Tajikistan with 33.31 scores is ranked 155th out of 180 countries and territories surveyed in the overall 2024 World Press Freedom Index.
Last year, Tajikistan with 39.06 scores was ranked 153rd among 180 countries and territories. Thus, the situation in the field of press freedom has worsened in Tajikistan over the past year.
The other Central Asian nations, with the exception of Turkmenistan, are higher than Tajikistan in the World Press Freedom Index ranking.
Kyrgyzstan with 49.11 scores is ranked 120th out of 180 countries and territories. It is followed by Kazakhstan (41.11 scores) – 142nd and Uzbekistan (37.27 scores) – 148th.
Turkmenistan with 22.01 scores is ranked 175th among 180 countries and territories.
Russia with 29.86 scores is ranked 182nd out of 180 countries and territories.
The latest annual World Press Freedom Index produced by Reporters without Borders (RSF) says press freedom around the world is being threatened by the very people who should be its guarantors – political authorities. This finding is reportedly based on the fact that, of the five indicators used to compile the ranking, it is the political indicator that has fallen most, registering a global average fall of 7.6 points.
The report notes that a growing number of governments and political authorities are not fulfilling their role as guarantors of the best possible environment for journalism and for the public's right to reliable, independent, and diverse news and information. RSF sees a worrying decline in support and respect for media autonomy and an increase in pressure from the state or other political actors.
At the international level, this year is reportedly notable for a clear lack of political will on the part of the international community to enforce the principles of protection of journalists, especially UN Security Council Resolution 2222. The war in Gaza has been marked by a record number of violations against journalists and the media since October 2023. More than 100 Palestinian reporters have been killed by the Israel Defense Forces, including at least 22 in the course of their work.
Some political groups fuel hatred and distrust of journalists by insulting them, discrediting them, and threatening them. Others are orchestrating a takeover of the media ecosystem, whether through state-owned media under their control, or privately owned media via acquisitions by allied businessmen.
In Central Asia, media censorship has reportedly intensified in a spectacular mimicry of Russian repressive methods, especially in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
