KULOB, Tajikistan — The sons of two prominent Tajik journalists say police in the southern city of Kulob have detained and beat them, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reports.

Ibrohim Ahmad’s son Siyavush and Asliddin Dostiev’s son Bobojon were detained by traffic police at around 11 p.m. on June 7 along with some 100 fans of the local Ravshan soccer club, which had just won a match against Dushanbe’s Energetik team.

Officials say the young fans did not cause a public disturbance while celebrating their team’s victory. But the two say they were beaten while in police custody.

Ahmad and Dostiev say they were held at the police station for several hours and the police were very rude; insulting and beating them. They say they both sustained injuries.

The men underwent a medical examination on June 8 which revealed numerous bruises and other injuries on their bodies. They have filed a lawsuit against the police.

Asliddin Dostiev told RFE/RL that the police action is connected with his professional activities. He said he and his colleague, Ahmad Ibrohim, have been writing articles criticizing local police and traffic inspection police for some time.

«When the police found out that the guys were our children, they did what they did while we were out of town,» Dostiev told RFE/RL.

Kulob city traffic inspection police head Saimumin Hasanov told RFE/RL that the incident is being investigated.

He said traffic police had been patrolling the streets of Kulob during the night of June 7 «to preserve order.»

http://www.rferl.org/content/sons_of_tajik_journalists_claim_police_beat_them/24228505.html

DUSHANBE — Workers renovating the Tajik parliament building were surprised to find four Soviet-era busts — including one of Josef Stalin — stashed away in a hidden room, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reports.

Communist Party of Tajikistan chairman and parliament deputy Shodi Shabdolov told RFE/RL that workers removed a wall while renovating the interior of the building today and found a small secret room containing the busts of Stalin, Vladimir Lenin, Karl Marx, and Friedrich Engels.

Shabdolov said Stalin’s bust must have been hidden there after then-Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) Politburo General-Secretary Nikita Khrushchev’s denunciation of Stalin’s personality cult in February 1956.

As for the other three busts, they must have been removed from public view and hidden in the early 1990s, Shabdolov said.

The parliament building previously housed the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic’s Supreme Soviet.

Shabdolov said Shukurjon Zuhurov, speaker of the lower chamber of parliament, has agreed that the busts of Marx, Engels, and Lenin will be placed in Shabdolov’s office in the parliament building.

The bust of Stalin weighs 400 kilograms and is therefore difficult to move, but Shabdolov undertook to find a suitable location and have it transported there.

http://www.rferl.org/content/soviet_era_busts_found_in_tajik_parliament_builsing/24227671.html

MOSCOW/PRAGUE — A prominent Russian human rights activist of Uzbek origin has been attacked and beaten in his Moscow apartment block, RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service reports.

Bakhrom Hamroev, who works for the Moscow-based human rights organization Memorial, was hospitalized after the June 6 attack and Moscow police have launched an investigation into the incident.

Hamroev told RFE/RL by phone that the attack appears to have been planned. He said when he entered his apartment block at around 8 p.m. local time, he saw a man in the corridor who immediately started talking into a cell phone.

«I pressed the button to call the elevator to go up to my apartment on the fifth floor and I saw that the elevator was at that moment on the sixth floor. When the elevator came, a man came out and attacked me,» Hamroev said. He said the man in the corridor also assaulted him and the two sprayed him with pepper spray.

Hamroev said he was scheduled to fly that night to the northwestern city of Murmansk. He planned to meet there with Yusuf Kosimokhunov, an Uzbek who is due to be released from a local jail on June 9 after serving a sentence of several years for his membership of the banned Islamic organization Hizb ut-Tahrir.

Hamroev said the Russian authorities plan to extradite Kosimokhunov to Uzbekistan instead of releasing him from jail.

The incident marks the second time Hamroev has been assaulted in the last six months. Police failed to apprehend those responsible for the earlier attack in December.

Hamroev’s colleague at Memorial, Vitaly Ponomarev, told RFE/RL he believes both attacks were connected with Hamroev’s human rights activities.

Hamroev is a Russian citizen.

http://www.rferl.org/content/prominent_human_rights_activist_beaten_in_moscow/24227244.html

Date:23/05/11
Committee of Concerned Journalists
Location:United StatesSee map: Google Maps

Mid-career journalists from outside the U.S. can apply for a residency program in Washington, D.C.

The Journalists-In-Residence Program, sponsored by the Committee of Concerned Journalists (CCJ), gives participants the opportunity to conduct reporting in the U.S. and gain perspective on American politics, business, culture and media.

Journalists will have access to office space at the National Press Club building, visits to major newspaper, TV and online newsrooms and one-on-one meetings with important American journalists.

The program costs US$750 per week for a single reporter and US$1,200 per week for two or more journalists from a single organization. All participants must be proficient in English and be able to cover their own airfare, accommodation and living costs.

For more information, click here: http://www.concernedjournalists.org/journalistsinresidence-program

http://ijnet.org/opportunities/us-residency-program-international-journalists-worldwide

Journalists interested in furthering their study of religion can apply for a scholarship.

The Lilly Scholarships in Religion from the Religion Newswriters Association are offered to full-time journalists, including freelancers, in the news media. Journalists in any position or beat are eligible.

Scholarships are valid for accredited theology schools, university-related divinity schools, or college/university departments of religion/philosophy and can be used for traditional courses, shorter intensive courses or distance-learning courses.

Scholarships are awarded as stipends of up to US$5,000 each. They may cover tuition, books, application fees, registration fees, lab fees, child care, activity fees and other expenses related to the course.

The RNA does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability or other protected characteristic as established by law.

Applications are reviewed quarterly (April 1, July 1, Oct. 1 and Jan. 1).

For more information, click here: http://www.rna.org/?page=lilly_application#guidelines

http://ijnet.org/opportunities/scholarships-journalists-study-religion-offered-worldwide

Dushanbe, Tajikistan, May 31, 2011 – The U.S. Government through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) marked the publication of a tri-lingual English-Russian-Tajik dictionary of intellectual property rights (IPR) terminology with a ceremony attended by representatives of the Ministries of Culture and of Economic Development and Trade, the Patent Center, international organizations, business associations, and students.

This dictionary, which was funded through USAID’s Regional Trade Liberalization and Customs project, also contains a comprehensive introduction to intellectual property, copyright, and industrial property rights, and will provide crucial support to the Government of Tajikistan, academia, and other professionals as they increase their knowledge of these legal issues. The tri-lingual IPR dictionary is part of the U.S. Government’s ongoing support for Tajikistan’s efforts to bring its domestic legislation into compliance with internationally recognized standards in its bid to accede to the World Trade Organization.

The principal author of the IPR dictionary Mr. Inom Takhirov, played a key role in developing Tajikistan’s system of IPR protection as Director of the National Center for Patents and Information. “The role of intellectual property in effective foreign direct investments and technology transfer is bigger than ever,” Mr. Takhirov noted, during the presentation ceremony. “As a member of the world community, Tajikistan must join with other countries in an effort to provide global protection of intellectual property rights.”

USAID’s Regional Trade Liberalization and Customs Project is one of the many development projects made possible by the American people through USAID. Since 1992, the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe has provided more than $984 million in programs that support Tajikistan’s democratic institutions, health care, education, and economic growth.

For more information about USAID programs, please visit our website at: http://centralasia.usaid.gov/page.php?page=article-3

http://centralasia.usaid.gov/page.php?page=article-3

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Office of the Spokesman

May 25, 2011

MEDIA NOTE

Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

On June 1 the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) will launch a new J-1 Visa Exchange Visitor Program website.

The J-1 Exchange Visitor Program is a work and study exchange program created to further mutual understanding between the people of the United States and people of other countries. More than 350,000 J-1 visa visitors come to the United States each year, including high school and university students, researchers, physicians, and summer work travelers.

The new site (http://j1visa.state.gov) will greatly improve the online application experience. Everything potential applicants need to know, from how to participate in a program to what the program is like can be found on the new site.

The look and navigation of the new site reflects state-of-the-art web design and plain-language instructions on how to participate in the Exchange Visitor Program. The site features descriptions of each Exchange Visitor program category, so that individuals can find which category is right for them, and testimonials from exchange participants. The site also provides clear instructions on how to apply. Videos and interactive content have been developed to extend the site’s reach into social media. It will give users a faster, easier, and more efficient web experience.

The site is designed to perform well in either low or high bandwidth environments. The site also features an interactive map of the United States for individuals interested in finding out, state by state, how many participants and sponsors are involved in the Exchange Visitor Program.

The new site reflects the Department of State’s commitment to a revitalized Web presence that connects international audiences with the information they need to take part in valuable cultural exchanges, and is the first step in a comprehensive re-design of ECA’s web presence aimed at organizing websites according to how users access ECA information. ECA’s existing J-1 Visa Exchange Visitor Program website receives the highest volume of user traffic and represents the most popular search item on the ECA website.

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/iipdigital-en/index.html)

http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/iipdigital-en/index.html)

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

Workshop “Youth in the 21st Century: Debating and Producing Media”

This is a regional series of workshops that will be held during the summer and early autumn of 2011 for young people throughout the world. These workshops teach youth to be effective producers of media information by equipping them to produce and package content towards creating a better society.

The purpose of Youth in the 21st Century: Debating and Producing Media is for youth to come together with others from their country and region to learn about issues within their society, debate them, and produce media projects about the relationship between media and society.

Participants will debate issues relating to how the media and youth do and should interact as well as what role this relationship plays in society at large. To provide a background for debates, participants will conduct research and have the chance to interact with local, regional and international experts in the journalism field. Finally, participants will improve their skills in actually producing new media by learning from instructors and making their own media projects.

Youth in the 21st Century: Debating and Producing Media is planning to hold a 12-day long camp this summer and is inviting young people aged 17 to 25 to be participants.

Dates: July 7th – July 20th, 2011

Venue: Talisman Village Hotel, Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan

Language of instruction: English (translation from English WILL NOT be provided)

We invite young people from Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to apply.

All costs associated with participation in a workshop (travel, visa, accommodation and meals) will be covered by organizers.

Application forms (Word format) are available at http://www.scribd.com/doc/56013818

Completer applications must be sent to workshop4youth@gmail.com

Deadline for submission of applications: Sunday, June 12, 2011 by midnight.

Contact Information:

workshop4youth@gmail.com

http://www.scribd.com/doc/56013818

United States Mission to the OSCE

As delivered by Chargé d’Affaires, a. i. Carol Fuller

to the Permanent Council, Vienna

May 26, 2011

In February of this year, the United States addressed in the Permanent Council concerns over the state of media freedom in several OSCE participating states. Today, I would like to focus on a particular facet of freedom of the media that is being questioned by some participating States within the OSCE: freedom of expression via the Internet. All OSCE participating States have committed themselves to the exercise of all human rights and fundamental freedoms enshrined in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Helsinki Final Act. These same universal rights and freedoms, including freedom of expression, extend into the Digital Age and we must protect their exercise via the Internet, social media and mobile phones.

As Secretary of State Clinton has said, the United States supports a free and open Internet whereby all Internet users are free to express themselves and have equal access to knowledge and ideas. Under the UN Universal Declaration and the Helsinki Final Act, all people have the right «to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.»

The Internet has provided a vast public space where users can access local and international news, academic publications, and political opinions; can communicate their own ideas and beliefs; and can form associations and movements. The free flow of information over the internet and action based on that information has become a cornerstone of civil society in the 21st century and an important source of political and cultural pluralism. We have witnessed time and again, particularly in the events in North Africa in recent months, how digital technologies enable individual citizens to organize and to demand better governance. The ability to exercise fundamental freedoms of expression, association and assembly over digital technologies can also improve the economic situation of individuals and states by helping to generate new ideas and encouraging creativity and entrepreneurship. Unfortunately, even within the OSCE, we all too frequently see laws and practices that stifle the free flow of information and the individual’s freedom of expression online in a manner that is inconsistent with international law.

We note the concerns stated by OSCE Representative on the Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatovic on May 17 over new internet restrictions that have been announced in Turkey. The government of Turkey plans to introduce a filtering system for Internet users that will not allow anyone to remain outside the system. It is also refusing to issue Internet domain names that contain 138 words like «sister-in-law» and «blond». While we understand these restrictions are allegedly designed to protect children from harmful content on the internet, RFOM Mijatovic correctly states that effectively banning words «in an attempt to eliminate undesirable content from the Internet cannot succeed.» Internet filtering may, in fact, facilitate the suppression of the freedom of expression more than restrictive national laws ever could.

Belarus has used multiple tactics to limit Internet freedom, such as restricting access to certain websites, the compulsory registration of domestic websites, and the collection of personal data of Internet users. The United States is also troubled by reports of Internet censorship in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan that restricts the online activities of the members of political opposition and some religious groups.

Several other OSCE states have taken steps to regulate content on the Internet through law. Content regulation on the Internet, for technical reasons, cannot mirror that of other forms of media. Thus, we all should be mindful that restrictions on freedom of expression over the internet are like all restrictions on freedom of expression and must be in accordance with international law, permitted in only the narrowest class of cases.

We have all agreed, most notably in PC Decision 633, that «Participating States should take action to ensure that the Internet remains an open and public forum for freedom of opinion and expression, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and to foster access to the Internet both in homes and in schools.» Efforts to erect electronic barriers to information networks, to expunge words, names, and phrases from search engine results, may contravene our commitments to the freedom of expression, which apply equally to the Internet. We urge all participating States to recognize the right of all individuals to freedom of expression on the Internet.

Thank you Mr. Chairman.

http://dushanbe.usembassy.gov/

Date:28/08/11 — 24/06/12
Deadline:15/06/11
International Academy of Journalism
Location:GermanySee map: Google Maps

Journalists interested in digital training can apply for a fellowship in Germany.

The Intajour Fellowship Programme, sponsored by the International Academy of Journalism, offers ten months of in-person and online classes around the theme “Journalism in the Digital World.” The program starts August, 2011.

Fellows will attend sessions in Hamburg, Cologne and Berlin and participate in lectures, practical group work and discussions. The online training phase of the program requires a commitment of seven hours per week.

The program is aimed at professional journalists from countries where there is a shortage of training of this kind. It will be conducted in English.

Fellows will receive a stipend to cover course fees, accommodation, meals and international travel costs.

For more information, click here:

http://www.intajour.com/bertelsmann_corp/wms41/intajour/index.php?ci=925&language=2