Independent media face registration challenges

Independent media are under increasing pressure in Tajikistan as the government tightens its grip by enforcing tougher procedures to register new newspapers, radio and television stations, activists say. Local civic group FIDES submitted an application to the justice ministry in early October to register its new television channel ‘Markaz’. At the end of the same month their application was turned down, FIDES activists said on Tuesday in the capital, Dushanbe. Although the official reason for turning the application down is that registration documents are missing, “unofficially they let us know clearly not to meddle in that sphere [broadcasting],” Maruf Mukhammedov, head of FIDES, said, adding that the authorities reportedly became suspicious when they wanted to register an independent television channel. “The Media Alliance [another media NGO] has been trying to get registration with the justice ministry for more than a month. We are afraid that in our case the sad experience of Media Alliance and other organisations will recur,” Aziz Khalilov, another activist with FIDES, said. The justice ministry reportedly said in an official reply that the television channel was not registered, as “the documents do not comply with the rules and norms of the regulation on registration of legal entities”. Safarbek Gafurov, head of the registration section at the justice ministry, said that according to Tajik law, there should be a complete set of documents filed with the ministry to enable registration. “Of course, the reason for refusal can be improper documents,” he said. But the official said this did not mean there would be no registration. “In the statement [given out] by justice ministry experts, it indicates the missing documents so that the organisations can improve or complete them and submit documents again,” Gafurov said. Faruhsho Junaidov, a legal expert with Internews, an international media development network, has said that there is a tendency with the Tajik justice ministry to ban not only electronic independent media but print media as well. “I know a lot of cases where the justice ministry has denied registration to independent media without any justification,” Junaidov said. He gave an example of the ‘Imruz’ (Today) independent newspaper, saying that the founder, Marat Mamadshoev, hadn’t been able to get registration for one year – each time he submitted an application, officials found something missing in his documents. “I submitted the documents to the justice ministry for the first time in October 2004, then reapplied in February. Recently I submitted my application again,” Mamadshoev said, adding that he was still waiting for an answer. “The reason why they deny registration for independent media is the fear of free press and ‘colour’ revolutions,” the activist said, referring to recent events in the former Soviet republics of Georgia, Ukraine and neighbouring Kyrgyzstan where opposition-led protesters changed regimes. He added that about two years ago it was much easier to register a media outlet. “It is now much more difficult and the authorities are increasing pressure on independent media ahead of presidential polls [in 2006],” he explained. According to Tajik law, any organisation denied registration, can appeal the decision, however there have been no such appeal cases, Junaidov highlighted. “Probably it is related to the [local] mentality and people are afraid to go to court,” he noted. According to the US-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a media freedom watchdog, Tajik authorities have closed down four independent and opposition newspapers, harassed journalists and refused to issue broadcast licences to independent media companies in the past year. Moreover, three independent journalists have been imprisoned in the former Soviet republic, which, in the rankings of an annual media freedom index recently released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), went down to 113 in 2005, a drop from 95 a year earlier.