Reporters Without Borders (RSF) urges on Tajik authorities to release four independent journalists who have been critical of the government.
A statement released by RSF on July 27notes that four independent journalists – Avazmat Ghurbatov (better known by the pseudonym of Abdullo Gurbati), Daler Imomali, Zavqibek Saidamini and Abdusattor Pirmuhammadzoda — are currently being held in Tajikistan on spurious charges of links with extremist organizations. Reporters Without Borders condemns the use of such methods to intimidate the media.
“As a result of the increase in censorship and defamatory practices towards the media, journalists risks imprisonment after every investigative story,” said Jeanne Cavelier, the head of RSF’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk. “The Tajik authorities must stop using spurious accusations to silence reporters critical of the government, and must release those they have detained.”
Abdullo Ghurbati and Daler Imomali have been held for more than six weeks and Zavqibek Saidamini and Abdusattor Pirmuhammadzoda who used to work with them were arrested earlier this month after publicly supporting them.
Recall, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) released a statement on July 14 noting that Tajik authorities should immediately provide information on the whereabouts of journalist Zavqibek Saidamini and blogger Abdusattor Pirmuhammadzoda and ensure they are released from custody at once.
The statement says that according to multiple reports by Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service, plainclothes law enforcement officers detained Saidamini in Dushanbe on the evening of July 8.
The officers reportedly took Saidamini to the Interior Ministry’s Organized Crime Control Department (OCCD) in the Vahdat Township, and the journalist has not been seen or heard from since.
On July 9, OCCD officers in Vahdat summoned Pirmuhammadzoda in a follow-up from a previous session of questioning; he responded to their summons and also has not been seen since, according to reports by RFE/RL’ Tajik Service and the journalist’s brother, Abdukarim Pirmuhammadzoda, who reportedly spoke to CPJ by messaging app.
An OCCD officer told Pirmuhammadzoda’s family that he was placed under arrest for 10 days without telling them why, the journalist’s brother said, adding that the Dushanbe police denied that the journalist had been arrested.
According to the statement, Saidamini publishes commentary and reporting on his YouTube channels, which have a total of about 15,000 subscribers. His recent videos reportedly cover topics including border conflicts with Kyrgyzstan, religion, and allegations of unlawful military drafting practices.
Pirmuhammadzoda publishes his personal views on free speech and alleged government injustices on his YouTube channel, where he has about 39,000 subscribers, says the statement.
“Tajik authorities’ failure to provide information on the whereabouts of Zavqibek Saidamini and Abdusattor Pirmuhammadzoda is wholly unacceptable and a further sign of their blatant disregard for the law while attempting to stifle discussion of inconvenient topics,” Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, said in a July 14 statement. “Authorities should immediately disclose Saidamini and Pirmuhammadzoda’s whereabouts and release them without delay.”
Saidamini reportedly worked as an editor and presenter at the state broadcaster Tajikistan Television until 2019, when he quit as he felt unable to report freely, Abdumalik Qodirov, secretary-general of the independent advocacy group Media Alliance of Tajikistan, told CPJ by messaging app.
Pirmuhammadzoda worked at the state-owned radio station Sadoi Dushanbe (Voice of Dushanbe) until 2019, when he quit after being given the choice between moderating his critical reporting and resigning, his brother said.
Abdullo Ghurbati and Daler Imomali were reportedly arrested on June 15 after investigating the arbitrary demolition of homes in Dushanbe, which had been ordered by the government. Ghurbati was charged with “violence against a representative of the authorities” while Imomali was accused of “illegal business activities” with his YouTube channel and "false denunciation.”
After a long silence about the grounds for Ghurbati’s detention, the authorities finally announced on July 19 that he was accused of membership of an extremist group and collaborating with it – charges punishable by up to eight years in prison. The same charges – along with others – had been brought against Imomali a few weeks earlier, but the case was classified as confidential, blocking the release of information about his detention.
RSF notes that the strategy employed by the authorities with Ghurbati and Imomali is often used by the Tajik authorities to silence journalists. The journalists are initially arrested on relatively “minor” charges but, before they can be released, much more serious charges are announced.
“The authorities are trying to establish total control over public opinion in the country,” Nouriddin Qarshiboyev, the head of the National Association of Independent Mass Media in Tajikistan (NANSMIT), was cited as saying by RSF. “But there is no guarantee that the authorities will benefit from doing this. These actions will result in a negative reaction from the international community and will ultimately have a very bad effect on Tajikistan’s image.”
Ranked 152nd out of 180 countries in RSF's 2022 World Press Freedom Index, Tajikistan has fallen 36 places in the index since 2015.
