Letter on Behalf of Umida Niyazova

Letter on Behalf of Umida Niyazova

February 15, 2007


President Islam Karimov
c/o Embassy of Uzbekistan
1746 Massachusetts Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20036

Dear President Karimov:

We are writing on behalf of the International Women’s Media Foundation to express our alarm concerning independent journalist Umida Niyazova.

She was detained Jan. 22 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, according to reports from the Committee to Protect Journalists. There is no information yet about a trial date for her.

Niyazova had first been detained in December; her passport and computer were confiscated at the airport when she arrived after a trip to Kyrgyzstan. She returned to Kyrgyzstan and attempted to enter Uzbekistan again on Jan. 22, at which point she was charged with illegal border crossing and smuggling subversive literature, each of which carries up to 10 years in prison. We find these charges, at best, questionable, and at worst, irresponsible.

Niyazova has covered politics and human rights in Uzbekistan for the Central Asia news Web site Oasis, a project of the Moscow-based media watchdog Center for Journalism in Extreme Situations. She has worked for CJES since 2000 and has written for Oasis under a pseudonym. She also contributed to Human Rights Watch, Freedom House and Internews Network.

Niyazova wrote articles for Oasis about the May 2005 unrest in Andijan, during which security forces opened fire on anti-government demonstrators, killing between 500 and 1,000 civilians. Following the Andijan Massacre, your administration cracked down on independent journalists and human rights activists, driving independent reporters into exile, jailing critics and attempting to silence alternative news outlets.

With the recent increase in such threats to journalists, and even deaths because of their work, we are concerned that Niyazova’s detainment signals more restrictions on free expression and press freedom in Uzbekistan. All viewpoints should be allowed to be expressed in the media without force or coercion from authorities.

As a network of thousands of women and men in the media around the world who are supporters of a worldwide free press, we respectfully urge you to take immediate action to ensure that Niyazova – who was simply engaged in carrying out her professional work – is safely released. By using your power to ensure that justice is done in this case, you will take a strong step toward preserving a free and independent press in Uzbekistan.

Thank you for your attention.

Sincerely,

Eleanor Clift, co-chair
Liza Gross, co-chair

cc: U.S. Embassy in Uzbekistan
3 Moyqorghon Street, 5th Block
Yunusobod District
100093 Tashkent
Uzbekistan

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