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Crossroads Asia | Politics | Central Asia
Half a dozen journalists in Tajikistan have been detained in the previous few months in a worrying, and huge, crackdown on media within the nation.
After a closed-door trial, Tajik journalist Avazmad Ghurbatov, who labored underneath the identify Abdullo Ghurbati, was sentenced to to seven-and-a-half years in jail. The 26-year-old journalist maintained his innocence in opposition to expenses he had publicly insulted a authorities official, assaulted a police officer, and took part within the actions of an extremist group.
Ghurbati was detained in June alongside Daler Bobiev, who works underneath the identify Daler Imomali. Ghurbati, a contract video journalist, labored with Imomali to provide a YouTube Channel for almost 150,000 subscribers.
Gulnoza Stated, the Committee to Shield Journalists’ Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, stated in a press launch condemning Ghurbati’s sentencing that it “seems to be a product of Tajik authorities’ discomfort with the rising recognition of the brave model of public-interest citizen journalism practiced by Ghurbati and his colleague Daler Imomali.”
Imomali was first arrested on June 15, with authorities claiming to be investigating expenses of fraud, falsely reporting a criminal offense, and involvement within the actions of a banned group. The Shohmansur district prosecutor’s workplace reportedly summoned Ghurbatov and later alleged that after the assembly Ghurbatov assaulted a police officer. He was then arrested.
In July, Tajik authorities expanded their expenses in opposition to Ghurbatov, to incorporate the insult cost and the allegation of participation in an extremist group’s actions. The latter cost carried the heaviest sentencing potential.
In late September, Ghurbati’s spouse reportedly addressed a letter on to Tajik President Emomali Rahmon pleading that her husband had nothing to do with the Islamic Renaissance Celebration of Tajikistan (IRPT), a previously authorized political get together banned since 2015.
In line with RFE/RL’s reporting, the Tajik authorities alleged that Ghurbatov had enterprise relations with Idibek Latipov, a Tajik businessman residing in Egypt since 2007. Latipov reportedly paid Ghurbati to place collectively a YouTube video promoting Latipov’s firm whereas Latipov was on the Tajik Nationwide Financial institution’s registry of people concerned in “terrorist or extremist actions.” It’s not clear whether or not the financial institution’s registry is public, and Ghurbati denied figuring out Latipov was on any such listing. Latipov, for his half, advised RFE/RL his inclusion on the registry was “groundless.”
A bevy of rights advocates condemned the fees in opposition to Ghurbati as “trumped up” and the sentence as “unfair.”
Half a dozen journalists or activists from Tajikistan are presently detained and dealing with expenses. These embrace the just-sentenced Ghurbati and Imomali, whose trial is predicted to start quickly; GBAO journalists Ulfatkhonim Mamadshoeva and Khushruz Jumayev, who had been detained in Might; and Zavqibek Saidamini and Abdusattor Pirmuhammadzoda, who had been detained in July after calling for the discharge of Ghurbati and Imomali.
It’s a worrying crackdown on media in a rustic the place few free and unbiased media shops exist.
In 2020, Ghurbati was bodily assaulted twice. On the time, he was working for Asia Plus and making an attempt to report on the rising COVID-19 pandemic, the severity of which the Tajik authorities downplayed within the early months. Ghurbati was topic to a web-based smear marketing campaign and attacked. His attackers had been by no means recognized.
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