Uzbekistan: The authorities have considerable control over the media
By 24 lines, Uzbekistan has improved its position in the ranking of the World Press Freedom Index, rising from 157 (in 2021) to 133. The study was conducted by the international organization “Reporters Without Borders” (RSF).
Such an assessment of Uzbekistan is weakly correlated with the conclusions of the RSF. It’s noted that the authorities largely control the media, as well as a number of bloggers close to the government. Consequently, the situation hasn’t improved after 2020, when Uzbekistan was ranked 156th in the Index.
In the new study, as an actual verdict, it concludes that there are no reforms necessary to repeal laws that allow repression of the media. The compilers state the continuation of the practice of surveillance, censorship and self-censorship. It’s emphasized, “In order to maintain their independence, local online media avoid official registration as mass media, risking prosecution and heavy fines for what they publish.”
For its 20th edition of the World Press Freedom Index, the RSF changed the methodology by working with a committee of seven experts from the field of science and the media. This work defined freedom of the press as “the effective opportunity for journalists (both individuals and collectives) to select, produce and disseminate information in the public interest, independent of political, economic, legal and social interference and without endangering their physical and mental safety”. The result is five new indicators that structure the Index to reflect the complexity of press freedom. The indicators include political context, legal framework, economic context, socio-cultural context and security.
Uzbek participants filled out the RSF’s questionnaire for several months about the state of the media in the country. “There was a large survey of twenty journalists. Well, that’s how they answered the questions,” one RSF expert told an ACCA journalist.
After the announcement of the sensational results of the Index for Uzbekistan, the following questions remain open: Were the previous indicators inaccurate or did the authorities work well with the respondents? If the latter conclusion is true, then President Mirziyoyev’s subordinates can bravely report how successfully his decree on systematizing measures to improve the country’s position in international rankings and indices is being implemented.
Monitoring by the Foundation “Justice for journalists” (UK) shows that the number of attacks in 2021 compared to 2020 using legal/economic mechanisms in the media and blogosphere of Uzbekistan increased by a third – over 90 incidents. All information was obtained openly, mostly from media registered in Uzbekistan.
According to the Uzbek service of Radio Liberty, more than 10 bloggers are behind bars in Uzbekistan, where freedom of the press is now triumphant. Many online media and its platforms are blocked in the country. Journalists from Uzbek online media were also subjected to criminal prosecution.
On the eve of May 3 (World Press Freedom Day), ACCA published an article stating that the holiday in Uzbekistan is marked by various repressions against journalists, who are practically deprived of legal protection and support. Numerous facts of manipulating the media sphere of Uzbekistan testify to this.
