DUSHANBE, February 27, 2009, Asia-Plus — Tajikistan, with a population of approximately seven million, is an authoritarian state, and political life is dominated by President Emomali Rahmon and his supporters, “2008 Human Rights Reports: Tajikistan” released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, the US Department of State, on February 25 said.
The report, in particular, notes that while the country”s constitution provides for a multiparty political system, in practice the government obstructed political pluralism.
The government”s human rights record remained poor, and corruption continued to hamper democratic and social reform.
The following human rights problems were reported: restricted right of citizens to change their government; torture and abuse of detainees and other persons by security forces; threats and abuse by security forces; impunity of security forces; lengthy pretrial detention; denial of right to fair trial; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; prohibited international monitor access to prisons; restricted freedom of speech, the press and media; restricted freedom of association; restrictions on freedom of religion, including freedom to worship; harassment of international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs); difficulties with registration and visas; violence and discrimination against women; trafficking in persons; and child labor.
The law provides for freedom of speech and of the press; however, in practice the government restricted these rights, according to the report. Authorities subjected individuals who disagreed with government policies to intimidation and discouraged them from speaking freely or critically. Under the law a person can be imprisoned for up to five years for insulting the president.
All newspapers and magazines whose circulations exceed 99 are subject to registration with the Ministry of Culture. There were 173 registered newspapers, none of which were dailies (major newspapers came out once per week). There were also 71 registered magazines and six news agencies. The government continued to control most printing presses and the supply of newsprint. During the year at least six new national newspapers began publishing.
Media organizations claimed that the new Law on Access to Information, which parliament passed in June, did not in fact give journalists greater access to official information. Release of the information required the consent of the top ministry and agency officials.
The independent media were active but, as in previous years, the government subjected the media to different means of control and intimidation; media outlets regularly practiced self-censorship out of fear of government reprisal.
There are four state-run television channels that broadcast throughout the country and four state-run television stations that broadcast regionally. There is one national and several regional state-run radio stations. Several independent television and radio stations are available in a very small portion of the country.
The government allowed some international media to operate freely, including rebroadcasts of Russian television and radio programs. However, the government continued to deny BBC a renewal of its license to broadcast on FM radio. Community radio stations continued to experience registration and licensing problems that prevented them from broadcasting.
The law provides criminal penalties for official corruption, but the government did not implement the law effectively. Officials frequently engaged in corrupt practices with impunity, and corruption and nepotism were pervasive at all levels of government. The ministries of interior and justice, the anticorruption agency and the prosecutor general”s office are responsible for investigating, arresting, and prosecuting corrupt officials. The government acknowledged a problem with corruption and took steps to combat it, including trying officials for taking bribes. The Prosecutor General’s office investigated some cases of corruption by government employees, but the bulk of these cases involved mid- or lower- level officials, and none involved large-scale abuses.
