STATEMENT

Of the National Association of Independent Mass Media of Tajikistan and the Union of Journalists of Tajikistan regarding persecution of the journalist Tursunali Aliev for his criticism of the authorities.

The National Association of Independent Mass Media of Tajikistan and the Union of Journalists of Tajikistan express their concern about persecution of Tursunali Aliev for his criticism of the authorities. The two organizations are concerned about the fact that journalists become subject to persecution for their professional activities when they try to protect interests of citizens, the society and the State.

On 9 August 2008 the Sughd province prosecutor’s office filed a case against Tursunali Aliev on Article 135, Part 3 (libel) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Tajikistan. The grounds for initiation of the criminal case was an article titled “Shame on chairman”, published on 12 September 2007 by the “Tong” weekly. Tursunali Aliev has been working in the media for more than forty years; he is a member of the Union of Journalists of Tajikistan.

In his feuilleton the author discloses facts of wrongful activities of the authorities in Jabborrassoulov district of Sughd province. After the publication, Ayub Ochilov, chairman of the district was dismissed from his post. The prosecutor’s office initiated a criminal case against the chairman’s deputy, N. Rakhmatov.

Along with that, a year ago, after the publication, the law enforcement agencies undertook attempts to bring Aliev to responsibility, although the journalists was trying to reveal the truth and was protecting the interests of the State and the society. The prosecutor’s office did not initiate the case against the author in view of the absence of corpus delicti.

regardless of this fact, a year later, the Sughd province prosecutor’s office got back to this issue saying that the previous decision was “ungrounded”, and initiated a new case against the journalist.

Legal experts interpret the actions of the Sughd province legal enforcement agencies as deliberate persecution of Mr. Aliev. These actions serve to the interests of certain high-ranked officials and are seen as intimidation of journalists.

The National Association of Independent Media of Tajikistan (NANSMIT) and the Union of Journalists of Tajikistan require an objective approach to the investigation of the criminal case in order to avoid personal and corporative ambitions and to ensure the supremacy of the rule of law.

Akbarali Sattorov,
Chairman of the Union of Journalists of Tajikistan

Nuriddin Karshiboyev,
Chairman of NANSMIT

NANSMIT