Press conferences of government agencies will begin in Tajikistan

According to official information, starting from Monday, January 29, ministries and departments, organizations and institutions, and executive bodies of state power in all regions, cities, and districts of the country will hold press conferences to summarize their activities in 2023.

The plan for organizing and conducting press conferences has been approved by the head of the Executive Office of the President, according to which the press conferences will begin on January 29 and conclude on February 16, the statement notes.

As reported by the state agency “Khovar,” on January 29, the first press conferences summarizing the results of 2023 will be held by the Ministry of Culture of Tajikistan, the Committee for Television and Radio under the Government of Tajikistan, the State Unitary Enterprise “Housing and Communal Services,” and the State Institution “Television ‘Safina’.”

In Tajikistan, press conferences held by ministries, departments, and state bodies are a key source of information for journalists in the context of strict restrictions on access to official information. In the context of the challenging conditions that define the work of independent and non-governmental media, periodic press conferences held by state institutions every six months provide journalists with the opportunity to discuss important issues directly with representatives of the authorities.

Restrictions on access to information make it impossible to conduct individual interviews with officials, highlighting the significance of these events in providing the public with necessary information about the current state of affairs in the country.

On January 18, 2024, the European Parliament, the highest legislative and representative body of the European Union, adopted a resolution on Tajikistan and called on the authorities of Tajikistan to cease the persecution of journalists and to immediately and unconditionally release unjustly convicted activists and media workers.

The resolution notes that the authorities of Tajikistan use the law on combating extremism and terrorism to persecute journalists, including Abdullo Gurbati, Daler Imomali, Zavkibek Saidamini, Abdusat tor Pirmukhammadzoda, Ulfatkhanim Mamadshoeva, Khushruz Jumayev, and Khurshed Fozilov, who have been sentenced to prison terms ranging from seven to over 20 years.

Previously, international organizations, including the UN, “Reporters Without Borders,” and dozens of human rights organizations, criticized the situation regarding press freedom in Tajikistan, comparing it to North Korea, and called on Emomali Rahmon and the country’s authorities to end the repression against journalists and activists.