Media Censorship Report Critical of Uzbekistan

A bloodied Aleksei Volosevich, one journalist who discovered the difficulties of working as a journalist in Uzbekistan in 2005 (fergana.ru) PRAGUE, May 2, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- A report on media censorship around the world says Uzbekistan's President Islam Karimov has reestablished a Soviet-style dictatorship in his country that relies on brutal intimidation to silence journalists and human rights activists.

The report, issued today by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, focuses on the 10 most censored countries.

It says Karimov's regime uses an informal system of state censorship to prevent the media from reporting on widespread police torture, poverty, and an Islamic opposition movement.

The report also says Uzbekistan is the former Soviet republic with the most journalists in jail at the end of 2005.

The report was issued to mark World Press Fredom Day on May 3.