Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Tajik Journalist Attacked, Beaten for Second Time This Month

RFE/RL's Tajik Service

   DUSHANBE, TAJIKISTAN - A journalist of Tajikistan's independent Asia
   Plus news agency has been attacked for the second time in less than a
   month as he covered the aftermath of a recent landslide that killed two
   men.

   Abdulloh Ghurbati told RFE/RL that three men attacked him Friday in the
   southern region of Khatlon after one of the assailants introduced
   himself as a village chief and accused the journalist of being a
   "provocateur."

   "When I tried to explain that I am a reporter working on material about
   people affected by the landslide, one of the three [men] unexpectedly
   knocked me down, punching me in the face, and then continued beating me
   after I fell down," Ghurbati said, adding that the attackers then left
   by car, the model and the license plate number of which he remembered.

   Ghurbati said he was confident the attack was premeditated and might be
   linked to his professional activities. He said he had filed a complaint
   with local police.

   The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's
   representative on freedom of the media, Harlem Desir, said he was
   "alarmed" by the attack and called for "a quick and thorough
   investigation to bring culprits to justice."

   "Journalists must be safe to report on matters of public interest,"
   Desir wrote on Twitter.

     Alarmed by the second attack on [1]#AbdullohGhurbati of
     [2]@AsiaPlusTj in [3]#Khurason district, [4]#Tajikistan. I appeal
     for a quick and thorough investigation to bring culprits to justice.
     Journalists must be safe to report on matters of public interest.
     -- OSCE media freedom (@OSCE_RFoM) [5]May 29, 2020

   Less than three weeks ago, Ghurbati, 23, was [6]attacked by two masked
   men in Dushanbe, the Central Asian nation's capital.

   Ghurbati said then that during several phone calls from unknown
   individuals, he had received threats about his articles questioning
   some of the government's activities, including efforts to prevent the
   spread of the coronavirus in the country.

   Desir, the OSCE representative, and rights watchdogs condemned the
   attack and urged Tajik authorities to thoroughly investigate it.

   Last month, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) ranked Tajikistan 161st out
   of 180 countries for press freedom.

   According to RSF, conditions for independent media working in
   Tajikistan have dramatically worsened in the last two years.

References

   1. https://twitter.com/hashtag/AbdullohGhurbati?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   2. https://twitter.com/AsiaPlusTj?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   3. https://twitter.com/hashtag/Khurason?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   4. https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tajikistan?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   5. https://twitter.com/OSCE_RFoM/status/1266350404243202054?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   6. https://bit.ly/3dfsal5