The media landscape in Tajikistan is in its "worst state” since the Central Asian nation’s civil war in the 1990s as the country’s authoritarian president, Emomali Rahmon, establishes himself as an “absolute power with no tolerance for dissent,” a media watchdog said.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said on its annual report released on January 4 that seven journalists in Tajikistan were sentenced to lengthy prison terms on dubious charges in 2022 and 2023 as the government’s crackdown on the media intensified.
SEE ALSO: U.S. Senator Calls On Tajik President To 'Immediately Stop Repressions'Four journalists – Abdullo Ghurbati, Zavqibek Saidamini, Abdusattor Pirmuhammadzoda, and Khurshed Fozilov – received sentences of seven to 7 1/2 years; while Khushom Ghulom received eight years; Daler Imomali 10 years; and Ulfatkhonim Mamadshoeva 20 years in prison – developments seen by many as a deeply chilling escalation in the years-long constriction of Tajikistan's independent media, the report said.
The cases against the journalists have been widely seen as government retaliation for their work, according to the report, titled In Tajikistan, Independent Media Throttled By State Repression.
The CPJ said that Tajikistan’s media environment was relatively diverse more than a decade ago, when authorities allowed some criticism and debate, as long as local media avoided reporting on the president and his family.
Now, only two significant independent media voices remain in Tajikistan: the privately owned news agency Asia-Plus and Radio Ozodi, as the Tajik Service of the congressionally funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is known, the report said.
Both Asia-Plus and Radio Ozodi face harassment and threats, and their websites have long been subjected to partial shutdowns, it added. Asia-Plus has been forced to reduce its political coverage following a threat from authorities to close down its operation.
Four RFE/RL journalists were attacked in Dushanbe after interviewing Mamadshoeva immediately before her arrest, and the authorities’ threat of closure against Asia-Plus was issued over its coverage of anti-government protests in the restive Gorno-Badakhshan region in the country’s east.
Other media outlets either avoid political topics entirely in fear of the government or barely function due to a lack of funding, the report stated.
The government uses various levers – such as the tax authorities or law enforcement agencies -- to put pressure on the media, the CPJ said, citing local sources.
One journalist who wished to remain anonymous was quoted by the CPJ as saying that the authorities “can make it known to a [financially] struggling outlet that it will be hit with huge tax fines, or its management will face criminal charges, and it’s advisable just to lay things down.”
Speaking on condition of anonymity, several local journalists also told the CPJ that they often opt for self-censorship to avoid possible retaliation from the authorities.
They also noted that Tajik journalists have become “demoralized” following the government’s intensified attacks on the media in 2022. There’s been an uptick in Tajik journalists fleeing their country or leaving the profession, while young people are reluctant to choose journalism as a career, they added.