(RSF/IFEX) – In a 1 February 2002 letter to Uzbek Public Prosecutor Kadyrov Rachid Hamidovich and Minister of the Interior Kokir Almatov, RSF protested the acts of aggression carried out by police against Ruslan Sharipov, a correspondent for the Russian news agency Prima and president of the Independent Journalists Association of Uzbekistan. “We denounce the […]
(RSF/IFEX) – In a 1 February 2002 letter to Uzbek Public Prosecutor Kadyrov Rachid Hamidovich and Minister of the Interior Kokir Almatov, RSF protested the acts of aggression carried out by police against Ruslan Sharipov, a correspondent for the Russian news agency Prima and president of the Independent Journalists Association of Uzbekistan. “We denounce the obvious attempt to intimidate this opposition journalist. We wish to recall that in no way does the fight against terrorism justify the brutal repression of any independent news,” declared Robert Ménard, the organisation’s secretary-general. “We ask you to investigate this attack and keep us informed of the investigation’s upcome,” added Ménard.
According to information gathered by RSF, Sharipov, a correspondent for the Russian news agency Prima, president of the Independent Journalists Association of Uzbekistan and Internet site moderator, was attacked on the night of 30 January in Tachkent by two security forces officers. The two secret service officers, who introduced themselves to the journalist as senior officers from the criminal police force, attacked and dragged the journalist to a car identified as a Nexia with licence plate number X8110. They then proceeded to hit him and immobilise him before forcing him into the car. Several witnesses were present at the scene. One of the officers asked: “Are you not afraid to write articles in Uzbekistan?” After several threats, the officers set him free, apologising for having detained him for no reason and without a legal warrant. Sharipov and the Prima news agency’s editorial staff committee believe that the attack is linked to a recently published article by the journalist concerning the 27 January referendum on the extension of President Islam Karimov’s presidential mandate.
Sharipov and members of his family were previously subjected to pressure from the authorities in 2001. On 12 July, he was chased by security service (NSS) agents while on his way to the Tachkent court, where he was going to cover a trial. His assailants were about to start hitting him when passers-by intervened. The journalist managed to take refuge at the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) local headquarters (see IFEX alert of 19 July 2001). In late August, he published a series of articles denouncing the repression of Muslims in the country and was also investigating the suspicious deaths of a number of political opponents. On 31 August, he was taken in for questioning by NSS agents who accused him of being involved with a terrorist group. Following these incidents, in an open letter to the Uzbek president, Sharipov asked that the security services stop tailing him, called for an end to pressure on his family, and asked that he be allowed to pursue his professional activities as an independent journalist.
