The Supreme Court of Tajikistan, at the request of the country’s Prosecutor General’s Office, recognized the information publication Pamir Daily News (Pamir News) as an extremist organization, whose activities are prohibited on the territory of the republic. This was announced on July 19 by the press service of the supervisory authority.
Moreover, the Supreme Court made a decision on June 14 of this year, but the authorities released this information only now. It is emphasized that all Pamir Daily News websites are blocked.
The press service of the Prosecutor General’s Office warned citizens that cooperation with this extremist organization, its leaders and members in any form is illegal and entails criminal liability.
The reasons why the oversight agency petitioned for the recognition of Pamir Daily News as an extremist organization and the closure of its web resources are not named. However, according to Ozodi, the representatives of the publication themselves, who actively cover the events in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, believe that they have long been an eyesore to the Tajik authorities, as they talk about lawlessness in the republic, in particular in GBAO.
Despite the decision of the Supreme Court, the banned media will continue to operate. As the leaders of the publication emphasized, “with even greater motivation and dedication.”
In Tajikistan, the security forces often initiate criminal cases against representatives of the media, often linking their activities with organizations banned in the territory of the republic. Thus, in May this year, the court sentenced journalist Khurshed Fozilov to seven years in prison for involvement in extremist communities.
Moreover, according to local media, Fozilov is the eighth journalist who was prosecuted by the Tajik authorities over the past year. In 2022, seven of his colleagues received prison terms ranging from seven to 21 years.
For example, in October, a court in Dushanbe sentenced journalist Daler Imomali to 10 years in prison on charges of collaborating with the country’s banned Group 24. Earlier, Abdullo Gurbati received 7.5 years in prison on charges of having links with the banned Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan and the National Alliance of Tajikistan.
Source: Медиазона
