At its plenary session in Strasbourg on Thursday 18 January, the European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning the repression of independent media in Tajikistan (481 votes in favour, 25 against and 26 abstentions).
“Media freedom is in the worst possible situation since 1991”, lamented Michaela Šojdrová (EPP, Czech), one of the authors of the resolution, during a debate on the eve of the vote. “Some journalists have been sentenced to prison terms for their work in 2022 and 2023, while counter-terrorism legislation is being used to stifle any critical voices”, she continued.
The resolution therefore condemns the ongoing repression and anti-extremism legislation against the independent media, but also against government critics, human rights activists and independent lawyers.
Among other things, it calls on the authorities to stop persecuting journalists, to release those who have been arbitrarily detained and to drop all charges against them, and to guarantee a safe working environment for media professionals and human rights defenders.
Lastly, it stresses that the freedom of expression situation in Tajikistan should be taken into account when assessing the GSP+ application and negotiating the new EU-Tajikistan Partnership and Cooperation Agreement.
To see the resolution: https://aeur.eu/f/afs (Original version in Frency by Pauline Denys)