Press Freedom - The Times Of Central Asia

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Activists in Almaty and Kostanai Fined for Protests Supporting Temirlan Yensebek

Courts in Almaty and Kostanai have fined activists who held solitary protests supporting detained satirist Temirlan Yensebek. Each activist was ordered to pay 196,600 KZT (approximately $371). In Almaty, journalist Akmaral Dzhakibayeva was detained by police after staging a protest in front of the State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater. She held a placard reading "Satire is not a crime" for 25 minutes before being taken away by officers. Dzhakibayeva’s protest was not only in support of Yensebek but also dedicated to journalists previously arrested for similar demonstrations. On the same day in Kostanai, activist Sergey Zinchenko was detained after holding a protest in front of the Kazakh Drama Theater. Like Dzhakibayeva, he displayed a poster with the same message: "Satire is not a crime." Temirlan Yensebek, the creator of the satirical platform Qaznews24, was arrested on January 17. The following day, a court ordered him to be held in custody for two months as part of an investigation into charges of “inciting interethnic discord.” This charge carries penalties ranging from fines and restricted freedom to imprisonment of two to seven years. Previously, journalists Asem Zhapisheva and Ruslan Biketov were also arrested in Almaty for 15 days after participating in solitary protests supporting Yensebek. Yensebek’s detention has sparked widespread public criticism. Members of the journalistic community and broader society have condemned the actions against him, calling for greater protections for freedom of speech and the right to peaceful protest.

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CPJ Report Highlights Deteriorating Situation for Journalists in Tajikistan

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has released its 2024 annual report, identifying the countries with the highest number of journalists imprisoned in the previous year. According to the report, China (50 journalists), Israel (43), and Myanmar (35) topped the list. Globally, a total of 361 journalists were imprisoned in 2023 -- the second-highest figure since records began in 1992, surpassed only by 2022’s total of 370. The report also highlights Tajikistan’s worsening environment for press freedom, with specific mention of the country's persecution of journalists, including cases linked to ethnic discrimination. The CPJ report notes that two of the eight imprisoned journalists in Tajikistan belong to the Pamiri ethnic minority, a group historically subjected to systemic discrimination. These journalists hail from the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO), a region that has experienced significant unrest in recent years. Among them is Ulfatkhonim Mamadshoeva, a prominent journalist who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence. Authorities accused Mamadshoeva and her former husband, General Kholbash Kholbashov of the GKNB Border Troops, of orchestrating mass riots in GBAO in May 2022. These protests, which were met with a violent government crackdown, resulted in numerous deaths. Before her arrest, Mamadshoeva publicly denied any involvement in illegal activities. The CPJ’s findings reflect the broader challenges faced by journalists in Tajikistan, where independent reporting is increasingly equated with criminal activity. The CPJ report underscores the global misuse of vague anti-state laws to silence independent media. More than 60% of journalists imprisoned worldwide were charged under broadly defined laws, often targeting dissenting voices under accusations of terrorism, extremism, or other anti-state activities. Tajikistan is listed alongside countries like Russia, Belarus, Myanmar, and Turkey as frequent users of such repressive measures. “A significant proportion of these cases involve terrorism or 'extremism' charges, which are often very vaguely worded,” the report states, noting that such laws give governments broad discretion to suppress media freedoms. In Tajikistan, the eight journalists are currently serving prison sentences ranging from seven to 20 years. These long sentences illustrate the risks faced by media workers in a country where freedom of the press continues to erode. The CPJ report highlights a troubling global trend, with over 100 new journalists imprisoned in the past year. While the focus of the report is on numerical leaders like China, Israel, and Myanmar, countries like Tajikistan, where media suppression is equally severe but less publicized, remain of grave concern.

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Turkmen Human Rights Activist Soltan Achilova Released After Forced Hospitalization

Renowned Turkmen journalist Soltan Achilova, along with her daughter and son-in-law, has been discharged from the infectious disease department of Choganly Hospital after six days of forced isolation. According to the Turkmenistan Chronicle portal, none of the three showed symptoms or signs of any infectious disease. Prior to their release, Achilova's apartment was disinfected, but authorities provided no explanation for their hospitalization or the results of medical tests conducted during their detention. The Times of Central Asia previously reported that Achilova and her relatives were hospitalized after a group of men in medical coats forcibly removed them from their home on November 20. This happened on a day when the journalist was scheduled to travel to Geneva to attend a Martin Ennals Foundation award ceremony, where her work was to be recognized. The timing has led to widespread speculation that the hospitalization was a calculated effort to prevent her attendance. While in isolation, doctors conducted blood tests and nasal swabs but failed to announce any diagnosis. Despite this, medical staff prescribed treatment, which Achilova refused, citing the absence of an explanation for her condition. The journalist's release was reportedly facilitated by diplomatic interventions from several countries and pressure from international human rights organizations. Although now safely home, the incident highlights the increasingly hostile environment for human rights defenders and independent journalists in Turkmenistan, a country notorious for its oppressive restrictions on free speech and movement.

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“A Punitive Decision To Scare Journalists”: Bolot Temirov Hits Back at Bishkek Court

After almost a year of proceedings, the Lenin District Court in Bishkek has convicted journalists Makhabat Tazhibek Kyzy and Azamat Ishenbekov of the Temirov Live project. Both were sentenced for calling for "mass disorder;" a verdict which the media project founder, Bolot Temirov, considers revenge for their professional activities. According to the court ruling, Makhabat Tazhibek Kyzy (head of Temirov Live) was sentenced to six years in prison, and journalist Azamat Ishenbekov, to five years. Two journalists, Aktilek Kaparov and Ayka Beishenalieva, were sentenced to three years of probation, whilst the remaining seven project employees were acquitted. On January 16, 2024, law enforcers searched the office of Temirov Live and seized all editorial equipment in the interest of the investigation. Eleven employees of the publication were searched and detained. Later, the Kyrgyz Interior Ministry said they had studied Temirov Live and Ait Ait Dese's content on social networks and that results of the forensic examination had shown that the employees of the editions had called for mass riots. A criminal case was initiated under Article 278 of the Criminal Code of the Kyrgyz Republic, “Calls for active disobedience to the lawful demands of representatives and mass disorder.” Two months later, most of the participants in the trial were released under house arrest, leaving four journalists in detention. In an interview with the state news agency Kabar, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov said two of the eleven defendants were professional journalists but emphasized that the “others are said to have education only to an 11th-grade level. How can you deny they were paid some money to sit on social networks and spread false messages calling for unrest? Once again, false information calling for unrest is not freedom of speech." The detention of the journalists had been earlier criticized by the UN Human Rights Office and other international organizations. Bolot Temirov, husband of convicted journalist Makhabat Tazhibek Kyzy and founder of the Temirov Live project, whom Kyrgyz authorities expelled from the country in 2022 and stripped of his Kyrgyz citizenship, told The Times of Central Asia that he disagreed with the court's verdict. He claimed the decision was political and that his wife was convicted only to blackmail him: “This is a punitive decision to scare journalists and our citizens. I regard (the court's verdict) as revenge against me personally.... Why were some convicted and others not? I have no idea what's going on in their heads. Based on the law, there is no single offense. There was no call for mass riots, disobedience to the authorities, or any violence against citizens." Temirov said he was especially shocked by the harsh sentence served on his wife, and the court's refusal to grant a reprieve until his 12-year-old son came of age. The Bishkek Leninsky Court ruled that the child be handed over to the guardianship authorities and transferred to an orphanage. According to Temirov, the court should have appointed him as guardian since no one had deprived him of parental rights, or alternatively,...

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Freedom of Speech in Tajikistan Discussed at OSCE Conference

The deteriorating situation for journalists and freedom of speech in Tajikistan was discussed at the plenary session of the OSCE Human Dimension Conference in Warsaw on October 2. Participants, including human rights defenders and civil society representatives, noted that arrests of journalists have become a common practice in the country. Some face harassment even outside Tajikistan. Gulnoza Said, program coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists in Europe and Central Asia, said the situation with human rights and freedom of expression has reached a critical point. She said eight journalists, including Ulfatkhonim Mamadshoeva, Daler Imomali, and Khushruz Dzhumayev, are currently in Tajik prisons. Said also emphasized that the sentences handed down to the journalists are incredibly harsh, ranging from seven to 20 years in prison. Muhammadjon Kabirov, editor-in-chief of Azda TV, broadcasting from Poland, noted that Tajikistan ranks 155th on the World Freedom of Expression Index, and its authorities have created a hostile environment for the media. Kabirov also recalled the transnational repression directed against journalists abroad. In his speech, he cited the conviction of journalists such as Hikmatullo Sayfullozoda and Abdukahor Davlat, who were sentenced to long prison terms in 2015. A recent example of pressure on the independent press was the arrest of the editor-in-chief of Pike, Ahmadi Ibrohim, who has been charged with bribery and is awaiting trial. The conference also raised the issue of Tajik authorities harassing journalists and their relatives to force them to stop their activities. Interestingly, although Tajikistan had previously taken an active part in such discussions, there were no representatives of Tajikistan at this year's event. International organizations have repeatedly criticized the situation with freedom of speech in Tajikistan. Organizations such as Amnesty International and Freedom House report the constant harassment of journalists, independent media, and activists. Opposition media outlets are banned in the country, and journalists face arrests and long prison terms on charges that human rights activists call trumped-up.

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Citing Obstacles, Polling Group ‘Central Asia Barometer’ to Stop Work

Central Asia Barometer, a non-governmental group that surveys public opinion in Central Asia with the help of international partners, said on Monday that it faces insecurity and challenges to “academic freedom” and will temporarily suspend all operations on December 1. “This long-planned decision is due to the growing insecurity and challenges in conducting ethical survey research in the region, which has significantly impacted our ability to continue our work,” Kasiet Ysmanova, director of the Central Asia Barometer, said in a statement. The group is based in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. While Ysmanova did not go into details about the problems that the Central Asia Barometer was encountering, rights groups have long pointed out that advocates for freedom of expression and other democratic principles can face persecution in a region steeped in authoritarian traditions. Earlier this year, Kyrgyzstan´s passage of a law tightening control over non-governmental organizations that receive foreign funding raised more concern about the erosion of such rights, though the government there alleges that some of the groups are corrupt and has urged international critics to stay out of its internal affairs. In April, the Open Society Foundations criticized the law as restrictive and ill-defined and said it was closing its national foundation in Kyrgyzstan. Maximilian Hess, founder of Ementena Advisory, a political risk company based in London, said on X that the Central Asia Barometer was “long a valuable resource to researchers such as myself” and that its suspension of operations was a “very worrying development.” The Central Asia Barometer says its mission is to provide data that helps institutions make informed decisions for the benefit of people in the region. Its website lists 18 partners, including the U.N. International Organization for Migration, Sunway University in Malaysia, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Germany and Abu Dhabi-based TRENDS Research & Advisory. American partners include D3 Systems, Inc. and the Central Asia Program at George Washington University. The Central Asia polling group says it gets funding from research grants, paid subscriptions to survey data, omnibus surveys and contract work for research. Last year, the Central Asia Barometer conducted research on attitudes in Central Asia toward Russia's war in Ukraine, and Central Asian perceptions of Turkey and other countries. In addition, Ysmanova, the director, wrote an article about awareness in Central Asia of discrimination against labor migrants for a book about human rights in the region. The group has also surveyed people about the economy, the environment, public health and other issues. The group said that it will maintain a small team to answer emails and other requests after ceasing operations on December 1. “We hope that the situation regarding academic freedom in the region improves, allowing us to resume our activities in the future,” Ysmanova said.