Central Asian Journalists Receive Pressure over Their Coverage of the Ukraine War
Authorities in the five Central Asian nations are pressing their media to provide "neutral" coverage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in order to avoid offending their Russian neighbours. Governments must allow journalists to cover the war and its consequences.
Reporters Without Borders reports that in Kyrgyzstan, Next TV director Taalai Duishenbiev faces up to seven years in prison on charges of spreading erroneous information and "inciting ethnic hatred" because of a story about the war in Ukraine that the channel posted on its social media accounts.
Following the arrest of Duishenbiev, Next TV's office was sealed in Bishkek, and its employees had questions to answer after it reposted a report on 2 March in which the exiled former head of Kazakhstan's Committee for National Security (KNB) was quoted as referring to a rumoured secret agreement between Bishkek and Moscow for Kyrgyzstan to provide military assistance to Russia in Ukraine. A Bishkek court ruled on 29 March that the post was "extremist."
Journalists and bloggers in Uzbekistan have been intimidated by authorities into toned down coverage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and articles on the popular news sites Kun.uz and Daryo.uz have been removed. Earlier this month, the National Security Service (SNB) summoned Kun.uz editor Umid Shermukhammedov and two of the site's founders for questioning, according to a (now-deleted) post on the site's Facebook page. The editor was reportedly instructed to cover the subject in a more "neutral" manner.
Anora Sodikova, editor at the news website of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, told Radio Ozodlik (the Uzbek serving of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) that several of her colleagues have been subject to similar pressure. At the same time, Uzbek state media do not use the words "invasion" or "aggression" as they do in Russia.
In Kazakhstan, the word "war" is not forbidden, but coverage of the conflict by state-owned media and media owned by prominent businessmen is cautious, and pressure is being applied to the independent publication Uralskaya Nedelya. Its largest advertiser has withdrawn its advertising, accusing it of taking a "anti-Russian" stance following an Instagram post explaining how Ukrainian volunteers can collect medicine for the Ukrainian army and the people of Kyiv. Tamara Eslyamova, editor of the outlet, said that its Instagram account was also attacked by Russian bots at the start of the conflict.
In Tajikistan, the war is covered by a few independent media outlets but not by state-run television. According to CABAR.asia, the security services instructed TV channel executives not to cover it. The state-controlled news agency TDH has not mentioned the war in Turkmenistan, which is one of the world's most closed countries.
Among 180 countries, Kyrgyzstan ranks 79th, Kazakhstan 155th, Uzbekistan 157th, Tajikistan 162nd, and Turkmenistan 178th in RSF's 2021 World Press Freedom Index.
