Turkmenistan arrested Ogulsapar Muradova on June 18 without explanation.
The next day, her three adult children were arrested, but they were released 12 days later.
A resolution by the Broadcasting Board of Governors also demanded that the Turkmen government "cease all interference with the right of journalists in Turkmenistan to gather and report information freely."
Two other Turkmen employees of the RFE/RL were arrested in March, but were released after promising to stop their reporting work.
(with material from AP)
Press Under Assault
(AFP)
BREAKING THE NEWS: Press freedom is under assault in virtually all of the countries of the former Soviet Union. Independent media confront enormous challenges in providing citizens with the independent information that can help advance democratic reforms. On May 2, RFE/RL's Washington office hosted a roundtable briefing that gave an overview of media developments in the CIS and discussed the connections between press freedom and future democratization. The briefing featured Freedom House Director of Studies CHRISTOPHER WALKER, American University Associate Research Professor ROBERT ORTTUNG, and RFE/RL Central Asia analyst DANIEL KIMMAGE.
LISTEN
Listen to the entire briefing (about 90 minutes):
Real Audio Windows Media
RFE/RL's Press Freedom Day stories:
Iraq: Covering The Most Dangerous Beat On Earth
Afghanistan: Women In Journalism Battle Restrictions, Threats
Iran: State Maintains Tight Control Over Information
CIS: Press Freedom In Former Soviet Union Under Assault
Central Asia: Bureaucratic Obstacles Hinder Journalists
Central Asia: Governments Wary Of Independent Media
Central Asia: Journalists Still Face Harassment, Threats
THE COMPLETE STORY: To view an archive of RFE/RL's coverage of media-related stories, click here.
