President Wants 'Patriotic' Media

The Tajik president has instructed government to adopt a new information policy to get the media to foster patriotism. NBCentralAsia observers say journalists should engage in the debate on the issue in order to prevent it blowing up into a conflict in which press freedom is the loser.



In his annual address to parliament on April 30, President Imomali Rahmon instructed government to develop the concept for a new state information policy. The media should promote “national self-awareness and patriotism” and promote Tajik historical and cultural values, he said.



At the same time, he said the policy should also be geared towards increasing the amount of “impartial information” the world receives on events in Tajikistan.



NBCentralAsia observers think the new information policy could be used against journalists unless freedom of speech is clearly written into it.



“If the concept doesn’t clearly define what patriotism is, local officials will [use it to] determine whether a journalist is guilty or not at their own discretion. Then the [policy] will in fact be used to exert pressure on inconvenient journalists,” said political scientist Parviz Mullojanov.



Calling for the authorities to be violently overthrown is one thing, but it is a very different case when any criticism of the authorities in the media can be classed as “unpatriotic”, he said.



Nuriddin Karshiboev, head of the Association of Independent Media, says journalists and members of civil society should get involved in developing the concept.



According to Farrukhsho Junaidov, a lawyer for Internews Network in Tajikistan, the new policy should only serve as a set of guidelines as there is a danger it will be misinterpreted.



“The [policy] should promote freedom of speech and a free press, but I’m afraid our officials won’t use it in the way it’s intended,” he said.



However, Zafar Saidov, director of the state news agency Khovar, is doubtful that the new policy will somehow restrict the rights of the media. “In any case, it will be based on freedom of the media. These principles are unshakable,” he said.



“The national interest can be adequately protected and expressed only when there is freedom of the press, freedom of expression and a pluralist democracy."



(News Briefing Central Asia draws comment and analysis from a broad range of political observers across the region.)