If the press is not free, if speech is not independent and untrammeled, it makes no difference under what form of government you live, you are a subject and not a citizen.                        – U.S. Senator William E. Borah

Europe & Eurasia

Uzbekistan

   

{This graph represents scores that have been modified by CIMA so that higher scores indicate a better media situation. It is intended to show trends over time; each index measures significantly different factors of press freedom. To see an explanation for how this graph was created, click here.}
 

IREX Score: 0.56 [IREX Methodology]
{Higher is Better, Score Ranges from 0 to 4.00}  


IREX Description:

Mass media in Uzbekistan portray the country as democratic and its authorities as loyal to democratic principles. The legal framework of Uzbekistan guarantees a right for independent information, freedom of speech, and bans censorship. However, the on-the-ground reality is quite the opposite. Since the 2005 Andijan massacre in Uzbekistan, when government troops clashed with demonstrators and hundreds of civilians were killed, the Uzbek government has been keeping a tight control over all of the country's mass media and putting continuous pressure on foreign media and independent journalists, rights activists, and opposition parties. The year 2010 in Uzbekistan was marked as yet another year of pressure on mass media and freedom of expression in the country.

Read more on IREX’s site…

Freedom House Score: 94 (Not Free) [Freedom House Methodology]
{Lower is Better, Score Ranges from 0 to 100}  


RSF Score: 71.50 [RSF Methodology]
{Lower is Better, Score Ranges from 0 to ~120}  


Reporters Without Borders Description:

Foreign media have been gradually expelled from the country since the bloody crackdown on the Andijan uprising, in the Ferghana valley in the east of the country in May 2005. The Uzbek press is in the direct or indirect control of the ruling clans, starting with that of President Islam Karimov. The Internet is also under close surveillance and independent news websites are blocked. A new law came into force in 2006, forcing journalists from foreign media wanting to work in Uzbekistan to apply for foreign ministry accreditation. It is extremely difficult to get but it is impossible to obtain official information without this precious piece of paper. The law also punishes journalists for “interference in internal affairs” as well as “insulting the dignity of citizens”. Moreover the law bans any cooperation with an unaccredited journalist under threat of legal proceedings.

Read more on RSF’s site…

Committee to Protect Journalists Description: [What is the Committee to Protect Journalists?]

Top Developments
• State deploys analysts to build sweeping criminal defamation cases.
• Numerous regional and international news websites are blocked.

Key Statistic
6: Journalists in prison on December 1, the highest figure in the region.

Even as President Islam Karimov was calling for more "active" news reporting, his government was rolling out a new tactic designed to quash critical journalism. Using an obscure state agency to formulate the charges, Uzbek prosecutors arrested at least three journalists on vague allegations of defamation. In one of the cases, a photographer was convicted of insulting the whole of Uzbek citizenry with her images of life in rural Uzbekistan.

Visit CPJ’s Site for Recent Developments in this Country

IFEX News: [What is IFEX?]

Visit IFEX’s Site for Recent News on Media in this Country