Attacks on the Press 2004: Uzbekistan
UzbekistanUzbekistan’s stagnant economy and Soviet-style dictatorship continued to fuel popular discontent in 2004, and President Islam Karimov brutally suppressed dissenters to -maintain his control of the country. Karimov stonewalled U.S. and Western pressure for reforms throughout the year, cultivating his image as an American ally in the “war on -terror” and calculating that the Bush…
Journalists in prison, 2004
Around the world, 122 journalists were in prison at the end of 2004 for practicing their profession, 16 fewer than the year before. International advocacy campaigns, including those waged by the Committee to Protect Journalists, helped win the early release of a number of imprisoned journalists, notably six independent writers and reporters in Cuba.
Persecuted journalist granted asylum in the U.S.
New York, October 26, 2004—Ruslan Sharipov, an independent journalist and human rights activist who was persecuted, tortured and imprisoned by Uzbek authorities, has resettled in California after gaining political refugee status in the United States. In an interview with the Committee to Protect Journalists yesterday, Sharipov said he is excited to “taste freedom again” and…
Court shuts Internews ahead of parliamentary elections
New York, September 14, 2004—A court in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent shut the media training organization Internews-Uzbekistan yesterday for six months for violating a law regulating non-governmental organizations, according to local and international press reports. The closure comes amid a broad government crackdown on the independent media and non-governmental organizations ahead of parliamentary elections…
A journalist released, but struggling
New York, August 4, 2004—Uzbek authorities have released Madzid Abduraimov, a journalist with the national weekly Yangi Asr, who was imprisoned for three years after criticizing authorities in the southern Surkhandarya region. Abduraimov said he is struggling now to reclaim his home and other personal belongings that were confiscated by authorities. “Being in prison was…
CPJ calls for review of case of imprisoned journalist
Your Excellency: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a New York-based independent organization dedicated to defending press freedom worldwide, is concerned that Uzbek authorities have failed to meet their commitment to review the case of Ruslan Sharipov, an independent journalist and human rights activist. He is currently serving a four-year prison sentence for sodomy and having sexual relations with minors.
Imprisoned journalist transferred to house arrest
March 17, 2004, New York—Uzbek authorities have allowed imprisoned journalist Ruslan Sharipov, who has been jailed since May 2003, to complete his sentence under house arrest. On Friday, March 12, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry announced that Sharipov would be moved from Tavaksay Prison in Tashkent Region to a low-security prison near Kibray District, also in…