Hot News 2005

May, 31

Jumabai Tolibov was arrested

On April 24, District Internal Affairs Department’s officers arrested Djumaboi Tolibov, a journalist and the head of the legal department of Aininsk district administration (Ispagan village, Aininsk district, Soghdiy region), in Dushanbe. The journalist is still being held in the isolation cell of the Aininsk District Internal Affairs Department.

Presumably, the reason he was detained was a number of articles he had published in Minbari halk newspaper (medium of the National Democratic party of Tajikistan): “Prokurori mushtzur” (“Prosecutor’s arbitrariness”) on 18 August 2004, “Pushtibonhoi prokurori mushtzur kihoyand?” (“Who is backing the prosecutor?”) on 10 November 2004, and in parliamentary newspaper “Miro ki himoya mekunad?” (Who is going to protect us?”) on 18 September 2004, which were critical of the Aininsk district prosecutor Azamov.

Tolibov argued in his articles that as a secretary of the coordination council he was ordered by the head of the district administration to request information from the prosecutor Azamov, about the current crime rate and measures to prevent it’s growth, they had taken during the first 6 months of 2004. In response, he heard the prosecutor saying offensive words against him; and furthermore the prosecutor attacked him right at his office. Since that time, he filed many formal reports in the general Prosecutor’s Office and Soghdiy Procuracy, but no single legal action was brought against the prosecutor. 

On 31 May 2005, journalist’s wife Sanavbar Tolibova, requested the National Association of Independent Mass Media for help.

Djumaboi Tolibov is a member of the International Confederation of Journalists’ Unions.

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