DOCSLIB.ORG

Attacks on Journalists, Bloggers and Media Workers in Central Asia and Azerbaijan

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Attacks on Journalists, Bloggers and Media Workers in Central Asia and Azerbaijan ATTACKS ON JOURNALISTS, BLOGGERS AND MEDIA WORKERS IN CENTRAL ASIA AND AZERBAIJAN 2017-2019 TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 AUTHORS OF THE REPORT 3 About the jFj foundAiton 4 INTROdUCTiOn 8 AZERbAijAn 17 KAZAKHSTAN 26 KYRGYZSTAn 33 TAJIKiSTAN 40 TURKMENISTAn 47 UZbEKistan 55 aNNEX OnE 56 ANNEX TwO 57 ANNEX three 58 aNNEX four 59 aNNEX FivE 60 aNNEX SiX 61 aNNEX sevEn AUTHORS OF THE REPORT • Azerbaijan: Khaled Aghaly Lawyer and specialist in media law in Azerbaijan. Aghaly has been working in the field of media law in Azerbaijan since 2002. He is one of the founders of the Media Rights Institute (MRİ Azer- baijan). The Media Rights Institute was forced to suspend its activities in 2014. Since then, Agaliev has been working individually. He is the author of more than 10 reports and studies on the state of media rights in Azerbaijan. • Kazakhstan: International Foundation for protection of freedom of speech “Adil Soz“ Major priority of International Foundation for Protection of Freedom of Speech “Adil Soz” is establishment of open civil society over the statement in daily life of the country free, objective and progressive journalism. The main activity of the Foundation is monitoring of violations of freedom of speech, legal activity, educational activity and legal help to journalists and mass media. • Kyrgyzstan: School of Peacemaking and Media Technology in Central Asia School of Peacemaking and Media Technology is a nonprofit media development organization encouraging freedom of expression, diversity, researches and training on media issues based in Bishkek. • Tajikistan: Partner, who preferred to stay anonymous • Turkmenistan: Ruslan Myatiev, Turkmen.news Turkmen journalist, human rights advocate, and editor of the news and human rights portal Turkmen.news, one of the few independent resources devoted to Turkmenistan. The turkmen. news organisation was founded in 2010 and is based in The Netherlands. More detail is available here. Myatiev often appears in the media and at various international events as an invited Turkmen expert on socio-economic, political, and human rights topics. Ruslan is likewise an expert on Turkmenistan for the Justice for Journalists Foundation. • Uzbekistan: Sergei Naumov Freelance journalist for major media outlets – Fergana.ru (Russia) and IWPR (UK). From 2008 to 2017 he authored several reports for international organisations and regional online forums on the state of freedom of speech, expression and the press in Uzbekistan. He is an active participant in the country’s activist movement. From 2007 to the present day he has been monitoring the use of child labour on cotton plantations, creating human rights content, and participating in the research projects of European human rights organisations. Naumov has been a volunteer at the School of Peacekeeping and Media Technology in Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan) since 2014. • Photographers Madina Alihmanova (Kazakhstan), Meydan TV (Azerbaijan) and kaktus.media (Kyrgyzstan). 2 ustice for Journalists Foundation (JFJ) is a London-based non-governmental organization. The foundation was created in August 2018 by Mikhail Khodorkovsky, founder of the Open Russia pro-democracy movement, an Amnesty International-recognised prisoner of conscience, and JPutin’s most prominent critic, together with his former business partner, philanthropist and member of the Free Russia Forum’s standing committee Leonid Nevzlin. JFJ funds journalistic investigations into violent crimes against media workers and helps professional and citizen journalists to mitigate their risks. Our mission is to facilitate journalists’ access to existing resources and make them relevant to the specifics of each region. We believe security is the essential basis for work in the media. We help journalists acquire the skills and knowledge to address their professional challenges. JFJ’s activity consists of three main components: ӹ Grants for investigating violent crimes against media workers; ӹ Risk mapping via monitoring, analysing and publicising attacks against media workers; ӹ Risk management and prevention by organising security and safety trainings for non-English speaking media workers in our Orkhan Dzhemal Media Safety Academy. JFJ cooperates with international media workers and press freedom activists, human rights and educational organisations, and think-tanks on media security issues and investigations into crimes against journalists. 3 INTRODUCTION his report forms part of an extensive study on attacks against journalists, bloggers, and media workers covering 12 post-Soviet Tcountries. This section of the study is devoted to Azerbaijan and the five Central Asian countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The research is being conducted by the Justice for Journalists Foundation in conjunction with partners from the indicated countries. 4 METHODOLOGY he data for the study have been obtained from open sources in the Russian, English, and official state languages using the method of content analysis. Lists of the main sources are presented in Annexes 2 — 7. Besides that, in the countries in which information is the most Tdifficult to obtain due to their closed nature – Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan — material that has previously not been made public and was obtained using the expert interview method was likewise used for the analysis. Expert interviews with journalists and their lawyers were likewise used in compiling the report on Azerbaijan. Based on further analysis of 1,464 attacks perpetrated against professional and citizen journalists, bloggers and other media workers, three main types of attack were identified: 1. Physical attacks and threats to life, liberty and health. 2. Non-physical and/or cyber-attacks and threats. 3. Attacks via judicial or economic means. Each of the types of attacks presented is further divided into sub-categories, a complete list of which is presented in Annex 1. PRINCIPAL TRENDS he population of the region in the period covered in this study numbers almost 84.5 million people, approximately equal to the population of such countries as Germany, Iran, or Turkey. In order to make a valid comparison of the number of incidents in these countries, it would Tbe advisable to look at not the absolute numbers of attacks, but at the relative figures, per 100 thousand people. Source for population statistics: www.worldometers.info As paradoxical as this may seem, the high indicators for the numbers of attacks in countries such as Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan speak not so much to the brutality of the environment in which media workers are forced to work as to the relative freedom of speech in these countries. Thus, in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan — where according to the available data media workers are hardly ever subjected to attacks — such incidents simply do not receive any publicity by virtue of a practically complete information vacuum. In Turkmenistan – the most closed of these countries in the informational regard (in 2019 it held last place, 180th, in the Reporters Without Borders NGO’s annual rankings) — it is practically impossible to work as a journalist. Information about what is happening in the country is reported to media beyond the border by “people’s correspondents”. They send photos and videos at the risk 5 of being caught by the high-cost national tracking system that embraces the entire country. The relevant section of this study should give some idea of the dangers faced by those people who are still trying to get the truth about what is happening in Turkmenistan to the world. All six countries except Uzbekistan show an increase in the absolute number of attacks in 2019 as compared with 2017. Attacks via judicial means (above all short-term detentions, arrests, and the opening of administrative and criminal cases) predominate in the region covered in this study. The main source of threats for media workers are representatives of the authorities. The number of attacks of this type has increased over three years in four of the countries, but it declined in Kyrgyzstan and remained largely constant in Uzbekistan. Azerbaijan leads by a wide margin in terms of the number of physical attacks – 26 such incidents became known just last year alone. Brutal beatings of journalists during short-term detentions and even abductions of journalists with subsequent removal from other countries are characteristic of this country. Kazakhstan ranks first in attacks via judicial and/or economic means. On average, more than 50 cases are initiated inKazakhstan each year against media workers on charges of libel, insult, and reputational damage. 30-40 incidents per year reach trial; a fine is awarded in half of the instances, while a third result in a prison term. Non-physical attacks are likewise widespread in Kazakhstan, including harassment, intimidation, damage to/seizure of property and documents, and breaking into equipment and online accounts. Tajikistan leads the region in the number of media workers charged with extremism, links with terrorists, and inciting hate. Persecution of family members of journalists, their harassment, interrogations, short-term detentions, and even arrests are likewise characteristic of Tajikistan. The character of attacks perpetrated against journalists in Kyrgyzstan has shifted towards a manifold increase in online threats, via DDoS and hacker attacks on online media outlets. THE RELEVANCE OF THIS STUDY espite the relative informational isolation of the Central Asian countries, the global community
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Azerbaijan's Deteriorating Media Environment
    Free Expression Under Attack: Azerbaijan’s Deteriorating Media Environment Report of the International Freedom of Expression Mission to Azerbaijan 7-9 September 2010 October 2010 ARTICLE 19 Free Word Centre 60 Farringdon Road London EC1R 3GA United Kingdom Tel: +44 20 7324 2500 Fax: +44 20 7490 0566 E-mail: [email protected] © ARTICLE 19, London, 2010 ISBN 978-1-906586-21-8 This work is provided under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non- Commercial- ShareAlike 2.5 licence. You are free to copy, distribute and display this work and to make derivative works, provided you: 1) give credit to ARTICLE 19; 2) do not use this work for commercial purposes; 3) distribute any works derived from this publication under a licence identical to this one. To access the full legal text of this licence, please visit: http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/legalcode This report is published thanks to generous support from Open Society Institute - Assistance Foundation/Azerbaijan, which also provided support for the coordination of the mission. List of endorsing organizations This report was written and endorsed by (in alphabetical order): ARTICLE 19: Global Campaign for Free Expression Free Word Centre 60 Farringdon Road London EC1R United Kingdom Contact: Rebecca Vincent Azerbaijan Advocacy Assistant E-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 (0) 207324 2500 www.article19.org Freedom House 1301 Connecticut Avenue NW Floor 6 Washington D.C. 20036 USA Contact: Courtney C. Radsch Senior Program Officer E-mail: [email protected] Tel: +1 202 296
    [Show full text]
  • State Programme on Poverty Reduction and Economic Development 2003-2005 Azerbaijan Progresses Toward the Achievement of the Mill
    STATE PROGRAMME ON POVERTY REDUCTION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 2003-2005 AZERBAIJAN PROGRESSES TOWARD THE ACHIEVEMENT OF THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS PROGRESS REPORT – 2003/2004 BAKU – 2005 DECREE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF AZERBAIJAN on Approval of the State Programme on Poverty Reduction and Economic Development in the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2003-2005 The consistent reform program carried out in the Republic of Azerbaijan in recent years has helped to ensure economic development, gradual improvement of macroeconomic performance and improvement of the living standards in the country. Thus, in the period 1996-2002, Gross Domestic Product increased by 1.7 times, capital investment increased by 7.8 times, nominal monetary income of population increased by 3 times and average monthly wages and pensions increased by 5 times. There are improvements in other economic performance indicators. However, these ongoing efforts and achievements have not yet led to a sufficiently high level of economic development and the living standards of the population have still not reached international standards: part of population is still unemployed, minimum wages are not sufficient to meet the minimum subsistence level and a number of factors causing poverty have not been eliminated. In order to further strengthen social protection of the population for the near future, ensure poverty reduction in the country and implement necessary measures to meet the commitments of the 2000 United Nations Millennium Summit, I hereby decree: 1. The “State Program on Poverty Reduction and Economic Development in the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2003-2005” shall be approved. 2. The Ministry of Economic Development of the Republic of Azerbaijan shall be responsible for coordinating the implementation of measures set out in the State Program.
    [Show full text]
  • Attacks on Journalists, Bloggers and Media Workers in the Central Asia and Azerbaijan
    ATTACKS ON JOURNALISTS, BLOGGERS AND MEDIA WORKERS IN THE CENTRAL ASIA AND AZERBAIJAN 2017-2019 TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 AUTHORS OF THE REPORT 3 About the jFj foundAiton 4 INTROdUCTiOn 8 AZERbAijAn 17 KAZAKHSTAN 26 KYRGYZSTAn 33 TAJIKiSTAN 40 TURKMENISTAn 47 UZbEKistan 55 appendix OnE 56 appendix TwO 57 appendix three 58 appendix four 59 appendix FivE 60 appendix Six 61 appendix sevEn AUTHORS OF THE REPORT • Azerbaijan: Khaled Aghaly Lawyer and specialist in media law in Azerbaijan. Aghaly has been working in the field of media law in Azerbaijan since 2002. He is one of the founders of the Media Rights Institute (MRİ Azer- baijan). The Media Rights Institute was forced to suspend its activities in 2014. Since then, Agaliev has been working individually. He is the author of more than 10 reports and studies on the state of media rights in Azerbaijan. • Kazakhstan: International Foundation for protection of freedom of speech “Adil Soz“ Major priority of International Foundation for Protection of Freedom of Speech “Adil soz” is establishment of open civil society over the statement in daily life of the country free, objective and progressive journalism. The main activity of the Foundation is monitoring of violations of freedom of speech, legal activity, educational activity and legal help to journalists and mass media. • Kyrgyzstan: School of Peacemaking and Media Technology in Central Asia School of Peacemaking and Media Technology is a nonprofit media development organization focusing on peace research, advocacy, and training on media issues based in Bishkek. • Tajikistan: Partner, who preferred to stay anonymous • Turkmenistan: Ruslan Myatiev, Turkmen.news Turkmen journalist, human rights activist, and editor of the news and human rights website Turkmen.news - one of the few independent sources covering Turkmenistan.
    [Show full text]
  • Today, Bakutel Is Much More Than a Demonstration of ICT Achievements
    24th Azerbaijan International Telecommunications, Innovations and High Technologies Exhibition and Conference Post show 10.12.2018 Bakutel 2018, the 24th Azerbaijan International Telecommunications, Innovations and High Technologies Exhibition and Conference was held in Baku from the 4th to the 7th of December. The exhibition marked the beginning of High Technologies Week. Today, Bakutel is much more than an exposition of ICT achievements; it is a business exhibition, networking platform, inspirational conferences, promising start-ups and a high-tech game zone. This is a meeting place for those involved in shaping the digital future. The exhibition was preceded by a press conference. The press conference was attended by Mr. Elmir Velizade - Deputy Minister of Transport, Communications and High Technologies of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Edward Strachan - Director of Caspian Event Organisers, Ms. Emiliya Ismayilova - Project Manager. More than 30 media attended the press-conference, including AzTv, Azertag, ARB, CBC, Interfax, Lider, SalamNews, TREND, Interaz and other agencies. During the press conference, journalists were informed about the participants, and the record-breaking statistics of the exhibition. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, first lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their daughters Leyla Aliyeva and Arzu Aliyeva viewed Bakutel 2018. Mr. Ilham Aliyev also personally tested the Robokeeper. Robert Pires presented the official Euroleague’s ball to Mr. President. Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Minister of Transport, Communications and High Technologies of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ramin Guluzade, emphasized that Bakutel became a traditional meeting place for industry professionals and the largest ICT event in the region. Business leaders, professionals on the Bakutel platform solve global issues, discuss promising projects and make important decisions.
    [Show full text]
  • A Comprehensive Analysis of Azerbaijan's Media Landscape
    A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF AZERBAIJAN’S MEDIA LANDSCAPE Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety June 2017 1 Contents Acronyms .............................................................................................................................................................. 3 Acknowledgments .............................................................................................................................................. 4 Framework and Methodology ........................................................................................................................ 5 Chapter I. The system of regulation and control ................................................................................... 6 Chapter II. Plurality and transparency of ownership .......................................................................... 15 Chapter III. Media as a platform for democratic discourse ............................................................. 20 Chapter IV. Professional capacity building and supporting institutions ...................................... 26 Conclusion and Recommendations ............................................................................................................ 28 2 Acronyms ATV Azad Azerbaijan TV AzTV Azerbaijan Television, state-controlled national TV channel CoE Council of Europe EBU European Broadcasting Union ECHR European Convention on Human Rights ICCPR International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ICT Information and Communication Technology IMEI International
    [Show full text]
  • Azerbaijan Republic: Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper Progress Report
    © 2004 International Monetary Fund October 2004 IMF Country Report No. 04/322 [Month, Day], 2001 August 2, 2001 January 29, 2001 [Month, Day], 2001 August 2, 2001 Azerbaijan Republic: Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper Progress Report Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) are prepared by member countries in broad consultation with stakeholders and development partners, including the staffs of the World Bank and the IMF. Updated every three years with annual progress reports, they describe the country's macroeconomic, structural, and social policies in support of growth and poverty reduction, as well as associated external financing needs and major sources of financing. This country document for the Azerbaijan Republic, dated 2004, is being made available on the IMF website by agreement with the member country as a service to users of the IMF website. To assist the IMF in evaluating the publication policy, reader comments are invited and may be sent by e-mail to [email protected]. Copies of this report are available to the public from International Monetary Fund • Publication Services 700 19th Street, N.W. • Washington, D.C. 20431 Telephone: (202) 623-7430 • Telefax: (202) 623-7201 E-mail: [email protected] • Internet: http://www.imf.org Price: $15.00 a copy International Monetary Fund Washington, D.C. STATE PROGRAMME ON POVERTY REDUCTION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AZERBAIJAN PROGRESSES TOWARD THE ACHIEVEMENT OF THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT - 2003 BAKU 2004 ACRONYMS: ADB Asian Development Bank AIDS
    [Show full text]
  • On Early Presidential Elections in Azerbaijan 11
    ON EARLY PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN AZERBAIJAN 11 April 2018 ASSESSMENT DOCUMENT BY THE CIVIL SOCIETY BAKU - 9 April 2018 I. SUMMARY While the authority to call early elections belongs to the President, which formally looks like a legal act, this right illegitimate in terms of constitutionalism principles. Taking into account that election environment and electoral legislation do not provide guarantees for free and fair elections, and do not comply with international standards, the decision to hold early elections without providing reasonable justification to the society caused main oppositional forces – National Council, Musavat Party and REAL - to protest against it by not participating in the elections. As a result, the elections are being held in a political environment without alternative and dominated by one party (YAP). Early elections coincide with the period of continuation of political tension and pressure in the sphere of human rights and freedoms following presidential elections of October 9, 2013. Immediately following the last presidential elections the political rights and political environment was seriously restricted in Azerbaijan, prosecution and pressure on political opponents increased. Since that period civil society institutions, independent media and oppositional organizations became a target of political pressure. The recent report released by the Working Group on Unified List of Political Prisoners lists 142 persons. Freedom of assembly was completely limited in the country; the rallies of opposition (National Council and Musavat Party) are permitted only in semi-closed “Mahsul” (Harvest) stadium. Those who wanted to attend these meetings usually faced artificial barriers, the police demonstratively made video recordings of the attenders and based on those videos the participants, or their relatives faced various forms of pressure.
    [Show full text]
  • Katoloq SON.Qxd
    АЗЯРБАЙЪАН МЕДИА КАТАЛОГУ AZERBAIJAN MEDIA CATALOGUE МЕДИА КАТАЛОГ АЗЕРБАЙДЖАНA БАКЫ - 2010 Азярбайъан медиа каталогу Azerbaijan Media Catalogue Mедиа kаталог Азербайджанa Редакторлар: Вцгар Тофигли (Ъяфяров) Нязирмяммяд Зющраблы (Гулийев) Корреkтор: Эцлбащар Гурбанова Editors: Vugar Tofigli (Jafarov) Nazirmammad Zohrabli (Guliyev) Proof reader: Gulbahar Gurbanova Редакторы: Вугар Тофиглы (Джафаров) Назирмамед Зохраблы (Гулиев) Корректор: Гюлбахар Гурбанова Гриф: "Азярбайъан Медиа Каталогу" китабы юлкямизин бцтцн медиа гурумлары барядя енсиклопедик мялуматлары ящатя етмякля 3 дилдя - азярбайъан, инэилис вя рус дилляриндя чап олунуб. Китаб Азярбайъан кцтляви информасийа васитяляринин баш офисляри иля йанашы, юлкямизля марагланан бейнялхалг мигйаслы журналист тяшкилатларына да щядиййя верилмяси мягсядиля щазырланыб. Signature stamp: The Azerbaijan Media Catalogue book is published in 3 languages - Azerbaijani, English and Russian covering encyclopedic informa- tion about all the media structures of our country. This book is pub- lished with the aim to be gifted to the journalist organizations of international scale that are interested in getting information on our country along with the head offices of mass media structures of Azerbaijan. Гриф: "Азербайджанский медиа каталог" - это книга энциклопеди- ческих данных охватившая все медиа структуры, вышла в пе- чать на трех языках - азербайджанском, английском и рус- ском. Издание наряду с предоставлением ее главным офисам Средств Массовой Информации, подготовлено так же с целью вручения ее
    [Show full text]
  • Press Freedom in Azerbaijan
    PRESS FREEDOM IN AZERBAIJAN Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety Annual Report – 2009 TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD .…………………………………….…………………….………………... 3 SITUATION OF ELECTRONIC MEDIA ................................................................. 4 IMPRISONED JOURNALISTS ….……………….................................................... 5 JOURNALIST DEATH .............................................…………………….................. 5 SITUATION OF FREEDOM OF SPEECH...................................………………..... 6 THREATS, PRESSURE AND PROVOCATIONS AGAINST JOURNALISTS ....... 7 SITUATION OF MEDIA LEGISLATION AND CIVIL SOCIETY............................... 7 INTERNET FREEDOM...............................………………................... ................... 9 IRFS RECOMMNDATIONS …………..............……..............……..............………. 9 TABLE I. LIBEL AND DEFAMATION CASES AND OTHER LAWSUITS AGAINST MASS MEDIA DURING 2009........................................... ……..............……......................11 TABLE 2: ATTACKS, PROVOCATION, VIOLATIONS AND THREATS AGAINST JOURNALISTS AND MEDIA ORGANIZATIONS DURING THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF 2009 .................................. ...................................................................................... 20 TABLE III: LAWSUITS FILED BY JOURNALISTS IN 2009..................................... 30 TABLE IV: SITUATION IN CONNECTION WITH ELECTRONIC MEDIA IN 2009 ........................ .................................. .................................. ................................. 35 TABLE V: LAWSUITS
    [Show full text]