The Uzbek state railroad company has sent a letter to Tajik authorities notifying them that it wants to close a 44-kilometer stretch of railroad connecting the two countries, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reports.

There are three separate rail links between the two countries.

Uzbekistan wants to close the southernmost, which runs from the Uzbek city of Termez to Tajikistan’s Khatlon Province. Officials say the route is not economically viable and their country can no longer afford to maintain it.

Tajik authorities agreed that the route is not profitable, but they object to its closure.

«We prefer to keep it open and will probably assume responsibility for its maintenance,» said Andrei Tropin, the deputy director of Tajikistan’s state railroad.

Tropin said he is does not understand why Uzbekistan wants to close the railway link at the same time that it blames the holdup of hundreds of freight cars bound for Tajikistan on the limited capacity of the railroad network.

Tajik officials say the so-called railroad war between the two countries broke out because of Uzbekistan’s opposition to Tajik plans to build the Roghun hydropower plant.

Tashkent fears that the plant will drastically reduce the amount of water into Uzbekistan and thus enable Dushanbe to exert leverage on the Uzbek government.

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

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Transitions Online

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Transitions Online

A rights organization says a Tajik citizen wanted by the Uzbek authorities for terrorism has been detained in southern Kazakhstan, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reports.

Vitaly Ponomarev of the Moscow-based human rights watchdog Memorial told RFE/RL on June 1 that Umarali Abdurakhmonov was detained in the town of Taraz on May 21.

Ponomarev said Memorial had learned of the detention from an associate of Abdurakhmonov who had traveled to Moscow and visited the rights group.

There’s been no official confirmation that Abdurakhmonov is in Kazakh custody.

But a lawyer representing Kazakhstan’s Bureau for Human Rights in Taraz told RFE/RL on June 1 that Abdurakhmonov is currently being held at the detention center in the Merke district of southern Zhambyl Oblast.

Ruslan Khalidov said Abdurakhmonov will be transferred to a detention center in Taraz on June 5. He added that Abdurakhmonov has officially asked for political asylum in Kazakhstan.

Abdurakhmonov is wanted in Uzbekistan for conspiracy and for his alleged participation in the activities of banned religious organizations.

The Uzbek authorities launched a search for Abdurakhmonov in March 2004 after terrorist acts in Tashkent that killed three people and injured over 20.

In September 2004, a court in Tashkent found 33 citizens of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan guilty of perpetrating the attacks and sentenced them to long terms in jail. An international search was announced for six more suspects, including Abdurakhmonov.

Ponomarev said that about two years ago, Abdurakhmonov applied for refugee status at the UN Office in Moscow but was refused.

He said that Abdurakhmonov could face torture and an unfair trial if extradited to Uzbekistan.

http://www.rferl.org/content/Tajik_National_Wanted_By_Uzbekistan_Detained_In_Kazakhstan/2060224.html

BISHKEK — About 50 Tajik students and members of Kyrgyzstan’s Tajik Association picketed the Uzbek Embassy in Bishkek today to demand the full resumption of rail traffic between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reports.

According to the protesters, hundreds of tons of humanitarian aid intended for the victims of recent landslides and floods in Tajikistan are held up at the Uzbek-Tajik border as the Uzbek authorities refuse to allow cross-border rail traffic.

The protesters handed a petition to an Uzbek Embassy official.

Uzbekistan has described the rail delays as technical, but Dushanbe has accused Tashkent of deliberately blocking the shipments.

http://www.rferl.org/content/Tajiks_In_Bishkek_Picket_Uzbek_Embassy_Demand_Resumption_Of_Rail_Traffi

TASHKENT — The prominent Uzbek sports journalist Khairulla Khamidov has been sentenced to six years in jail on charges of associating with a banned Islamic group, RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service reports.

The court in the town of Gulbakhor near Tashkent found Khamidov and 18 others guilty of being members of the extremist Islamic group Jihadchilar (Jihadists).

Khamidov’s co-defendants were given sentences ranging from suspended jail terms to six years in prison.

Khamidov, 34, was found guilty of «organizing and actively participating in a banned social or religious group» and «production and distribution of literature threatening social order and security.»

Khamidov is well known in Uzbekistan for his popular Islamic radio program, his work as a soccer commentator, and his poetry. His arrest in January sparked an unusually strong wave of protest in Uzbekistan.

http://www.rferl.org/content/Prominent_Uzbek_Sports_Journalist_Jailed_For_Religious_Extremism/205441

The Twelfth Central Asia Media Conference took place in Dushanbe on 25-26 May. It was hosted by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Ms. Dunja Milatovich.

The two-day event provided a forum for discussion on media developments and challenges that journalists face in the region, with a focus on issues related to access to information and new technologies, including the Internet. Agenda topics included international standards on access to information, Internet development and regulations and access to information in Central Asia.

International and regional experts, civil society representatives and academics took part in the event. The conference provided an opportunity to coordinate efforts to promote fulfillment of media freedom commitments made by 56 participating States of the OSCE, which include all five Central Asia countries.

NANSMIT

TOKYO (25 May 2010) — The Asian Development Bank Institute today opened the 2010 Developing Asia Journalism Awards (DAJA) competition with a call for submissions of articles by journalists working in developing Asia and the Pacific.
«The DAJA competition is a unique opportunity to highlight the significant contribution of journalism and individual journalists to the development process in Asia,» said Masahiro Kawai, Dean and CEO of the Asian Development Bank Institute, in opening the competition.
«Asian economies are changing rapidly,» he said. «By providing clear and well-informed news reporting and analysis journalists play an important role in every society by helping the public better understand the issues and events shaping their future.»
DAJA 2010 will focus on four themes expected to have long-term impacts on development trends in Asia and the Pacific: urbanization, environmental issues, rebalancing economic growth in the wake of the global financial crisis, and regional cooperation and integration.
In each area, the panel of international judges assessing submissions will give special focus to stories that investigate how these issues are impacting the lives of the poor — the 900 million Asians subsisting on less than $1.25 a day; the 1.8 billion living on less than $2 a day; and the hundreds of millions who do not have access to clean drinking water, adequate sanitation, or sufficient food to prevent malnutrition.
«The story of Asia is complex. In many areas there is rapid growth, impressive poverty reduction, and real improvements in standards of living. Elsewhere there remain tremendous needs and inequality. Asia has two faces, one shining and the other still dark,» said Mr. Kawai. «We hope the DAJA competition can explore this complexity through the work of journalists who are trying to understand and explain it better every day.»
Submission of articles will be accepted until 31 July 2010. The international panel of judges will review all submissions and select 20 finalists. Awards will be given in each theme category with special awards for «Development Journalist of the Year» and «Young Development Journalist of the Year» (under 30 years of age as of 31 July 2010).
Six cash prizes of $1,000 will be awarded to winning journalists in each of the four theme categories and each of the two special categories. All finalists will be invited to the Asian Development Bank Institute in Tokyo in November 2010 for a special forum focusing on journalism and development issues, and the DAJA Awards ceremony.
All articles must be submitted under one of the following four categories:
1. Life in the City
In 2008 the world reached a tipping point: For the first time, more than half of all humans—some 3.3 billion people—now live in urban centers. «By 2030, this is expected to swell to almost 5 billion,» according to a recent United Nations Population Fund report. «Many of the new urbanites will be poor. Their future, the future of cities in developing countries, the future of humanity itself, all depend very much on decisions made now in preparation for this growth.»
• This category will accept articles examining the changes and challenges facing Asian cities, and the way individuals, civil society, local and national governments, and others are responding.
2. Going Green?
An «essential beginning» or «desperately disappointing»? The 2009 Copenhagen Summit on climate change brought 110 world leaders and thousands of delegates from 193 countries together in December 2009 to chart a common response to the threat of global warming. It failed to reach a legally binding treaty. But it did push greenhouse gas emissions, expanding carbon footprints, melting glaciers, and other environmental issues to the center of national debates around the globe.
• This category will accept articles on environmental issues: How is the environment affecting people and places in your country? What is being done to contain or reverse the problems? What needs to be done in future?
3. New Growth Paths
A key element of the global economic crisis was a collapse of demand in developed markets such as Europe and the United States. Exports to these markets have long been a critical component of growth in many Asian economies. Economists do not expect this demand to return to pre-crisis levels anytime soon. This means Asia must find new sources of demand and growth. To achieve sustainable growth countries will need to reorient their economies to expand domestic demand and trade with other Asian markets. This will require challenging and potentially controversial adjustments in many areas: improving infrastructure, expanding investment, managing national debt, improving the business climate, and others.
• This category will accept articles on actions and approaches to reorient economies to the new post-crisis reality. What policies are governments adopting? What are the implications and expectations of these changes? How are the changes affecting various stakeholders? How are these stakeholders reacting?
4. The Shape of Asia to Come
There are many ideas of what the Asia of the future will look like. Some believe Asian nations should continue along a gradual and «natural» road toward integrating their economies, allowing «markets» to lead the way while governments follow by providing public goods (transport and communication links, energy networks, etc.) as needed. Others believe governments should take more of a lead in providing official institutions to accelerate economic integration. Some dream of a pan-Asian economic community leading perhaps to a European-style «Community» in Asia with its own parliament, central bank, bureaucracy and possibly a common currency.
• This category will accept entries on what the Asia of the future might look like, and how the vision of an integrating Asia looks from one country to another. How do people in these countries view the idea of cooperation with their neighbors across national borders with freer flows of trade and investment, liberalized migration of labor and people? Whom do they see as their natural partners in Asia and do they think politicians are doing enough to realize closer cross-border cooperation? How do they view the prospect of one day being able to travel freely across Asia (and on to Europe or the Middle East) by rail or road links? Is there a sense of «Asian identity» developing in individual countries of the region? What are the advantages — and possible drawbacks — of regional cooperation?
If you are interested in participating in the 2010 DAJA program, please register online. When you have registered, you will be sent instructions by email of how to login to your account to submit articles.
For information on competition rules and mechanics, as well as information on how to submit articles, journalists should visit the ADB Institute web site: ADBI Journalism Awards.

Asian Development Bank

QURGHON-TEPPA, Tajikistan — A Tajik court has sentenced 36 people to prison for being followers of the banned Islamic group Jamaat ut-Tabligh, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reports.

Judge Ikromjon Abdulhafizov, in the southern Khatlon Province, said the court had proven the guilt of the 36 accused. He said 17 of them who were kept in detention since their arrest last fall received sentences of between five and 6 and 1/2 years. Nineteen others who were released on bail after their arrest will be jailed for three years.

The trial was held behind closed doors.

Faridoon Boboev, who was 17-years old when he allegedly joined the banned group, was released after he paid a fine of 2,500 somoni ($570).

Abdulhafizov noted that three other alleged followers of Jamaat ut-Tabligh received suspended sentences because they agreed to pay a 25,000 somoni ($5,700) fine.

The youngest person sentenced is 18 and the oldest is 63-years old.

Saivali Navruzov, the lawyer for 12 of the defendants, said their guilt was not proven and that he will appeal the sentences.

Janob Ashurov, who represented Nosir Rahimov, said he will not appeal Rahimov’s 6 and 1/2 year prison term. Ashurov said the prosecution did not produce any witnesses and the prosecution’s case was based on statements by the accused, who he said were forced to incriminate each other.

Rahimov’s relative, Ibrohim Boev, said Rahimov pleaded guilty because he hoped if he did the court would only fine and release him.

Khatlon Province Prosecutor Abdurahim Rahimov said that anyone who acts outside the principles enshrined in Tajikistan’s Constitution is an extremist.

But the leader of the Islamic Renaissance Party in Khatlon, Qalandar Sadriddinov, said that Jamaat ut-Tabligh has not done anything that violates the constitution and the accused were only were promoting Islamic values.

This was the second collective trial of members of Jamaat ut-Tabligh in Tajikistan. Last year 56 alleged members of the banned group were sentenced either to varying terms of imprisonment or a milder administrative punishment.

Jamaat ut-Tabligh was banned in Tajikistan in 2006.

http://www.rferl.org/content/Tajik_Court_Sentences_36_For_Membership_In_Banned_Islamic_Group_/204722

DUSHANBE — Tajik industry and government officials say a government ban on mobile phone advertising in Dushanbe has been suspended, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reports.

Ghaffor Erkaev, head of the Association of Tajik Mobile Communication Companies, told RFE/RL on May 11 that Dushanbe officials have reversed their previous decision to remove advertisements for mobile phones from billboards in the Tajik capital.

Shuhrat Nematboev, the deputy head of Tajikistan’s State Committee on Investments, told RFE/RL that the decision by the Dushanbe Mayor’s Office to remove the billboards was hurting mobile phone companies’ business and had «spoiled their work environment.»

He said state lawyers are checking the legality of the billboard ban. Meanwhile, billboard advertisements for mobile phones are being restored in Dushanbe and the surrounding areas.

Erkaev said some officials misunderstood Tajik President Emomali Rahmon’s message when he spoke against the excessive use of mobile phones during his annual address to parliament last month. Rahmon said Tajikistan, with a population of 7 million, had 6 million mobile phone numbers.

He added that the annual profit of mobile companies is more than 1.4 billion somoni ($320 million), most of which, he said, goes to foreign companies. Rahmon also instructed Health Minister Nusratullo Salimov to start a television campaign explaining what Rahmon said was the «physical harm» mobile phones cause, especially to children.

Marina Rozhkina, a spokeswoman for the Russian-owned mobile phone company Bee-line, told RFE/RL in Dushanbe that mobile phone companies pay their taxes and have an active role in donating to charities and sponsoring sports teams.

Other major mobile phone operators in Tajikistan include the Tajik-American Babilon Mobile, Tajik-Russian company MLT, and Chinese-owned TK Mobile. The Indigo mobile phone company recently changed its name to TSL and sold 40 percent of its shares to the Agha Khan Foundation, with the rest being held by the Scandinavian company Telia Sonera.

Rahmon also criticized mobile phones during his annual address last year and told the Education Ministry to ban mobile phones from schools and universities.

http://www.rferl.org/content/Tajik_Officials_Reverse_Ban_Against_Mobile_Phone_Ads/2040338.html