Uzbekistan took another step towards democracy, which, like the recently proposed constitutional reform actually makes the state stronger. This latest step consists of new rules for accrediting journalists that will allow the state to further limit access to information.
Media analyst Shahida Yakub says the resolution’s wording is complex and confusing, and many of its provisions are open to interpretation. For example, the government will be able to apply phrases about “access to open information” or the “objective coverage” of state institutions however it wants. So access to information will vary, and a reporter’s objectivity will be subject to challenge.
Yusuf Rasul, a journalist now based abroad, says the government’s real aim is to make it harder for “undesirable” journalists – local as well as foreign – to access information and to slim down the number of reporters granted accreditation.
In perhaps related news, the Uzbek government has also announced an $8 million investment in new radio monitoring stations. Six will be mobile, while one will be fixed in Andijon viloyati. The loan for the project is coming from a German bank while the equipment comes from a German company. There are, RFE/RL notes, many important uses for radio frequency monitoring, but it can also be used to block stations.
* Which, remember, means whatever the state wants it to mean.
This post was written by...
Nathan Hamm – author of 2974 posts on Registan.net.
Nathan is the Founding Editor and Publisher of Registan.net, which he launched in 2003. He was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uzbekistan 2000-2001 and received his MA in Central Asian Studies from the University of Washington in 2007. Since 2007, he has worked full-time as an analyst, consulting with private and government clients on Central Asian affairs, specializing in how socio-cultural and political factors shape risks and opportunities and how organizations can adjust their strategic and operational plans to account for these variables. Nathan is currently seeking research, analysis, and consulting opportunities. He can be contacted via Twitter or email.
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