BBG Protests Detention of BBC Journalist Usmonov in Tajikistan
The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) joins in solidarity with its colleagues at the BBC to protest the detention of Urunboy Usmonov, a reporter for the BBC World Service’s Uzbek service, who has been held in Tajikistan for alleged ties to Hizb-ut-Tahir, an Islamic movement that is banned in Central Asia.
“International journalists suffer this kind of outrageous repression all too often. Our colleagues at Radio Free Europe know Urunboy as an independent-minded journalist who could be expected to cover sensitive issues with professionalism and detachment,” said Walter Isaacson, chairman of the BBG. “His reporting on Hizb-ut-Tahrir, among other subjects, was journalism, not a crime.”
Usmonov’s arrest is the latest incident in a year that saw escalating attacks against Tajikistan’s independent media.
For more information on the detention of Urunboy Usmonov, visit the BBC.