Worrying Signals
March 26, 2007
Natalia Bushuyeva, an Uzbek citizen, "is charged with tax evasion and conducting her activity without a licence," her defence lawyer, Suhrob Ismailov, told news agency AFP.
Bushuyeva is the first journalist to be charged with unlicensed activities since Uzbekistan adopted a law last year that bans local journalists from working for foreign media without accreditation. Bushuyeva was summoned to the prosecutor's office in the capital Tashkent last Friday.
If found guilty, she could be sentenced to up to six months in prison.
The pro-government website www.gorizont.uz said that Bushuyeva had worked for Deutsche Welle radio for five years and "never declared her income... Moreover, she worked without being accredited, which is also a breach of the law."
Deutsche Welle protests case
The director of German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, Erik Bettermann on Monday protested against the "massive hindrances" on its freelance journalists in Uzbekistan by state authorities.
Bettermann said "it is not acceptable" that journalists are "intimidated and put under pressure" through criminal investigations. The Deutsche Welle, which is headquartered in Bonn, said it had officially requested the Uzbek embassy to explain the incident.
According to reports, state prosecutors in Tashkent last week summoned freelance journalists of Deutsche Welle's Russian service and questioned them about tax and other financial affairs. Last year, Uzbekistan's foreign ministry cancelled the accreditation of another Deutsche Welle reporter in Uzbekistan. Bushuyeva's own accreditation expired in 2005.
"We demand that Uzbekistan takes its responsibilities seriously and allow the free practice of journalism," said Bettermann. He added that the Central Asian country had internationally committed itself to respect freedom of expression and speech.
Poor ties with the West
Uzbek authorities have tightened controls on foreign journalists after accusing them of helping Islamic insurgents foment an uprising in 2005 in the eastern province of Andizhan that was brutally put down by security forces. Uzbek troops are reported to have fired on a crowd, killing hundreds of civilians.
President Islam Karimov's government says 187 people -- mainly "terrorists" and security forces -- died in Andizhan during an attempted coup by Islamist extremists.
In the wake of the crack-down, Uzbekistan's relations with the West have plummeted. The European Union imposed sanctions on the Central Asian country while Washington, a former ally, also lashed Tashkent for its use of force on civilians.
Both US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Britain's BBC World Service closed down operations in the Uzbek capital.