JournalismPakistan.com | Published November 29, 2016
Join our WhatsApp channel
NEW YORK - Tajik authorities should immediately reinstate the accreditation of six radio journalists suspended following a broadcaster's refusal to remove a story from its website, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday.
The Tajik Foreign Ministry on November 25 canceled the accreditation of six Dushanbe-based correspondents for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)'s Tajik service following the broadcaster's refusal to remove from its website a report on the appointment of the Tajik president's daughter to a senior Foreign Ministry position, according to the U.S.-government-funded broadcaster. RFE/RL's Tajik service, locally known as Radio Ozodi, the same day reported that Rukhshona Rahmonova, President Emomali Rahmon's daughter, had been appointed as a deputy head of a department of the Foreign Ministry, based on confirmation from a ministry official and the ministry's website. Similar reports appeared in local and regional media outlets.
RFE/RL reported that soon after their story ran, a ministry official phoned the Tajik service to request that it be removed from the broadcaster's website. The official threatened to revoke journalists' accreditation if the broadcaster did not comply. When the station stood by its reporting, six correspondents were summoned to the Foreign Ministry and were informed that their accreditation was suspended. No formal explanation was given, the broadcaster reported.
RFE/RL said the six correspondents - Mirzonabi Kholikzod, Mardoni Muhammad, Abdulloh Ashurov, Muhammadvafo Rakhmatov, Amriddin Olimov and Shodmoni Yatim - did not work on the report that displeased the ministry. The suspension of their accreditation means that they cannot legally work as journalists in Tajikistan.
"Barring journalists from doing their work as retaliation for their employers' publication of a news item will not bury the news, but will call further attention to it," CPJ Deputy Executive Director Robert Mahoney said. "We call on the Tajik Foreign Ministry to reinstate the accreditation of the six RFE/RL journalists immediately and to cease interfering with the media's ability to report events."
This is the second time in recent weeks that Tajik authorities have asked the broadcaster to censor reports on its website, which has been blocked in Tajikistan since 2015, RFE/RL's director of communications told the Moscow-based, regional news website Fergana today. On November 2, officials demanded that the station remove a news story on the U.S. State Department's warning to U.S. citizens about travel to the country because of potential terrorist threats. - CPJ
April 11, 2025: Sindhi journalist AD Shar was brutally murdered in Khairpur, Sindh. His body was found dumped on Handiyari Link Road. PFUJ has declared a three-day mourning period and demanded justice.
April 10, 2025: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir government has filed a case against The Daily Jammu & Kashmir and its staff for alleged fake news, drawing condemnation from PFUJ and IFJ, who demand immediate withdrawal of the FIR and an end to media repression in Pakistan.
April 08, 2025: Journalist Arzoo Kazmi alleges that Pakistan's state agencies, including the FIA, have blocked her CNIC, passport, and bank account while threatening her. She calls it a direct attack on journalism.
April 07, 2025: The Islamabad High Court has directed IG Islamabad to produce journalist Ahmad Noorani’s missing brothers, as the Ministry of Defence denies custody. SIM activity was traced in Bahawalpur, and investigations into their suspected abduction continue.
April 07, 2025: Journalist and Raftar founder Farhan Mallick has been granted bail by a Karachi court in a case concerning anti-state content aired on his YouTube channel. He still faces separate charges related to an alleged illegal call center and data theft.
April 03, 2025: Veteran journalist Ghulam Abbas Shah has joined Discover Pakistan Television as the Head of Programming. With 25 years of experience in leading news organizations, he looks forward to contributing to quality storytelling and content.
April 02, 2025: The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has strongly condemned the visit of a group of Pakistani journalists to Israel, calling it a violation of journalistic ethics and a betrayal of press freedom and human rights. PFUJ demands a transparent investigation into the matter.
March 30, 2025: Dawn criticizes Pakistan’s plan to use TV dramas against extremism, highlighting financial and digital challenges. Can media alone solve deep-rooted issues?
April 03, 2025 The International Press Institute (IPI) and International Media Support (IMS) invite nominations for the 2025 World Press Freedom Hero and Free Media Pioneer Awards. Recognizing courageous journalists and innovative media, the awards will be presented at IPI’s 75th-anniversary World Congress in Vienna. Submit your nominations by April 30, 2025.
April 01, 2025 Photojournalist Suresh Rajak was burned alive while covering a violent protest in Kathmandu. The IFJ and its affiliates condemn the attack and call for an urgent investigation to hold the perpetrators accountable.
April 01, 2025 Assam Police arrested digital journalist Dilwar Hussain Mozumder for covering a protest against alleged corruption at Assam Co-Operative Bank. Media organizations have condemned the arrest, calling it an attack on press freedom.
March 29, 2025 A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to dismantle Voice of America (VOA), ruling that the move likely violated legal procedures. The decision protects over 1,200 journalists and media staff.
March 28, 2025 Turkey deports BBC journalist Mark Lowen over 'public order' threat and fines opposition TV channels covering Istanbul Mayor's arrest. Critics condemn crackdown on press freedom amid rising political tensions.