The New York-based media rights watchdog has called on Tajik President Emomali Rahmon to take immediate steps to ensure journalists can report the news freely and safely and that the public can access independent sources of information ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for next year.
In an October 25 letter addressed to President Emomali Rahmon, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) voiced serious concern about media censorship, threats to journalists, and administrative obstacles they face in acquiring accreditation.
“Recently, CPJ learned that nine journalists and support staff for the Tajik-language service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), known locally as Radio Ozodi, are currently prevented from working because they have not been credentialed by the Foreign Ministry. Three are new hires and six require renewals. This includes Radio Ozodi’s bureau chief in Dushanbe and one journalist who has been waiting for renewal since 2017. In addition, the credentials for nine journalists are at risk of not being renewed after they expire on November 1, 2019,” says the letter, signed by CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon.
The CPJ also expressed concern regarding access to independent news in the country, particularly the continued inaccessibility of the website of the independent news agency Asia Plus, which provides important news and information on Tajikistan to both international and domestic audiences. “As the Information Technology Center is the domain name registrar in your country and is under your administration, we urge you to ensure this incident is investigated and the website is brought back online at its original domain address,” the letter says.
It added that with parliamentary and presidential elections slated for 2020, it is imperative that the Tajik authorities respect international standards of press freedom by ensuring that journalists can work freely and safely and citizens can make informed choices about politics.
“We strongly urge you to ensure that journalists can obtain accreditation and that access to non-state media and independent news and information is not obstructed in Tajikistan,” the letter concludes.
