DUSHANBE, July 13, 2012, Asia-Plus — A public organization will be set up in Tajikistan to monitor online publications appearing on websites, Beg Zuhurov, head of the Communications Service under the Government of Tajikistan, said in an interview wit Asia-Plus.
According to him, the organization, which will be registered with the Ministry of Justice in the near future, will consist of volunteers, including local journalists. Zuhurov noted that the organization had nothing to do with the Tajik communications service agency.
Meanwhile, Avesta recently quoted Zuhurov as saying that the Communications Service has taken the lead in setting up an inspecting commission that will be engaged in reveling online publications of libelous and insulting content appearing on websites.
In an interview with Asia-Plus, Zuhurov explained that online publications materials using foul language and being critical of authorities were appearing on websites. “Volunteers will reveal these publications and their authors,” he said.
Zuhurov considers that such publications are sponsored by certain forces and their authors get the big money. He added that several such online publications of libelous content had already been revealed.
We will recall that Internet access to Tajikistan”s leading independent news agency Asia Plus was cut off for two days last month. In an interview with Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service, the Communications Service head Beg Zuhurov claimed “maintenance reasons” were behind the loss of access, while during a meeting with representatives of Asia-Plus, he said that access to the Asia-Plus website was blocked after it published some readers’ comments, which were seen by officials as being critical of authorities.
Earlier this year, Tajik officials blocked access to Facebook and several independent news agencies, citing “technical reasons.”
