On Tajikistan: state repression against the independent media

B90081/2024

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on Tajikistan: state repression against the independent media

(2024/2506(RSP))

The European Parliament,

–having regard to its numerous previous resolutions on Tajikistan,

–having regard to the 14th round of the annual EU Human Rights Dialogue with Tajikistan held on 14 December 2023 in Dushanbe,

–having regard to Rule 144 of its Rules of Procedure.

A.whereas the independent media and civil society are increasingly being subjected to intimidation, arbitrary detention and attacks, including with the closure of many NGOs and heavy sentencing against human rights defenders in politically motivated cases by using problematic “anti-extremism” legislation such as the 2020 “Law on Countering Extremism” and the 2021 “Law on Combating Terrorism”;

B.whereas civil society, including journalists and human rights defenders are still facing reprisals for their work reporting on and documenting the May 2022 protests in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, in some cases even after serving their sentences;

C.whereas freedom of the media and expression have been continually suppressed since 2015, and recently the pressure on the media has increased not to report on events, under threat of closure, or to report only the state-supported version of events, including smear campaigns against local residents;

D.whereas according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, the media landscape in Tajikistan is in its "worst state” since the civil war in the 1990s;

1.Requests the Tajikistan authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all journalists and human rights defenders unduly detained for their legitimate human rights work, and drop all charges against them;

2.Urges the Tajik authorities to respect and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms, including people’s right to life, peaceful assembly, freedom of association, freedom of expression and freedom of the media in line with international law;

3.Condemns all attempts to intimidate media workers, human rights defenders, independent lawyers and civil society, or interfere with their legitimate work, and to stop all harassment against them, so they can carry out their work without any hindrance or fear of reprisals;

4.Calls on the European Commission to take into account ongoing violations against freedom of expression and other human rights as they consider opening GSP+ negotiations, and in line with EU's Guidelines on human rights defenders, emphasize to Tajikistan authorities that journalists and human rights defenders unjustly imprisoned must be released before this process can move forward;

5.Reiterates that the free and independent work of civil society organisations and the media is a cornerstone of any democratic society; calls, therefore, the Commission, the European External Action Service and the Member States to increase support for civil society, independent non-governmental organisations, human rights defenders and the independent media active in Tajikistan, including funding and emergency visas for those in need of protection;

6.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Council, the Commission, the EU Special Representative for Central Asia, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the UN Human Rights Council, and the President, Government and Parliament of Tajikistan.