DUSHANBE, August 1, 2008, Asia-Plus — Monitoring carried out by the National Association of Independent Media of Tajikistan (Nansmit) during the second quarter of this year has revealed that the freedom of speech situation has not improved in the country
According to Abdufattoh Vohidov, the Nansmit monitoring service coordinator, over the second quarter (April-June), Nansmit’s monitoring of respect of the rights of journalists and the media has recorded 15 instances of direct violation of rights of journalists and media and five instances of conflicts and charge brought against journalists.
Besides, access to information of significance for society remains topical, despite the fact that the law on citizens’ access to information has been reported over the report period, the monitoring service coordinator said.
“Legal nihilism or obvious ignoring norms of laws and sub-law acts is to be observed in the sphere of information relations, while some officials have refused to provide or attempted to limit access to information, pleading various reasons,” Vohidov said, adding that some officials even have demanded permits by higher officials from journalists for getting information.
The monitoring service coordinator noted that there are also problems with access to some websites, including ferghana.ru and centrasia.ru.
