Tajik Journalist Facing 16 Years Imprisonment For Criticizing Government

Tajik journalist Mahmadyusuf Ismoilov who works for the local newspaper Nuri Zindagi, has been held in pre-trial detention since November 2010. He was indicted for criminal libel and insult of public officials, extortion and incitement of “regional hatred.” According to the Tajik prosecutors, he committed most of these crimes in an August 2010 newspaper article.

“If journalists who criticize government officials face criminal charges, lengthy investigative detention and punitive prison sentences, Tajikistan risks stifling public discourse,” said Mijatović OSCE representative.
His many months of detention have already sent a threatening message to Tajikistan’s journalists.”

“I look forward to my upcoming visit to Tajikistan to discuss with the authorities this and other issues of concern to my Office, including the ongoing trial against BBC correspondent Urunboi Usmonov,. the OSCE stands ready to assist Tajikistan in reforming its criminal defamation legislation in order to prevent imprisonment of journalists.”

US Continues To Warn Against Travelling In Uzbekistan

The US State Department is continuing to warn US citizens of the dangers of travelling in Uzbekistan., warning of the danger of terrorist attacks against American citizens.

Experts at the US State Department say that supporters of terrorist groups such as the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, al-Qaida, the Islamic Jihad Union, and the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement are active in the Central Asian region.

Members of these groups have attacked US government interests in the past. In 2004, the US Embassy in Tashkent was attacked; terrorists have also been responsible for kidnappings, assassinations and suicide bombings, the State Department says.
“Extreme caution should also be exercised in areas of the Ferghana Valley bordering Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.”

Several years ago, the US Embassy in Uzbekistan issued a warning to its citizens travelling in the country of the dangers of using private-hire taxis. This warning was prompted by a number of instances of foreigners being robbed in taxis.

Russia: Echoes of Magnitsky In Principal’s Death In Prison

Andrei Kudoyarov, 48, died in jail of an apparent heart attack. He had been held since May on charges that he took a 240,000 ruble bribe in exchange for accepting a student into Moscow School No. 1308.
Kudoyarov, who had worked in education for nearly 20 years, had insisted he was innocent, and many parents of children at his school came forward in his defense. The money in question had been used for repairs at the school and that Kudoyarov had been framed.

Kudoyarov’s sudden passing bears certain similarities to that of Magnitsky, a 37-year-old lawyer whose 2009 death while in pretrial detention sparked international outrage.

Authorities initially ruled that Magnitsky died of heart failure while awaiting charges on embezzlement and tax evasion, but human rights groups argued that he had been refused medical treatment even as his health deteriorated in custody. An independent, Kremlin-ordered investigation found this summer that Magnitsky was badly beaten by prison guards shortly before his death.“This situation is exactly the same as with Magnitsky.”

“This is yet another symptom of improperly using the justice system as a weapon and it must be changed,” said Borshchyov, a veteran lawyer and human rights activist.