(Adil Soz/IFEX) – The following is a joint Adil Soz and National Association of Independent Mass Media of Tajikistan (NANSMIT) alert: On 3 August 2004, Mavluda Sultonzoda, a reporter with the independent newspaper “Ruzi Nav” (“New Day”) and a regular contributor to the “Nerui Suhan” (“Power of the Word”) newspaper, received an anonymous threatening phone […]
(Adil Soz/IFEX) – The following is a joint Adil Soz and National Association of Independent Mass Media of Tajikistan (NANSMIT) alert:
On 3 August 2004, Mavluda Sultonzoda, a reporter with the independent newspaper “Ruzi Nav” (“New Day”) and a regular contributor to the “Nerui Suhan” (“Power of the Word”) newspaper, received an anonymous threatening phone call from an individual angry about an article she had written for “Nerui Suhan”. In the piece, entitled, “Who is Rakhmonov?”, Sultonzoda criticised President Emomali Rakhmonov and his government. At the end of the conversation, the individual berated the journalist with foul language and threatened to use “physical force” against her and her daughters.
According to Sultonzoda, she has received 10 such similar threats since December 2003. She believes the threats are linked to her professional activities as they usually follow one of her critical articles.
“Previously they threatened to harm me,” said the journalist. “Now they threaten to harm my family.”
On 4 February 2004, Sultonzoda appealed to the Defence Ministry to protect her from the threats. She has so far received no reply.
Other threats against journalists include the cases of Turko Dikayev, a staff reporter with the news agency Asia Plus in the Kulyab region, and journalist Muhiddin Idizoda. Both face regular threats of violence. Dikayev was recently threatened by an anonymous caller after he published an article about pay delays for construction workers in the Kulyab region. The caller reportedly told the journalist, “You should be careful when walking near construction sites, a brick might fall on your head.”
Idizoda received threatening phone calls in May, after he published an article entitled, “Who holds the keys to the destiny of the nation?” The caller said the article offended residents of Dangara, the president’s home region.
This was not the first time Idizoda was threatened. In January, unidentified callers warned him about “writing articles praising opposition figures.”
The recent assault on “Ruzi Nav” editor-in-chief Radzhabi Mirzo indicates such threats must be taken seriously (see IFEX alert of 3 August 2004). Adil Soz and NANSMIT are deeply concerned by the recent threats, which appear to be increasing in frequency. NANSMIT has registered 12 threats against journalists in the last seven months. According to the organisation, the threats were directly related to the journalists’ professional activities.
Adil Soz and NANSMIT urge journalists and media outlets in Tajikistan to report threats to the police immediately, so that the cases may be thoroughly investigated.
