Law on the Press and other Mass Media (excerpts)

Article 5 Responsibility to Supply Information

Governmental, political and public organisations, movements and public officials shall supply the information necessary to the mass media.


Article 6 Inadmissibility Of the Misuse Of Freedom Of Speech

The use of the mass media shall not be allowed to reveal the information which constitutes state secret or other specifically protected by the law secret; incitement to violent overthrow or alteration of the existing political and social system; propaganda for war, violence and cruelty, racial, ethnic and religious discrimination or intolerance; dissemination of pornography; with a view of committing other acts liable to criminal proceedings.

The use of the mass media for interference into private life of citizens or encroachment on their rights and dignity shall be forbidden and liable to prosecution under the Law.


Article 7 The Legislation Of the Republic Of Tajikistan On the Press and Other Mass Media

The legislation of the Republic of Tajikistan on the Press and other Mass Media shall consist of this Law and other legislative acts of the Republic of Tajikistan issued pursuant to this Law.


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Article 27 The Right to Obtain Information Through the Mass Media

Citizens shall have the right to timely reliable information on activities of government bodies, public associations, public officials in the mass media.

The mass media shall exercise the right to obtain such information from bodies of government power, public associations and public officials. Bodies of government power, public associations and public officials shall supply the mass media with the available information, as well as afford them an opportunity to look through the documents.

Bodies of government power, public associations and movements, public officials shall have the right to refuse to supply the information only in the event that the information shall not be subject to publication in conformity with Article 6 of this Law.

The refusal to supply the requested information might be appealed by a mass medium representative to a higher authority or public official and after that in the law-court in the manner envisaged by the Law for appeal against unauthorised actions of bodies of state administration or public officials infringing the rights of citizens.

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Article 31 The Law on the Mass Media envisages that a journalist has the right:

(1) to seek, obtain, and disseminate information;
(2) to be received by officials in connection with performing his/her professional
journalistic duties;
(3) to carry out any recording, including with the use of audiovisual techniques, filming
and photographing, apart from cases envisaged by law;
(4) to be present in natural disaster zones after presenting a journalist’s identification card;
(5) to address specialists when checking facts and circumstances related to obtained
information;
(6) to refuse to attest to information contradictory to his/her convictions;
(7) to disown his/her signature attesting to information, should he/she believe such
information to be distorted during editing;
(8) to express keeping a secret of authorship.

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