TAJIKISTAN
JULY 28, 2005
Posted: August 2, 2005
Jumaboy Tolibov, freelance
IMPRISONED
A judge in northern Tajikistan sentenced independent journalist Jumaboy Tolibov to two years in a prison colony on charges of hooliganism, illegally entering a residence, and abusing his office as a local government administrator, according to local and international reports. The defense said it intended to appeal the verdict.
Nuriddin Karshiboyev, head of the National Association of Independent Media of Tajikistan (NANSMIT), told CPJ that his group believes the charges were fabricated as retaliation for three published commentaries last year in which Tolibov criticized Ayni district prosecutor Sabit Azamov. Karshiboyev called the imprisonment a blow to Tajik journalists' right to investigate the record of public officials.
Marat Mamadshoyev, a NANSMIT correspondent who monitored the 13-day trial in Shahristan district court in the Sogd Region, said the verdict came in the face of contradictory witness statements. Mamadshoyev noted that several key witnesses who allegedly filed complaints against Tolibov were not present in court and instead submitted written testimony, NANSMIT reported.
Tolibov—who is also chairman of the legal department in Ayni's local government—had investigated the performance of the local prosecutor's office last year. During that inquiry, Tolibov alleged, Azamov assaulted him while he was seeking records.
Tolibov wrote three articles in late 2004 that criticized Azamov for the alleged attack. The articles also criticized local law enforcement officials for refusing to investigate his accusation, according to local press reports. The pieces appeared in the opposition party newspaper Minbar i Halq and in the parliamentary newspaper Sadoi Mardum.
At Azamov's direction, police detained Tolibov on April 24 in Dushanbe, NANSMIT reported. Prosecutors refused to provide any details of the charges for many weeks, citing an ongoing investigation, NANSMIT said.
AUGUST 25, 2005
Posted: August 29, 2005
Mukhtor Bokizoda, Nerui Sukhan
LEGAL ACTION
A judge in the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, convicted the editor of the shuttered opposition newspaper on theft charges, sentencing him to two years of "corrective" labor, fining him, and garnishing part of his wages.
Bokizoda told CPJ he would appeal the verdict, which comes several weeks after the government shut down the weekly Nerui Sukhan (Power of the Word). Bokizoda is also chairman of the Foundation for the Memory and Protection of Journalists, a press freedom group.
The court ordered that Bokizoda pay a fine of 1,500 Tajik somoni (US$500). Under the "corrective" labor requirement, Bokizoda said he expects to be assigned a job and forfeit 20 percent of his monthly salary.
The charges against Bokizoda date to late February when tax authorities accused him of stealing electricity for the foundation's printing house, which printed Nerui Sukhan, the National Association of Independent Media of Tajikistan (NANSMIT) reported.
"This is a fabricated criminal case, which authorities started against Bokizoda in order to prevent him from reopening Nerui Sukhan," Nuriddin Karshiboyev, head of NANSMIT, told CPJ. "This is a case that should have been opened under the administrative, not the criminal, code of Tajikistan."
Tajik authorities have shut down Nerui Sukhan four times since its founding in 2003, using politicized tax and regulatory inspections. The weekly has reported on government corruption and provided audiences with a valuable alternative to the obedient state media. Some observers see the latest actions against Bokizoda as an attempt to eliminate the paper from the market ahead of 2006 presidential elections.
Tax police shut down the printing house in January for alleged license violations, effectively preventing Nerui Sukhan from publishing. Bokizoda said he presented paperwork in February to restart the printing operation, but authorities did not respond. He said he resumed publishing Nerui Sukhan on July 7 only to see it shuttered again a week later.