DUSHANBE, November 8, 2010, Asia-Plus — The Tajik-language political weekly
Farazh
has been published after a three-week hiatus as a joint publication with the Russian-language weekly
Fakty i Kommentarii
, RFE/RL”s Tajik Service reported on November 6.
Fakty i Kommentarii
devoted eight pages of its November 4 edition, which appeared in a print-run of 4,000, to the latest edition of
Farazh
.
Farazh
and two other independent weeklies,
Paykon
and
Nigoh
, were effectively closed down in early October after being deprived of access to printing houses, reportedly on orders from government officials displeased by their allegedly “aggressive” coverage of military operations in the eastern Rasht Valley.
Paykon
chief editor Jumaboy Tolibov told RFE/RL his newspaper is not looking for such an alternative like the one used by
Farazh
, but will wait for a permanent solution.
Nigoh
chief editor Saymudin Dustov said some 240 journalists have signed a petition asking President Emomali Rahmon to intervene and allow newspapers to resume normal publication.
Union of Journalists of Tajikistan head Akbar Sattor told RFE/RL that one newspaper cannot permanently be the “guest” of another, and
Farazh
should continue to look for a permanent solution to its problems.
Another Tajik media expert, Mukhtor Boqizoda, stressed that while
Fakty i Kommentarii
showed commendable journalistic solidarity by hosting another newspaper, it cannot do so on a permanent basis as each newspaper has its own readership.
