Uzbekistan

New York, September 3, 2009--The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the Samarkand Regional Court in central Uzbekistan to overturn on appeal a 12 and a half year jail sentence given to independent journalist Dilmurod Saiid. His appeal is scheduled for review September 8. 

New York, February 26, 2009--Two independent journalists arrested on trumped-up charges should be released immediately, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Throughout the year, President Islam Karimov's administration sought to persuade the European Union and Western nations that it was on a path of reform. It urged the EU to lift sanctions imposed in 2005 after Uzbek troops killed hundreds of citizens during antigovernment protests in the eastern city of Andijan. Lobbying efforts notwithstanding, the government maintained a deplorable press freedom record. With six reporters in prison in late year, Uzbekistan was the region's leading  jailer of journalists. International broadcast media remained blocked, and government security agents enforced censorship rules on domestic news media.

Also: See capsule reports on journalists in jail as of December 1, 2008

New York, December 4, 2008--Reflecting the rising influence of online reporting and commentary, more Internet journalists are jailed worldwide today than journalists working in any other medium. In its annual census of imprisoned journalists, released today, the Committee to Protect Journalists found that 45 percent of all media workers jailed worldwide are bloggers, Web-based reporters, or online editors. Online journalists represent the largest professional category for the first time in CPJ's prison census.

Since 2001, CPJ has documented the cases of 340 journalists forced into exile after their reporting exposed them to harassment, violence, or imprisonment. They face many difficulties in their new homes, from language and cultural adjustments to emotional and economic hardships. Here are five snapshots of journalists in exile.

Alisher Saipov, a 26-year-old independent editor, was brutally silenced on October 24, 2007. An unidentified killer fired at him three times, using a Makarov pistol, in his hometown of Osh, Kyrgyzstan. 

New York, October 10, 2008--The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns today's politicized imprisonment of independent journalist Salidzhon Abdurakhmanov and calls for his immediate and unconditional release.

New York, October 9, 2008--An Uzbek court should reject the politicized prosecution of independent journalist Salidzhon Abdurakhmanov and acquit him on fabricated drug possession charges, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Prosecutors are seeking a 17-year prison term for Abdurakhmanov, defense lawyer Rustam Tulyaganov told CPJ today. Nukus District Court Judge Kadyrbay Dzhamolov, who began hearing testimony last month, is expected to announce a verdict on Friday.

UZBEKISTAN

New York, August 5, 2008—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed to learn that police in the western Uzbek city of Nukus have brought another charge against an independent journalist to justify his arrest and detention, after initially bringing charges of drug use.

On August 2, investigators in Nukus acknowledged that Salidzhon Abdurakhmonov’s blood test results revealed no sign of drug use but instead of releasing the journalist, they slammed him with another charge—drug possession with intent to sell, which carries up to 20 years in prison, as opposed to the initial charge, which carried five years, independent news Web site Uznews reported.

More than 80 journalists flee their home countries in the last year. Iraq and Somalia are the hardest hit. By Elisbeth Witchel and Karen Phillips