[x-pubpol] Tajik Web users rail against online censorship

[Joly MacFie]

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/mar/16/tajik-web-users-rail-against-online-censorship/?page=all#pagebreak

ISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan <http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/kyrgyzstan/> —
Internet users and providers in
Tajikistan<http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/tajikistan/> are
voicing concerns about online censorship after the government lifted a
six-day ban on Facebook <http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/facebook/> and
several news websites last week.

“I assume the reasons for blocking
Facebook<http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/facebook/> is
that its Tajik segment has become very active recently,” said Parvina
Ibodova <http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/parvina-ibodova/>, president
of theAssociation of Internet Providers in
Tajikistan<http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/association-of-internet-providers-in-tajikistan/>
.

“There are many groups and pages that discuss current issues in
Tajikistan<http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/tajikistan/>,
including politics. Moreover, prominent opposition figures actively use
Facebook <http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/facebook/> in their daily
work.”

On March 2, Bek Zuhurov <http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/bek-zuhurov/>,
deputy minister of transport and communications, ordered
Tajikistan<http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/tajikistan/>’s
Internet service providers to deny access to several websites, including
Facebook <http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/facebook/>, for “technical
and maintenance works.”

Facebook <http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/facebook/> has about 30,000
users in Tajikistan <http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/tajikistan/>,
said Ms. Ibodova <http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/parvina-ibodova/>,
who believes the websites were blocked because they contained content
critical of the government.

Tajikistan's government<http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/tajikistans-government/>
previously
has blocked certain websites, but this month’s action marked the first time
the country’s 1.9 million Internet users were denied access to a major
social media site.

Dunja Mijatovic <http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/dunja-mijatovic/>,
who specializes in media freedom for the Organization for
Security<http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/organization-for-security/>
and
Co-operation in Europe, wrote to Foreign MinisterHamrokhon
Zarifi<http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/hamrokhon-zarifi/> on
March 5 expressing concerns about free speech on the Web.

“The Internet should remain an open public forum for discussion and free
expression of opinions, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights,” Ms. Mijatovic<http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/dunja-mijatovic/>
said.
“In this letter I also expressed hope that access to
Facebook<http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/facebook/> and
the four news websites would be restored without delay.”

News sites blocked by the goverment included zvezda.ru, tjknews.com and
maxala.org.

In an interview with local online news service Radio Free Europe/Radio
Liberty, Mr. Zuhurov <http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/bek-zuhurov/> said
the decision to block the websites had been made “to create order in the
Internet.”

“Lately the internet is becoming like a black market,” Mr.
Zuhurov<http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/bek-zuhurov/> said,
adding that his department was concerned that journalists are being paid to
criticize the government<http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/tajikistans-government/>
by
parties aiming to “create chaos among the people.”

Khurshed, who asked that his real name not be used to protect his safety,
is one of more than 2,200 members of the
Facebook<http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/facebook/> group
“Platforma <http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/platforma/>,” who
regularly exchange views on Tajik politics online.

He believes the Tajik
government<http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/tajik-government/>
may
be increasingly wary of online dissent following recent events in the Arab
world.

“Everyone knows that social networks played a significant role in so-called
Arab Spring,” said Khurshed, adding that the
government<http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/tajik-government/>,
under President Emomali
Rahmon<http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/emomali-rahmonov/>’s
control since 1994, “had negative perceptions of the revolutions in Arab
nations.”

A recent poll commissioned by the
government<http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/tajik-government/>
showed
that 55 percent of Tajik citizens are concerned about corruption.

What’s more, the Central Asian country ranked 152 out of 182 countries in
Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index last year, and
Freedom House deems the Tajik press “not free.”

Dissatisfaction with Mr.
Rahmon<http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/emomali-rahmonov/>’s
government has not led to any clear signs of unrest. Analysts say that,
since a five-year civil war ended in 1997, Tajik citizens have little
appetite for conflict and often perceive Mr.
Rahmon<http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/emomali-rahmonov/> as
a peacemaker.

Still, blocking social media sites hasn’t gone down well among locals.
While Facebook <http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/facebook/> was
blocked, calls for public protest were posted on the
Platforma<http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/platforma/>
 page.

“Almost all users of Facebook<http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/facebook/>
 [in Tajikistan <http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/tajikistan/>] are
advanced Internet users,” said Khayrullo Mirsaidov, a
Facebook<http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/facebook/> user
in the capital city of Dushanbe. “Therefore, they use censorship-bypassing
tools like anonymizers and proxy websites.

“Moreover, due to this blocking,
Facebook<http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/facebook/> users
in Tajikistan <http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/tajikistan/> became
even more active and now the social network is full of criticism of
authorities.”

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