In Uzbekistan, authorities prevented journalists from covering the tragedy
On May 3, the World Press Freedom Day, the attention of journalists was focused on the harassment of colleagues during the preparation of materials about the emergency. After the dam broke in Sardoba reservoir in Syr Darya region, representatives of some publications intended to give their information about the incident, not content with official information.
Employees of Human.uz were the first to be detained. Local law enforcement officers prevented the cameraman and journalist of the online publication from working and, after the arrest, deleted the footage. The reason for the ban was the lack of accreditation in the regional administration of Syr Darya.
Such claims were also to Nikita Makarenko, special correspondent for the Gazeta.uz news agency. According to him, he just ignored this demand and started sending photos and videos from the scene of the tragedy to the editor online. At this point, information about the detention of Human.uz journalists caused an extremely negative reaction in the public space, in which a discussion began on the reasons for the dam broke, built in 2017. Many users were not satisfied with the statement of the presidential administration’s press service that “after heavy rain and a storm wind in the morning of May 1, there was a partial fall of the dam of Sardoba reservoir”.
Attempts to find out who is the culprit probably of anthropogenic disaster led to direct pressure on the troll.uz Telegram channel from officials. The owner and administrator of the channel, Umid Gafurov, hastened to notify subscribers that he had received a call from the Agency of Information and Mass Communications under the Presidential Administration. He was asked to remove the publication about father and son, as well as the Sardoba reservoir. “They argue that the publication doesn’t correspond to reality, because the Uzbekhydroenergo JSC was formed after the commissioning of the facility, and I spread false information,” the journalist said.
The provided information cited the fact that before being appointed chairman of the board of Uzbekhydroenergo, Senator Abdugani Sanginov headed the Uzsuvenergo and personally presented the constructed Sardoba reservoir to the President. One of the subcontractors was the To’palang group of companies led by Islom Abduganievich Abdurahimov.
Without blaming anyone, troll.uz writes that “on April 22, 2020, the Uzbekhydroenergo JSC (FATHER) began the construction of a hydroelectric power station on Sardoba reservoir. The first brick for the foundation was laid by To’palang (SON). The total amount of the project is 21.3 million euros.”
The attention of subscribers was also attracted by the message that since the beginning of 2020, the Telegram channel of the Uzbekhydroenergo JSC managed to mention To’palang five times.
Almost 70 thousand people, living in the surroundings of the Sardoba reservoir, were transported to a safe place. 56 people were hospitalized. The damage is estimated. The evacuated people lost their houses, property and livestock. At the place where the dam broke, shore protection work continues. Water managed to flood five villages of Turkestan region of Kazakhstan, threatening 5 thousand residents.
