DUSHANBE, November 27, 2009, Asia-Plus — Government’s degree obligating journalists to pay for information considerably restricts citizens’ access to information, Rahmatilo Zoirov, Tajik lawyer also the leader of the Social-Democratic Party (SDPT), said in an interview with Asia-Plus.
“This decree is in contrary to the country’s law on information,” Zoirov said, “Moreover, this decree will carry the country’s information access system, which has already been strongly bureaucratized, to the point of absurdity.”
According to him, the new information provision rules could create breeding ground for corruption among Tajik officials.
“What is the worst, the decree may apply to any information even that that had been previously been available,” said Zoirov, “Of course, paid information exists throughout the world, but it should not apply to the public information. Meanwhile, the government’s decree may make even information about environmental protection and human rights issues difficult of access, not to speak of rights of convicted persons.”
He is confident that new information provision rules may also cause a certain friction between the government bodies and media. “On the other hand, media will be forced to seek information about Tajikistan in information sources of other countries that will not be to Tajik officials’ credit.”
Adopted on October 31, the decree obligating journalists to pay for information obtained from officials was issued on November 19.
Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service reported on November 20 that according to the document, journalists must pay 25 somoni (about $4.50) for each page of printed text provided by an official institution or state agency. As of January 1, the cost will be increased to 35 somoni per page.
Juma Mirzo, editor in chief of the weekly “Nuri Zindagi,” told RFE/RL the decree could bankrupt all media outlets in Tajikistan.
Tajik presidential administration spokesman Mahmud Saraev rejected such criticism, saying the decree does not restrict access to information since it applies only to information requested in advance. He didn”t elaborate on that qualification, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service said. .
