Journalists cautiously welcome decision over newspaper editor

A decision to drop legal action against Dodojon Atovulloyev, editor of a Tajik newspaper, who is currently living in exile, was met with cautious optimism by the journalist community in this impoverished Central Asian nation. "This was the first time that the Tajik government felt intense pressure," country director for Internews, a media support group, Roshan Khadivi, told IRIN from the Tajik capital, Dushanbe on Wednesday. "They knew that the world was watching closely." Early last week, a representative from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) wrote an official letter to the Tajik government requesting assurances of Atovulloyev's safety and permission for his Charogh-i Ruz newspaper to be printed in Tajikistan. Atovulloyev faced charges of insulting the authorities in Dushanbe. He left Tajikistan for Russia after President Emomali Rahmonov, a representative of a pro-communist party came to power in 1992, as he himself supported the opposition. Although published in Moscow, the newspaper is widely read in Tajikistan. The newspaper editor later moved to Germany. However, he was detained by Russian police on 5 July 2001 while travelling to Uzbekistan via Moscow. He was reportedly arrested at the request of the Tajik authorities, and it was feared he might be forcibly returned to Tajikistan, where he would be at grave risk of torture, according to Amnesty International. Following international pressure, the editor was released on 11 June. The Tajik authorities have been known for heavy censorship of the media in the past and Khadivi said much more needed to be done to improve press freedom. Commenting on Monday's decision, she maintained: "Certainly this will improve Tajikistan's image in the opinion of the world community. However you have to bear in mind that this came about after intense pressure from all international media organizations and the diplomatic community." Media censorship in the former Soviet republic was condemned only recently when the case of Asia Plus, a Tajik independent news agency, hit the headlines. The government refused to give the company a radio licence on the grounds that there was no need for another radio station in the capital. At present there is one state-run television station, and two semi-independent stations that have close links with the government and are not permitted to show any independent production materials. "We want the world to once more give its support and ask the Tajik government to support the establishment of this independent radio station in the capital, Dushanbe," Khadivi said.