Tajikistan

The Tajik government should end its harassment of the political opposition ahead of its presidential elections on 6 November 2013.

Reporters Without Borders is relieved to learn that on 21 August 2013 Dodojon Atovulloyev, a well-known Tajik journalist and government opponent, was given permission to leave Tbilisi airport and fly back to Germany, where he has political refugee status.

Mahmadali Hayit, deputy head of the Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan (IRPT), was attacked on 19 April 2013 following preparations at the IRPT office for a large public event to mark the party’s founding.

Imruz News has been ordered to pay 50,000 somoni (US$10,500) for reporting that Russian authorities freed the son of a Tajik government official from jail in exchange for two Russian pilots being released from a Tajik prison.

Tajik authorities must lift their order blocking domestic access to at least three news websites that have reported critically about issues such as energy shortages, rising unemployment, and human rights abuses, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The order, which also applied to Facebook, is at least the fourth such ban since the beginning of 2012.

A Tajik court has decided to close a leading human rights organization in Tajikistan. The Association of Young Lawyers investigates torture and serves as an advocate for the rights of army conscripts and other vulnerable groups. It was shut down on what appear to be minor charges.

RSF is concerned over an announcement by the Tajikistan communications service that observers will be set up to monitor websites for libellous content.

The Russian news agency RIA-Novosti’s website has joined Asia-Plus, YouTube and a number of other sites recently filtered and blocked in Tajikistan.

The blocking of communications has taken place as dozens of deaths have been reported after troops were sent to the region to arrest those responsible for the murder of the local state security chief.

The state telecom chief blamed the problem on technical problems, but the local press obtained a copy of a government order to block access to the websites.

Dodojon Atovulloev is well-known for his critical views towards the Tajik authorities and the serious threats to which he has been subjected have led Germany to give him political refugee status.

The Sughd regional court upheld a decision by a lower court in Taboshar which found Ismoilov guilty of defamation, insult and inciting hatred, while sparing him the penalties originally imposed by the lower court.

The Supreme Court confirmed a three-year sentence imposed on Urinboy Usmonov by a lower court on 14 October for having contacts with the Islamist party Hizb-ut Tahrir.

CPJ is relieved by the release of Urinboy Usmonov and Makhmadyusuf Ismoilov, but condemns their convictions on extremism and insult, among other charges.

CPJ condemns the ongoing imprisonment of journalist Makhmadyusuf Ismoilov and is dismayed by prosecutors’ call for a hefty prison term on defamation and other charges.

A Sughd provincial court ordered Makhmadyusuf Ismoilov detained for the duration of the investigation, but there are continuing doubts about the court’s impartiality.