Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07DUSHANBE1101
2007-07-26 08:56:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Dushanbe
Cable title:  

TAJIK JOURNALISTS TRY TO FIGHT LICENSING RESTRICTIONS

Tags:  PGOV PHUM KDEM TI 
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FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
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INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 2203
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 2214
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 2172
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1488
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 2015
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS 1244
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 2517
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 001101 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/CEN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 7/25/2017
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM TI
SUBJECT: TAJIK JOURNALISTS TRY TO FIGHT LICENSING RESTRICTIONS

REF: DUSHANBE 1051

CLASSIFIED BY: Tracey Ann Jacobson, Ambassador, U.S. Embassy
Dushanbe, STATE.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)



C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 001101

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/CEN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 7/25/2017
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM TI
SUBJECT: TAJIK JOURNALISTS TRY TO FIGHT LICENSING RESTRICTIONS

REF: DUSHANBE 1051

CLASSIFIED BY: Tracey Ann Jacobson, Ambassador, U.S. Embassy
Dushanbe, STATE.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)




1. (SBU) SUMMARY: As the government steadily tightens its
noose on the media, international organizations and local
nongovernmental organizations held a conference July 19-20 to
frankly discuss TV and radio licensing problems in Tajikistan.
Conference participants, including, surprisingly, officials from
the State Committee on Television and Radio and the official
licensing body, drafted and signed an appeal to the government
to reform its legislation and open the media environment.
Although the open discussion in a positive step, it is unclear
whether the appeal will sway senior Tajik officials bent on
controlling the dissemination of information. END SUMMARY.

NEW RESTRICTIONS ON MEDIA


2. (SBU) In the past month, the Tajik government has
implemented new rules that have the potential to constrict media
freedom and pressure media organizations to continue
self-censorship. A new regulation passed June 30 requires all
printing and publishing houses to re-register with the Ministry
of Culture within three months. The government is known to use
registration as a bureaucratic tool to prevent an organization
to obtain legal operating status. On July 19 parliament's upper
house passed an amendment to the penal code which criminalizes
internet slander and offensive language. This amendment leaves
the door wide open for interpretation and room for the
government to fine, imprison or intimidate journalists or even
common people who vocalize their opinion online. This means
that the internet is not a safe forum for free speech.


3. (SBU) One of the biggest hurdles to a free media
environment is the Commission for Television and Radio Broadcast
Licensing under the State Committee on Television and Radio.
The Commission has long served as the puppet for government
agencies and officials to grant licenses to stations in their
favor and deny licenses to organizations viewed as a threat.


4. (C) In the past two months the commission granted a license

to Independent Television of Tajikistan and a new Tajik-language
radio station. Both are rumored to be financed by Hasan
Sadulloev, the president's brother-in-law and head of Orion Bank
(reftel). The Tajik language radio station operates in a
building where Sadulloev owns several apartment units and is
called Oriono Media. PolOff met with Rustami Joni, Director of
Oriono Media July 23 who said that the station derives its
funding from advertisements and has no financial backer. He
denied any affiliation with Sadulloev or Orion Bank. Similarly,
the financial backing of the new Independent Television of
Tajikistan remains shrouded in mystery.

AN OPEN DISCUSSION ABOUT LICENSING


5. (U) In order to address the Commission's nontransparent
operating procedures and its refusal to grant most licenses, the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe along with
Internews Network, the Soros Foundation and two local NGOs
(National Association for Independent Mass Media in Tajikistan
and Tajik Association of Independent Electronic Media) organized
a two-day conference entitled, "The International Conference on
the Topic of Actual problems of Licensing of TV and Radio
Broadcasting in Tajikistan." Government officials, journalists,
and representatives of nongovernmental organizations actively
participated in the conference. During the conference
journalists bombarded Muso Asozoda of the licensing commission
and Barakkatullo Abdulfaizov, Head of the State Committee on TV
and Radio, with questions about why it takes an organization
four years to apply for license, why the commission does not
properly respond in written form to applicants, and why grammar
mistakes can invalidate an application.


6. (U) While Asozoda and Abdulfaizov acknowledged that the
commission has some shortcomings, Abdulfaizov defended the
commission by saying that "journalists are illiterate" and
chastised organizations for not knowing how to complete
applications. He claimed that the reason for denying so many
applications stems from the need to protect the information
space from irresponsible journalism and misinformation.

DUSHANBE 00001101 002 OF 002




7. (U) The Tajik Association of Independent Electronic Media
released the findings of a survey of 26 media organizations.
The survey revealed that 80 percent are not satisfied with the
legislation governing the licensing of electronic mass media; 74
percent rate the process of obtaining a license as either
complicated or very complicated; and 77 percent agree that
reforming licensing legislation would facilitate the development
of mass media.

AN APPEAL FOR CHANGE


8. (U) During the second day of the conference, participants
drafted an appeal to the president's office which proposes
several changes including calling for an independent and
transparent licensing commission composed of government
officials, professional journalists and nongovernmental
organization representatives; amending current media-related
legislation to meet international standards; and developing a
competitive media market. Asozoda and, remarkably, Abdulfaizov
both signed the appeal. Abdulfaizov even half-jokingly remarked
that he would soon be fired for doing so.


9. (C) Although Internews Network Country Director Charles
Rice was optimistic that the conference and resulting appeal
would improve licensing transparency, Muso Asozoda of the
licensing commission was doubtful the document would produce any
changes. Asozoda, who is also the former Head of Administration
for President Rahmon's People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan,
said that the only person who can force the change is the
president himself. Without naming names, Asozoda told PolOff
that "someone" is advising the president to clamp down on media
and has convinced the president that that is the best course of
action to take in order to the control information and
radicalism. Asozoda agreed that President Rahmon is
ill-advised. He went a step further by volunteering that the
media restrictions are actually hindering Tajikistan's
development.

INSIGHT INTO THE MYSTERIOUS LICENSING COMMISSION


10. (C) As a member of the licensing commission, Asozoda is
one of its harshest critics. During the July 20 conference,
Asozoda openly remarked that the licensing commission needs to
be remodeled as a transparent and independent commission. In a
meeting with PolOff July 23 he admitted that the commission is
simply for show and serves as a rubber stamp. It does not meet
regularly, but rather at the will of the chairman who is
responsible for gathering all applications and calling meetings
to determine organizations' licensing status. At any given time
there are nine to eleven members on the commission who
technically "vote" on whether or not to grant a license to a
prospective station. In reality though, the commission's
chairman gets the final determination. Asozoda was also
critical of the chairman and alluded to the fact that even he
only has an administrative role and receives orders from higher
up. He also claimed that the chairman and other members of the
commission have accepted bribes from media organizations.


11. (C) PolOff asked specifically about why Internews'
community radio stations never received licenses. Asozoda said
that the commission had no choice in determining the outcome,
but declined to say exactly who was behind the decision.


12. (C) COMMENT: Asozoda's honest assessment of the appeal's
potential success is likely accurate. One or two influential
people whispering into the president's ear will be more
persuasive than a unanimous appeal by the nation's leading
journalists. The president's advisors are selling the idea that
the government needs to control the media environment because
they may genuinely believe in the need to protect the
information space from religious extremists broadcasting violent
messages and from nongovernmental organizations promoting
political pluralism. An alternative explanation could also be
that the advisors would like to carve out a large chunk of the
broadcasting market for themselves and are discouraging
competition. Regardless of the motive, the government's actions
point to troubling signs of information control and a less free
media -- trends not conducive to democratic development. END
COMMENT.
JACOBSON