Bad News for Uzbek Publishers

The Uzbek authorities' latest attempt to control the media - by subjecting newsletters published by human rights groups to the same rules as newspapers - has been roundly condemned.

A new decree recently issued by the cabinet of ministers will force all media organisations to re-register with the authorities by the beginning of next year.

Such edicts have been issued in the past, but this is the first time that it has applied to non-governmental organisations, NGOs. Their newsletters and bulletins are now deemed to be part of the mass media.

Uzbekistan has no free media following the introduction of press laws in May 2002, which gave the state sweeping powers over what is published.

Fear of the consequences of criticising the government has led most journalists to practise self-censorship, leading to an ever more restricted and pedestrian press.

By contrast, bulletins and newsletters published by the NGO sector were known for their sharp editorial style and bold statements.

Activists are outraged by the latest development, and accuse the Uzbek government of removing "last piece of freedom of speech".

Kamil Ashurov, who heads the Samarkand Human Rights Centre, told IWPR that the new law would criminalise any NGO which was refused registration but persisted in publishing its material.

" The authorities … deprive us of the chance to let the people know the truth," he said. "Even during the Soviet era, there was no prohibition on publication and distribution of bulletins."

In 2003, the Samarkand human rights centre published 11 issues of their bulletin, covering issues such as the death penalty in Uzbekistan, torture, court cases against members of religious organisations, persecution of independent journalists and many other sensitive issues.

Ashurov said that the republic's new prime minister Shavkat Mirziyoev, who was formerly Samarkand's regional chief, allegedly brandished a copy of the human rights newsletter and expressed a desire to never see it again.

The centre claims that this incident led to the October decision to fine the organisation for "illegal publishing" and ban its publication. Ashurov was warned that if there was a repeat, harsher punishments including imprisonment, were to be expected.

Ashurov believes that the new law has not appeared by chance. "Parliamentary elections will be conducted next year in Uzbekistan and the authorities are trying to deprive the opposition forces of the means of addressing the public," he said.

"They are taking away their last legal possibilities to reach the public."

Many observers believe the law should never have been implemented, and are calling for it to be annulled.

Lawyer Salima Kydyrova told IWPR that the spirit of the decree goes against the Uzbek constitution and breaches an existing law on mass media, which allows an organisation to publish bulletins whether it has been registered or not.

She also believes that it contravenes the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, signed by Tashkent in 1995, that grants freedom to express opinions through the press or art.

"For these reasons, this new decree has to be abolished," she said.

Activists are also concerned the new law could curb the growth in web publications. Internet use is on the rise in Uzbekistan, with around 400,000 subscribers getting their news online rather than relying on the state press.

Karim Bakhriev, director of Internews in Uzbekistan, pointed out that since the decree defines the internet as part of the mass media, electronic titles will also be required to re-register.

"It means that if the owner of a particular website criticises the authorities, it can be denied registration and closed," he said.

State officials have denied that the new decree poses a threat to freedom of speech. Makhmud Eraliev, who heads the government's media department in Samarkand, told IWPR that the law had been issued in the name of democracy.

"Such bulletins are definitely part of the mass media and, by law, should be re-registered," he said.

By IWPR staff in Central Asia