(Adil Soz/IFEX) – Djamshid Karimov, a reporter with the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR), was attacked by two unidentified men on the porch of his house in the early morning hours of 21 December 2004. He was knocked to the ground and kicked. The journalist was taken to Djizak hospital for treatment of […]
(Adil Soz/IFEX) – Djamshid Karimov, a reporter with the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR), was attacked by two unidentified men on the porch of his house in the early morning hours of 21 December 2004. He was knocked to the ground and kicked. The journalist was taken to Djizak hospital for treatment of his injuries.
Karimov is a Russian-speaking journalist and President Islam Karimov’s nephew. He has been critical of the president’s policies and the conditions under which the media operate in Uzbekistan. As such, he has maintained ties with independent media outlets. Karimov has previously been persecuted for writing articles for the IWPR.
In September, along with his colleagues Jusuf Rasulov and Ulugbek Haidarov, Karimov covered issues regarding problems faced by farmers. He has also reported on human rights and social issues, as well as other matters relating to local authorities. These types of stories are not usually covered by other media outlets in Uzbekistan. At the time of the assault, Karimov was collecting information about the harassment of independent media outlets by the National Association of Electronic Media Outlets.
Karimov has worked for the IWPR in the Djizak region for over a year. His colleagues say he has received several threats from the local administration and law enforcement agencies. Several days prior to the assault, Karimov was offered the position of press secretary for the Djizak regional hokimiyat (local government).
Djizak law enforcement agencies have begun investigating Karimov’s case in order to identify his assailants. Several suspects have already been arrested.
