(JuHI/IFEX) – According to several sources, including JuHI’s Tashkent-based partner organisation, Ozod Ovoz (Free Voice), two journalists were recently dismissed from Uzbekistan state television (UzTV). Ahmadjon Ibrahimov, a senior producer of the programme “Siyosat” (Politics), lost his job on 6 May 2003. Ilmira Hasanova, producer of the talk show “Talking Briefly…”, was then dismissed on […]
(JuHI/IFEX) – According to several sources, including JuHI’s Tashkent-based partner organisation, Ozod Ovoz (Free Voice), two journalists were recently dismissed from Uzbekistan state television (UzTV).
Ahmadjon Ibrahimov, a senior producer of the programme “Siyosat” (Politics), lost his job on 6 May 2003. Ilmira Hasanova, producer of the talk show “Talking Briefly…”, was then dismissed on 24 May for trying to defend her colleague’s rights.
Ibrahimov was dismissed following the live broadcast of the opening of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s (EBRD) annual meeting on 4 May. The broadcast included images of Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov removing his translation headphones and covering his ears with his hands in response to criticism during the address by EBRD management.
On 6 May, Ibrahimov was forced to write an appeal to be dismissed “voluntarily”. On 20 May, representatives of the Tashkent-based Human Rights Society picketed the UzTV building to protest the move against Ibrahimov. Hasanova joined the picketers and sharply criticised UzTV’s management. She was later also “asked” to write a request for dismissal. However, she refused to do so.
Hasanova told Ozod Ovoz that she learned about her dismissal on the morning of 24 May, when, as usual, she came in to work. At the entrance to UzTV’s premises, militiamen took her identity card and pass. “Militiamen told me that they were compelled to withdraw my ID and the check pass, on the order of UzTV’s top management,” Hasanova told Ozod Ovoz. She added that the militiamen who confiscated her documents told her that she was dismissed from work and that from now she would be forbidden to enter UzTV’s premises. “I expected that the pressures which had started against me would end with dismissal,” said Hasanova.
Azer H. Hasret, JuHI’s foreign relations officer, condemned the dismissals and said, “we cannot close our eyes to the gross violation of our colleagues’ rights. We wish to add our voice to that of Ozod Ovoz, our partner organisation in Uzbekistan, in raising concern about this kind of incident. We condemn the behaviour of UzTV management.”
BACKGROUND:
Uzbekistan is one of the most repressive countries in Central Asia and needs more attention from the world press freedom community, according to JuHI. The organisation would like to draw the attention of international organisations to the fact that Uzbekistan has no independent mass media outlets, even though the Constitution guarantees press freedom.
