MEDIA CRACKDOWN: OFFICIALS SUE NEWSPAPERS FOR MILLIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 DUSHANBE 000156 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/4/2020 TAGS: PHUM PGOV KPAO KDEM SCUL TI SUBJECT: MEDIA CRACKDOWN: OFFICIALS SUE NEWSPAPERS FOR MILLIONS REF: DUSHANBE 67 CLASSIFIED BY: Necia Quast, Charge d' Affaires, EXEC, DoS. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Tajik judges, a Ministry, and a government agency hit five of Tajikistan's independent newspapers with separate lawsuits in what could be the death knell of media freedom in the country. On January 25, three judges sued three newspapers for publishing a defense attorney's statement that high-ranking officials pressured them to convict his clients. The judges' lawsuits demanded total compensation of $1.2 million, which they pledged to donate to the Roghun hydro-electric power station. On January 26, a Dushanbe court upheld a ruling that a newspaper was liable for $68,000 for publishing an open letter from Tajik businessmen that criticized the work of the country's product certification agency, Tajikstandart. On January 28, the Ministry of Agriculture sued a fifth newspaper for $229,000 after it published an article accusing the Ministry of corruption, based on a government report. The Embassy will coordinate with the OSCE to express concern to the Tajik government about the rapidly deteriorating environment for freedom of the press. END SUMMARY ASIA PLUS, FARAZH, AND OZODAGON REPORT ON ISFARA CASE, GET SUED ¶2. (SBU) Three judges filed joint-lawsuits against weekly independent newspapers Asia Plus, Farazh, and Ozodagon and demanded $1.2 million in damages for publishing an article in which defense attorney Solidjon Jurayev accused the judges of abuse of power. Jurayev defended a group of 31 residents of Isfara District who were sentenced to 10 to 25 years' imprisonment as part of the "Isfara affair", which featured mass arrests, seizure of property, and pressure on the judiciary from high-level officials. The $1.2 million demand would bankrupt the newspapers if awarded. ¶3. (C) The "Isfara Affair" began when security officials in Isfara District arrested 31 associates and family members of a wealthy Isfaran businessman, Nizom Jurayev (no relation to the lawyer),in late 2007. Nizom controlled multiple business in Isfara, including several distilleries. His holdings reportedly attracted the attention of President Rahmon's family, including daughter Tahmina and brother-in-law Hassan Asadullozoda. After Nizom refused to cut the President's family in on his businesses, local prosecutors raided his offices and charged the "Isafara 31" with theft, embezzlement, membership in an organized crime ring, and other charges. Nizom Jurayev fled the country. On June 9, 2009, Judge Nur Nurov issued 10 to 25 year sentences to the defendants. On January 14, 2010, during a closed court hearing to appeal the verdict, attorney Solidjon Jurayev revealed an audio recording of a conversation he had with Judge Nurov, in which Nurov admitted he issued the lengthy sentences under pressure from high level officials. Jurayev alleged that the Chair of the Supreme Court, Nursatullo Abdullayev, summoned Nurov from Isfara to Dushanbe, where he ordered him to issue the long sentences. After the January 14 appeal hearing, Jurayev held a press conference and repeated his statement from the closed court session. ¶4. (SBU) Asia Plus, Farazh, and Ozodagon published Solidjon Jurayev's comments on January 21, including his accusations naming other judges who issued sentences based on orders from higher level officials. Asia Plus provided Judge Nurov an opportunity to respond to the accusations. Nurov confirmed that his voice was on the recording, but claimed the conversation was taken out of context. On January 28, Asia Plus published a follow-up article on the Isfara affair with the headline, "The sentence was a crime," in which the prosecutor in the 2009 Isfara case said he had never asked for such lengthy terms. The prosecutor concurred with Jurayev that high-level officials ordered Nurov to issue the stiff sentences. JUDGES REQUEST DAMAGES, NEWSPAPERS FEAR SHUTDOWN ¶5. (SBU) On January 29, the three judges, including Nurov, announced their lawsuits (filed on January 25) claiming moral damages from the newspapers' for their publication of the Jurayev article. The judges requested that the government close the newspapers during the course of the trial and pledged to donate their $1.2 million in damages, if awarded, to DUSHANBE 00000156 002 OF 003 construction of the Roghun hydro-electric power station (reftel). The editors of the three newspapers were visibly rattled in a meeting with Emboff on February 2. Asia Plus editor Marat Mamadshoev said he was shocked at the government's reaction to his publication of the Jurayev article. "Jurayev said the same thing in court, so this should have been public domain anyway. If we can't publish something that is said in court, what can we publish?" Ozadagon editor Zafari Sugi said he had been warned informally not to cover the Isfara case, but thought he could cover information presented in court without risking reprisal. ¶6. (SBU) All three editors viewed the lawsuit as part of a broader effort by the government to curtail media freedom. Mamadshoev noted, "Now, when I publish any article, will I put myself at risk? Will I put my staff at risk? Is it worth it? Now, at the very least, we are going to practice more self-censorship to protect ourselves." Mamadshoev felt the government was trying to prevent the newspapers from publishing even more damaging information about the Isfara affair, claiming that President Rahmon himself gave the order for the lengthy sentences. "There were more names in Jurayev's tape... names we didn't publish." ¶7. (C) On February 2, the newspaper editors appeared in court and met with the three judges who had filed the suits. The judges indicated they might drop their action if the newspapers agreed to cease criticism of the judicial system, according to Farazh owner/editor Khurshed Atovulloev. The editors responded that they might agree to cease coverage of the Isfara affair, but could not promise to end coverage of the judicial system as a whole. The judges could withdraw their lawsuit if they reach an out-of-court settlement with the newspapers before the next court date on February 23. (NOTE: Asia Plus and Farazh have received multiple Embassy grants and participated in numerous Embassy training programs. The manager of Asia Plus is an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) alumnus. In 2009, Asia Plus hosted an Embassy-funded media trainer to help them improve management. Farazh is implementing a 2010 Democracy Commission grant to cover the 2010 elections. END NOTE) VERDICT AGAINST PAYKON FOR SLANDERING LISCENSING AGENCY ¶8. (SBU) On January 26, a Dushanbe court upheld an October 26, 2009, verdict that independent weekly newspaper Paykon was liable for $68,000 in damages for slandering the state product certification agency, Tajikstandart. For years, Paykon had published open letters to the government without incurring legal action. In summer 2009, Paykon published an open letter to the President from Tajik businessmen criticizing corruption at Tajikstandart. Some of the businessmen used pseudonyms. Tajikstandart filed suit, accusing Paykon of "defamation of honor" and slander. Paykon's editor published a retraction and an apology, but Tojikstandard did not drop the law suit. After Paykon lost the case, it appealed on the grounds that only individuals, not organizations, could be "defamed" under Tajik law. In the latest court decision, the judge concurred with Paykon that Tojikstandard could not sue for "defamation of honor," but it upheld the slander charge as well as the $68,000 fine. Paykon may now appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court where it could face the same judges who filed suit against Asia Plus, Farazh, and Ozodagon. MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE SUES MILLAT FOR CALLING IT CORRUPT ¶9. (SBU) On January 28, the Ministry of Agriculture announced that it filed suit against weekly independent newspaper Millat for publishing a December 10 article calling the Ministry of Agriculture the "most corrupt organization in the government." The Ministry demanded damages of $229,000, despite the fact that the newspaper published the Ministry's response to the article. Millat's source for its article was a government report presented in parliament during a budgetary session that cited irregularities in the Ministry's financing. Head of the National Association of Independent Media Outlets (NANSMIT) Nuriddin Karshiboev said government ministries are trying to DUSHANBE 00000156 003 OF 003 protect themselves from public scrutiny and view criticism of their activities as an attack on their power. MEDIA NGOS, ISLAMIC RENNAISANCE PARTY SPEAK OUT AGAINST LAWSUITS ¶10. (SBU) Islamic Renewal Party head Muhiddin Kabiri denounced the string of lawsuits in an interview with Asia Plus. "Evidently, authorities decided to organize a single front because they do not want their shortcomings to be disclosed in public, or the public to know what is happening in state structures." According to NANSMIT head Karshiboev the lawsuits against the five newspapers "will have a very negative impact on freedom of the press and lead to more self-censorship." Government officials felt they could not be criticized "because they have no concept that they are 'public figures' who can be [legitimately] criticized by the media." NAMSIT, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and Reporters without Borders released statements expressing concern about the pattern of lawsuits and deteriorating environment for media freedom. On February 5, NANSMIT will host a public forum to discuss the lawsuits. GOVERNMENT THINK TANK STOOGE: THE MEDIA SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER ¶11. (SBU) On February 2, Asia Plus printed a government think tank representative's comments that "Tajik journalists haven't learned the laws of the Republic." Saifullo Safarov, assistant director of the President's Center for Strategic Studies, noted that the "Court already punished one newspaper (Paykon),and that should serve a big lesson for journalists. When citizens know what is coming to them when they commit slander, they won't present false information." Journalists did not have a right to criticize the courts, because they were not experts. "All judicial mistakes should be reviewed by the General Prosecutor and first-class jurists." He warned that journalists shouldn't stray into forbidden territory. "Journalists exist between fire and water and need to always work to find the golden middle. If they do that, they won't be sued or indicted for printing false information." ¶12. (SBU) COMMENT: Tajikistan once boasted arguably the most vibrant media environment in Central Asia. Over the last year, the government has subjected journalists, newspapers, and independent television stations to increasing pressure, leading journalists to increase self-censorship to avoid problems. Now, most of the remaining independent newspapers in the country face bankruptcy if the suits filed against them are upheld. Based on the Paykon precedent, the legal prospects for independent newspapers are not good. The increasingly brazen lawsuits-- prosecuting newspapers for simply publishing public information --will further reduce the space for public debate ahead of the February 28 elections. Beyond the elections, the lawsuits are part of a broader effort by the government to consolidate power over the press so that it can use media outlets as tools for its propaganda efforts like the Roghun campaign. The Embassy is working with OSCE Media donor representatives to determine the most effective response to this trend. END COMMENT QUAST