Dokument #2080509
RFE/RL – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (Autor)
Tajik authorities have handed down long prison terms to three independent journalists and bloggers in recent days on what media watchdogs say are trumped-up charges.
Four other reporters are awaiting sentencing amid allegations that some of them were tortured in detention. The trials have all been held behind closed doors, preventing public scrutiny.
The convictions against and trial of the journalists are part of a renewed crackdown on dissent in Tajikistan, where the authoritarian government does not tolerate free speech.
All seven journalists and bloggers were arrested between May and July. Observers said the arrests were an attempt by the authorities to control public opinion following the government's deadly crackdown on protests in the restive Gorno-Badakhshan region.
Europe-based opposition activist Farhod Odinaev says the latest clampdown on independent journalists will “further spoil Tajikistan’s reputation as a repressive state that doesn’t tolerate independent media and free speech.”
In the latest conviction, a Dushanbe court on October 17 sentenced blogger Daler Imomali to 10 years in prison. He was found guilty of tax evasion, disseminating false information, and membership in the banned opposition party Group 24, which the authorities consider to be a terrorist group.
The 34-year-old pleaded guilty to tax evasion. But he has denied having any links to Group 24. The opposition party also insists that Imomali has never been a member or contributor.
Imomali’s conviction came weeks after independent blogger Muhammad Sulton, 72, was sentenced to seven years in prison. Abdulloh Ghurbati, 26, another blogger, was given a 7 1/2 year sentence.
Sulton is known for his criticism of Tajikistan’s security and intelligence services. He had also condemned the government’s violent crackdown on anti-government protests in his home region of Gorno-Badakhshan in May.
Besides Sulton, the other journalists and bloggers arrested in recent months were not openly critical of Dushanbe. They reported on local social and economic issues.
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