family’s private life to intimidate Yazguliev for his journalistic activities.

Yazguliev’s family members told RFE/RL that they have «sufficient documents proving that his case is politically motivated.»

Yazguliev was one of the first journalists in Turkmenistan to cover deadly explosions at a weapons depot near Ashgabat in July which official media initially downplayed as a minor incident.

Yazguliev was later summoned to a police station and warned about possible consequences for his coverage of the blasts.

In a statement, RFE/RL President Steve Korn said, «Authorities made no secret of their displeasure with Yazguliev after his independent and unscripted reports on Abadan in July, and these charges seem deceitful and intended to silence him for good.»

Yazguliev, 43, has been working as an RFE/RL correspondent in Turkmenistan since 2007.

http://www.rferl.org/content/rferl_turkmen_reporter_to_go_on_trial/24347892.html

ALMATY — Jailed Kazakh journalist Ramazan Esergepov says he will start human rights defense activities after his scheduled release in three months, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reports.

Esergepov returned to a penitentiary in the southern Kazakh city of Taraz on September 26 as his one-week release to see his ailing mother in Almaty ended.

Esergepov told RFE/RL before departing for Taraz that since he has been officially banned by the court from working as a journalist he will be involved in human rights activities after his release in January.

He added that he does not plan to ask for clemency as he does not consider himself guilty of any crime.

Esergepov, the founder and chief editor of the Almaty-based newspaper «Alma-Ata Info,» was sentenced in August 2009 to three years in prison for publishing state secrets in an article published in his newspaper in 2008.

Esergepov and rights organizations protested the verdict, saying the case was politically motivated. «Alma-Ata Info» was closed down after his arrest.

Esergepov was given one week, from September 19-26, to see his mother, who suffered a stroke earlier this month.

He told RFE/RL that he plans to defend human rights in general — especially in the Kazakh penitentiary system — and will fight corruption after his release.

«You do not have any idea what is happening in the jails and detention centers. Corruption has penetrated all spheres of everyday life in Kazakhstan and we have to do something about it,» he said.

Esergepov added that he will also do everything to prove his innocence in order to clear his name.

Esergepov is one of the recipients, announced in June, of a Hellman-Hammett Grant for 2011. The grant is administered by Human Rights Watch and awarded to writers and journalists who have been subject to political persecution and are in financial need.

Esergepov is the third Kazakh to receive a Hellman-Hammett Grant.

http://www.rferl.org/content/kazakhstan_journalist_esergepov/24341383.html

30/09/2011

TAJIKISTAN: Prosecutor requests 14 years for reporter who criticized local officials

Reporters Without Borders is outraged by the case that the state prosecutor in Asht, in the northern province of Sugd, presented in court yesterday against the journalist Makhmadyusuf Ismoilov and by the 16-year jail term he requested (which would be reduced to 14 years under a recent amnesty law).
The local correspondent of the newspapers Nuri Zindagi and Istiklol, Ismoilov has been held since 23 November 2010.
“Everything about this prosecution smacks of political revenge rather than normal judicial proceedings,” Reporters Without Borders said. “The sentence requested is out of all proportion to the charges against Ismoilov. Such a harsh sentence would be a turning point in Tajikistan’s recent history and would deal a terrible blow to its already fragile freedom of expression.
“Although this journalist has been in provisional detention for more than 10 months, the investigators have still been unable to produce any convincing evidence for the charges against him. We reiterate our call for his immediate release and the withdrawal of all the charges.”
Ismoilov is charged with defamation (under article 135 of the criminal code), insult (article 136), inciting hatred (article 189.2) and embezzlement (article 250). The first three charges were confirmed at a hearing two weeks ago on the basis of an “expert linguistic analysis” of newspaper stories by Ismoilov in which he criticized the prosecutor, the Asht district deputy chief, and other local officials and representatives.
The media were barred from the hearing at which the court received the “expert analysis” (conducted by a government offshoot) of Ismoilov’s articles, which in fact were well within the bounds of responsible free expression.
The embezzlement charge is based on a statement by a relative of Ismoilov that was later retracted. The relative, who works for the local government, allegedly gave Ismoilov some old planks that the local administration was no longer using. According to Nuriddin Karshiboyev, the head of the National Association of Independent Media of Tajikistan (NANSMIT), several witnesses confirm the donation of the planks, which were worth less than 50 dollars.
Ismoilov is being held in solitary confinement and his health is deteriorating. The prosecutor yesterday nonetheless requested that he should be subjected to a “severe regime” while serving his jail sentence.
Reporters Without Borders and NANSMIT addressed an open letter about the Ismoilov case to President Emomali Rakhmon on 7 September, urging him to guarantee due process and respect for the presumption of innocence. In particular, they requested Ismoilov’s conditional release, an additional investigation and the trial’s transfer to a different location. No reply has so far been received.
Reporters Without Borders points out that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, to which Tajikistan belongs, promotes strict principles for judicial proceedings against the media: that proceedings should be civil (not criminal), sentences should be proportional to the offence and should not affect the journalists’ ability to work normally, and public figures must tolerate criticism.
The court is expected to issue its verdict at the next hearing, due to be held on 3 October.

http://en.rsf.org/tajikistan-prosecutor-requests-14-years-for-30-09-2011,41084.html

New York, September 29, 2011-The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the ongoing imprisonment of journalist Makhmadyusuf Ismoilov and is dismayed by prosecutors’ call for a hefty prison term on defamation and other charges.

Ismoilov, a regional reporter for the Dushanbe-based independent weekly Nuri Zindagi, was arrested last November on separate counts of defamation, insult, and incitement to hatred over an article titled, «Asht is being destroyed. Who is responsible for it?» In the article, published in the August 2010 issue of Nuri Zindagi, Ismoilov criticized government and law enforcement officials in the Asht district in the northern Sogd region of Tajikistan, and cited corruption, abuse of office, and mismanagement of funds, CPJ research showed.

If convicted, Ismoilov will be the first journalist imprisoned in Tajikistan on defamation and insult charges in the last decade, CPJ research found.

At a hearing today, prosecutors asked the court to convict Ismoilov and sentence him to 16 years in jail, the independent regional news website Fergana Newsreported. Mukhabbat Dzhurayeva, Ismoilov’s lawyer, told the court that investigators had failed to prove the journalist’s guilt, and asked them to drop the charges and release him, Fergana News reported. Ismoilov has denied any wrongdoing.The next court hearing is scheduled for October 3.

«The Tajik authorities are using the threat of prison to intimidate journalists and shield officials from public scrutiny,» said CPJ Deputy Director Robert Mahoney. «Instead of demanding a preposterous 16-year sentence for Makhmadyusuf Ismoilov, the prosecution should drop all charges against him immediately.»

Ismoilov’s trial began in June, and 12 officials were named as plaintiffs in the case, news reports said. At the second court hearing, several witnesses who had initially testified against the journalist changed their statements to his defense, Radio Ozodi, the Tajik service of the U.S. government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, reported.

Ismoilov has consistently criticized regional authorities, law enforcement agencies, and the judiciary for alleged mismanagement, poor social and economic policies, and abuse of power, Nuriddin Karshiboyev, head of the Dushanbe-based National Association of Independent Media of Tajikistan told CPJ. Earlier this month, local and international press freedom advocates wrote an open letter to Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, calling on him to ensure a fair trial for Ismoilov, the radio station reported.

CPJ is a New York-based, independent, nonprofit organization that works to safeguard press freedom worldwide. For more information, visit [url=http://cl.s4.exct.net/?qs=49d65425c0c03c034b82cc60c91d6ba24ccb85c3d8c0a47a097e2b44a437ae42.]http://cl.s4.exct.net/?qs=49d65425c0c03c034b82cc60c91d6ba24ccb85c3d8c0a47a097e2b44a437ae42.[/url]

BISHKEK — Kyrgyzstan’s new ban on foreign-media broadcasts in the country during the presidential-election campaign has caused mixed reactions, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reports.

The recently adopted election law makes live broadcasting into Kyrgyzstan by foreign media outlets illegal from September 25 until the election on October 30. If a runoff were to be held two weeks later then the ban would be extended.

Tattu Mambetalieva, chairwoman of Bishkek-based Internet’s Civil Initiative, told RFE/RL on September 26 that the law violates Kyrgyz citizens’ right to receive and share information.

She said it is technically impossible to broadcast all international media programs in a recorded format. «For that we need significant financial resources, which we do not have.»

Marat Tokoev, chairman of the nongovernmental organization Journalists, told RFE/RL that the temporary ban of live broadcasts by foreign TV and radio stations could be defined as censorship.

He said the law was adopted hastily and might cause protests by people who have no access to satellites.

Meanwhile, the leader of the opposition Ata-Meken (Fatherland) party and former presidential candidate, Omurbek Tekebaev, told RFE/RL that the law was adopted properly and its main goal is to prevent interference by foreign countries and governments in the election process.

Tekebaev said that during last year’s parliamentary elections a Russian television channel was promoting one Kyrgyz political party while denigrating others.

Parliament deputy Irina Karamushkina told journalists on September 26 that while more than 60 foreign television and radio corporations stopped broadcasting live to Kyrgyzstan as of September 25, nothing has been done to control the Internet or satellite televisions.

She said a special parliamentary commission has to be established in order to gain full control of the situation.

http://www.rferl.org/content/kyrgystan_bans_foreign_media_broadcasts_during_campaing/24340800.html

BISHKEK — The Kyrgyz parliament has overturned a presidential veto and converted the Channel 5 television company into a parliamentary TV channel, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reports.

The vote by parliament means Channel 5 will show live broadcasts of all parliamentary sessions and hearings.

The parliament’s initial vote, in July, to make Channel 5 a parliamentary TV channel was vetoed by President Roza Otunbaeva for financial reasons.

Channel 5 used to be controlled by Maksim Bakiev, a son of President Kurmanbek Bakiev, who was ousted by antigovernment protests in April last year.

The interim government that came to power after Bakiev left the country decided to nationalize the company in May 2010.

According to the Kyrgyz Constitution, Otunbaeva must sign the law on transforming Channel 5 into a parliamentary channel within two weeks. If she does not do so, the parliament speaker has the right to endorse it with his signature.

http://www.rferl.org/content/kyrgyz_parliament_gets_own_tv_channel_despite_presidents_veto/24338296.

Dushanbe, 21 September 2011

The Tajik National Association of Independent Mass Media (NANSMIT), the Union of Journalists of Tajikistan (UJT) and the Tajik Media Alliance (MAT) apply to the media community seeking support for the well-know journalist Jumaboi Tolibov (Juma Tolib) who needs a serious medical treatment.
Juma Tolib has been a member of the Union of Journalists since 1984; he worked for an Ainy district printing outlet, was the founder of the Nuri Khalk weekly and wrote for many other periodicals.

In 2005, the law enforcement agencies persecuted the journalist for his publications in local newspapers where he criticized the government. In July 2005, he received a two-year term; due to efforts of lawyers and solidarity of his colleagues, in December 2005, Tolibov was released.

After the release from custody, Tolib continued his journalistic activities working for the Farazh weekly; he became the executive director of the Media Investigation Center and founded the Zarafshon Times news agency. He also headed the Linguistic Expertise Bureau and chief editor of the Paykon weekly. He is known as the author of numerous publications criticizing government officials and disclosing corruption.

Court trials and professional problems and the closure of the public organization, which was the founder of Paykon undermined the journalist’s health; at present, he is hospitalized and needs support of his colleagues and friends.

NANSMIT and UJT call upon the Tajik media community to help Juma Tolib. The fund raising is conducted by NANSMIT; the contact person is Ms. Aslibegim Manzarshoeva. Updates about the campaign will be posted on NANSMIT’s web site: www.nansmit.tj
Telephones: +992 907 767 239, +992 37 221 3 711; e-mail: asol.77@gmail.com

NANSMIT has opened a special account to mobilize funds and assit Juma Tolib:
NANSMIT
AMONATBONK, Dushanbe
Bank account: 20202972800479101000
BIK/MFO 350101626
Correspondent Account: 20402972316264
INN. 010012355
Assignment: assistance to Juma Tolib

www.nansmit