DUSHANBE, January 27, 2012, Asia-Plus — The Press Freedom Index 2011/2012 compiled and published by Reporters Without Borders has ranked Tajikistan 122nd among 179 countries in terms of press freedom.
The survey, in particular, reports that it was a bad year in Tajikistan, where the authorities continue to brandish the specter of civil war and radical Islamism to try to gag the independent media.
It is to be noted that Tajikistan has fallen seven places to 122nd. In 2010, Tajikistan with 34.50 scores was ranked 115th among 178 countries.
Reporters Without Borders (RWB) says this year’s index sees many changes in the rankings, changes that reflect a year that was incredibly rich in developments, especially in the Arab world. “Many media paid dearly for their coverage of democratic aspirations or opposition movements. Control of news and information continued to tempt governments and to be a question of survival for totalitarian and repressive regimes. The past year also highlighted the leading role played by netizens in producing and disseminating news.”
The same trio of countries, Eritrea, Turkmenistan and North Korea, absolute dictatorships that permit no civil liberties, again occupy the last three places in the index. This year, they are immediately preceded at the bottom by Syria, Iran, China, Bahrain and Vietnam.
This year’s index finds the same group of countries at its head, countries such as Finland, Norway and the Netherlands that respect basic freedoms.
The Press Freedom Index is an annual ranking of countries compiled and published by Reporters Without Borders based upon the organization”s assessment of their press freedom records.
The report is based on a questionnaire sent to partner organizations of RWB (14 freedom of expression groups in five continents) and its 130 correspondents around the world, as well as to journalists, researchers, jurists and human rights activists.
The survey asks questions about direct attacks on journalists and the media as well as other indirect sources of pressure against the free press.
