Some of Kulyabi officials ignore the directives of the Tajik President obliging local authorities to hold press conference.

Among the ten districts of the Kulyabi administrative region, only Kulyab city and in Vose district authorities hold press conferences regularly. Very often, officials schedule press conferences on the very same days, for which they are criticized by journalists.

So far, very little is known about the final press conferences on economic and social outcomes in 2007 in Dangara, Muminabad, Shurabad, Khovaling, Farkhor, Timurmalik, and Baljuvan districts. Journalists complain that the authorities poorly inform the media about the planned press conferences and briefings.

For example, in October 2007, the author of this story was in a field trip visiting Farkhor district. He learned from his colleagues about a press conference to be held by the local administration on 24 October. When he came to the municipal office, he was told by public servants that they are not aware of the event. However, in the reports submitted to the province authorities, there was information about “a press conference held on that very day”.

Similar false information is included in the January reports from the district authorities in the Kulyab region. Allegedly, they “held” press conferences involving heads of main industrial and agricultural enterprises, but none of them attended any press conference.

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