On March 4 an assault on two journalists of Radio Liberty Shakhlo Abdullo and Mulloradzhab Yusufzoda in Dushanbe was committed. They shot the report on increase in prices for gasoline and diesel fuel in the city on the territory of company «Soro Oil» gas Station, in the 33rd residential district. Journalists talked to the driver who complained of price increase when the employee of gas station approached them and rudely demanded to stop shooting as they have no written consent to it from the management of the station. Journalists agreed not to remove the building of gas station and not to mention the name in a plot. But the employee of gas station cried at the driver that he immediately left the station territory, Shakhlo Abdullo pushed and closed hands the video camera.
Mulloradzhab Yusufzoda stood up for the colleague and got hit in a chin. It is not the first case of attack on journalists in Tajikistan in operating time.
The power not that can’t provide observance of the right of journalists for free coverage of events in the country, so she also is the first interested person that removed and showed to people only that for the benefit of the power. Obviously the ban on shooting in the territory of this gas station is caused by fear for the wellbeing workers execute the order of the management, the management is afraid to make the slightest the miss capable to make angry the power. And so everywhere, the management of any enterprise, firm coordinates with journalists a shooting subject in advance if the report on achievements and Rakhmonov’s praise and his boards, then please, shoot, dear journalists. And remove any amateur performance from us far away we still want to live well. Here somehow so in our country it is worked to representatives of the press: or you eulogize the power and you are dear journalist, or to be to you beaten.
We witnessed numerous attempts at the journalist and the politician Dododjon Atovulloyev for exposure of crimes of the regime of Rakhmonov. In 2016 the journalist Faraj Doro Sukhrobi was detained by police on duty and beaten in police station. In 2019 the independent Tajik journalist Daler Sharipov carried out over a year in prison on insubstantial accusations. Other journalist, Abdullo Gurbati, was exposed to attacks and beatings twice for the fact that wrote truthful article about the COVID-19 and listened to complaints of residents of Hurosonsky district, and attacking him got off with a penalty.
Journalists of Radio Liberty Shahlo Gulhoja, Isfandiyori Odina, Zafari Sufi, Isfandiyori Nazar, Doriyushi Rajabiyon and Saidmuhiddin Dustmuhammadien have repeatedly been criticized for impartial and objective coverage of the problems of the people and society. It is clear that all this is the work of the despotic regime of Rakhmonov and the Tajik authorities, because the authorities are very afraid to tell the truth, expose lies and crimes.
The Group-24 political movement strongly condemned the attack on Radio Liberty journalists and called on the authorities to bring those responsible to justice in accordance with Tajik law.
Group of 24 political movement
