WARSAW, September 27, 2011, Asia-Plus — The case of criminal persecutions against journalists have become more frequent in Tajikistan, Ms. Fayzinisso Vohidova, defense attorney from the Tajikistan Collegium of Advocates “Sipar,” noted at the session, Freedom of Expression, Media and Information, that is going in the framework of the annual OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw.
According to her, the fact that plaintiffs in lawsuits filed against journalists are officials means the restriction of rights of journalists to carry out their professional activity and leads to repression of freedom of speech in the country.
She noted that journalist Mahmadyusuf Ismoilov has been held in custody since November 23, 2010. Mr. Ismoilov is charged with inciting religious and racial hatred (article 189 of the criminal code), blackmail (Article 250), defamation (Article 135) and insult (Article 136) for what he wrote in various publications including the newspaper
Nouri Zindagi
about alleged corruption by local judicial and political officials.
Ms. Vohidova also termed as an example the case of the BBC correspondent Urunboy Usmonov accused of associating with banned Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir. The reporter denies the charges, saying any meetings he had with Hizb ut-Tahrir members were for purely journalistic purposes. He said he had interviewed some members of the banned group as part of his work reporting on the region, where Hizb ut-Tahrir is active.
“Only due to efforts taken by the BBC and the journalist community, as well as statements made by a number of diplomatic missions and media protection organizations, Usmonov was released on bail a month after his arrest pending the trial,” she noted.
For his part, Sodiq Shonazarov, the Senior Adviser to the President of Tajikistan fro Legal Matters, noted that freedom of speech was one of priorities of activities of the Government of Tajikistan. According to him, all necessary conditions have been created in the country for development of freedom speech. “We are ready to cooperate on any problem issues in this direction,” Shonazarov said.
“Only three lawsuits have been filed against journalist over the past six years,” noted Shonazarov. “Both public servants and journalists must respect law.”
Ms. Nargis Zokirova, the director of Tajikistan’s Bureau on Human Rights and Rule of Law (BHR), in her statement dwelled on the lawsuit filed against the
Asia-Plus
newspaper by Major-General Anvar Taghoymurodov, formerly head of the Interior Ministry organized crime control department (UBOP).
Anvar Taghoymurodov, who is now Deputy Minister of Interiors, in late January filed the defamation lawsuit in the court in Dushanbe’s Firdavsi district against the
Asia-Plus
newspaper, asking for 1 million somoni as compensation for moral damage caused by article published by the newspaper. The Interior Ministry high-ranking official, who filed the lawsuit as private citizen, claims that the article entitled “Investigation or Inquisition?” printed in the newspaper in December defames his honor and reputation. The article published in the December 21, 2010 edition of the newspaper told of the use of torture on some suspects by UBOP agents in Sughd province.
According to Ms. Zokirova, the fact that they accuse the journalist who raised this serious and pressing problem of having ties with terrorists is the cause for serous concern because thereby they intimidate the country’s journalists.
