OSCE, Vienna, 2 Feb 2010 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Miklos Haraszti, said today that he was deeply concerned by the continuing harassment of journalists in Uzbekistan. Read more…

Uznews, Tashkent, 29 Jan 2010 – Investigator Nodir Ahmadjanov has rejected photographer and documentary filmmaker Umida Ahmedova and her lawyer’s motion to question experts who concluded three weeks ago that her photo album “Women and Men: from Dawn to Dusk” and documentary “Burden of Virginity” defamed the Uzbek people. Read more…

Cell phone users detained, punished for sending “harmful” text messages

UAA, Washington, 27 Jan 2010 – The Uyghur American Association (UAA) condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the issuance on January 25 of four new death sentences to Uyghurs in connection with unrest that took place in July 2009 in Urumchi, the regional capital of East Turkestan. Read more…

WPFC, Washington, 19 Jan 2010 — The World Press Freedom Committee — an organization representing 45 press freedom groups from throughout the world — condemns the seven-year prison sentence handed down today against Armenian journalist Nikol Pashinyan, editor-in-chief of the country’s leading newspaper, Haykakan Zhamanak (Armenian Times), who was arrested on July 1 after he voluntarily came out of hiding. Read more…

CPJ/IFEX, New York, 18 Jan 2009 – New York, January 15, 2010 – The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Uzbek authorities today to immediately cease their campaign of intimidation against the handful of independent journalists remaining in the Central Asian country. Read more…

UAA, Washington, 14 Jan 2010 – The Uyghur American Association (UAA) fears that the near doubling of the security budget for East Turkestan, announced today in Chinese state media, will broaden the scope of the ongoing official repression of Uyghurs and exacerbate ethnic tensions in the region. Read more…

Vienna, OSCE, 12 Jan 2010 – The new OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Kazakhstan’s Secretary of State and Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev, will outline Kazakhstan’s priorities for the Organization in 2010 in a speech to be delivered on Thursday in Vienna. Read more…

IRFS/IFEX, Baku, 08 Jan 2010 – On 8 January 2010, “Milletim” newspaper’s editor-in-chief Faramaz Novruzoglu was released from prison number 16. Novruzoglu was met by the newspaper’s employees and his friends in front of the prison. Read more…

OSCE, Astana, 01 Jan 2010 – Kazakhstan took over the Chairmanship of the OSCE today and reaffirmed its commitment to uphold the fundamental principles and values of the Organization, to proceed according to the interests of all participating States and to strengthen the role of the OSCE as a significant platform for dialogue contributing to security in the wider Eurasian space. Read more…

OSCE, Ashgabat, 17 Dec 2009 – The winners of the photo contest launched by the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat to celebrate its tenth anniversary were announced today, with the first prize awarded to Igor Lomov for his photo “Twin souls”. Read more…

Uznews, 10 Dec 2009, Osh – The Kyrgyz Supreme Court has turned down an appeal filed by the slain journalist Alisher Saipov’s family to demand that the criminal case into his murder be sent for additional investigation. The court decided that there was nothing more to investigate and that the case could be sent to court. Read more…

The Uyghur American Association (UAA) thanks the U.S. government for expressing concern over the recent executions of nine people in Urumchi that were related to July 5, 2009 unrest in the city, and calls upon President Obama to reiterate this concern on his forthcoming trip to China, beginning November 16. Read more…

UAA, Washington, 09 Nov 2009 – The Uyghur American Association (UAA) condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the executions of nine men in Urumchi, the regional capital of East Turkestan. Chinese state media announced the executions on November 9, 2009 of the men, eight Uyghurs and one Chinese, who were convicted on charges connected with deadly unrest in Urumchi on July 5, 2009. Read more…

UAA, Washington, 04 Nov 2009 - The Uyghur American Association (UAA) calls for investigation into a report that Uyghur prosecutors initially selected to preside over the cases related to July 5, 2009 unrest in the regional capital of Urumchi in East Turkestan were removed from their duties because of alleged ethnic bias. Read more…