ONI testing results
ONI tested in Tajikistan on three key ISPs:
Babilon-T, Tajiktelecom, and Telecomm-Technology.
The tests revealed no direct evidence of filtering
for any of the selected categories. Nevertheless,
ONI did document the sporadic filtering of political content during the 2006 presidential election.
Considered the most conservative Central
Asian country, with a predominantly Muslim population, Tajikistan does not technically filter
access to pornography sites. However, accessing such sites in public centers is illegal. Any
such access may be penalized with a fine ranging from USD15 to 100 as provided in the
Administrative Code and may be prosecuted
under the Criminal Code. Based on ONI’s investigation, we concluded that currently most cybercafés do not employ any filtering applications to
limit access to information. However, cybercafés
routinely monitor users to ensure they do not visit
forbidden sites.
Conclusion
Although the government has adopted a strategy
aimed at developing information society and
employing ICT potential for spurring economic
growth, it does not seek to encourage independent online publishers, journalists, and bloggers.
Media freedom is widely challenged and subject
to de facto censorship, although the constitution
provides that “state censorship and prosecution
for criticism are forbidden.” 19 Filtering is unlikely
to be declared as an official policy since
Tajikistan depends on international aid. The Tajik
government, however, has in place policies and
instruments to maintain firm control over the distribution of information, particularly before elections. The government is engaged in developing
programs aimed at restricting citizens’ Internet
access, following on from President Rahmonov’s
message that “Western values aren’t always
applicable” to Eastern countries. 20
NOTES
1. See SNGNews.ru, http://sngnews.ru/articles/5/
67577.html (in Russian) (accessed May 3, 2007).
2. See Joanna Lillis, “Tajikistan: No surprises in presidential elections,” Eurasia Insight, November 6,
2006, http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/
articles/eav110606a.shtml (accessed May 2, 2007);
and Nigora Buhari-zade, “The opposition raises
protests,” Deutsche Welle, August 29, 2006,
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2150509,
00.html (in Russian).
3. In 2005 the State Licensing Commission formally
denied BBC a license, basing its argumentations on
a complex interpretation of the Law on Licensing
Certain Types of Activities. See Eurasia Insight, “Tajik
government “tightening the screws” on independent
media,” August 26, 2006, http://www.eurasianet.org/
departments/insight/articles/eav082506a.shtml. In
addition, in 2005 the leader of the main opposition
party, Iskandarov, was convicted on terrorism and
corruption charges and sentenced to a twenty-threeyear prison term.
4. See InternetWorldStat, http://www.internetworldstat.
com/global_internet_stats.htm (accessed May 2,
2007).
5. Estimate by the Civil Initiative on Internet Policy
(CIPI), Civil Initiative on IT Tajikistan.
6. Data of the Ministry of Communications of RT,
AsiaPlus 30 (313) from January 24, 2006,
http://www.asiaplus.tj.
7. Internews Network, http://www.khoma.tj.
8. See State Statistics Committee, http://www.stat.tj;
Internet access tariffs of ISP Intercom,
http://www.intercom.tj; and ISP Babilon-T,
http://www.tojikiston.com.
9. 2005 study conducted by the Civil Initiative on
Internet Policy (CIPI), http://www.cipi.tj.
10. See the Tajikistani TLD hosting organization,
Information and Technical Centre of the President of
Tajikistan Administration, http://www.nic.tj.
11. A joint Tajik-American company, TACOM, stopped
providing Internet service in the summer of 2006, but
it is still a licensee.
12. See the Ministry of Communications, http://www.
mincom.tj, Law on Telecommunications, law no 56 of
2002, May 10, 2002, http://www.tajik-gateway.org/
index.phtml?lang=en&id=1414
13. The ICT Council was established by presidential
decree no. 1707 of February 27, 2006.
14. The Conception was ratified by presidential decree
no. 1175 of November 7, 2003.
15. Points 2 and 3 of regulation no. 389, “On Creating a
Republican Network of Data Transfer and Measures
to Order Access to Global Information Networks,”
August 8, 2001, (unofficial translation from Russian).
388
Country Summaries
ONI tested in Tajikistan on three key ISPs:
Babilon-T, Tajiktelecom, and Telecomm-Technology.
The tests revealed no direct evidence of filtering
for any of the selected categories. Nevertheless,
ONI did document the sporadic filtering of political content during the 2006 presidential election.
Considered the most conservative Central
Asian country, with a predominantly Muslim population, Tajikistan does not technically filter
access to pornography sites. However, accessing such sites in public centers is illegal. Any
such access may be penalized with a fine ranging from USD15 to 100 as provided in the
Administrative Code and may be prosecuted
under the Criminal Code. Based on ONI’s investigation, we concluded that currently most cybercafés do not employ any filtering applications to
limit access to information. However, cybercafés
routinely monitor users to ensure they do not visit
forbidden sites.
Conclusion
Although the government has adopted a strategy
aimed at developing information society and
employing ICT potential for spurring economic
growth, it does not seek to encourage independent online publishers, journalists, and bloggers.
Media freedom is widely challenged and subject
to de facto censorship, although the constitution
provides that “state censorship and prosecution
for criticism are forbidden.” 19 Filtering is unlikely
to be declared as an official policy since
Tajikistan depends on international aid. The Tajik
government, however, has in place policies and
instruments to maintain firm control over the distribution of information, particularly before elections. The government is engaged in developing
programs aimed at restricting citizens’ Internet
access, following on from President Rahmonov’s
message that “Western values aren’t always
applicable” to Eastern countries. 20
NOTES
1. See SNGNews.ru, http://sngnews.ru/articles/5/
67577.html (in Russian) (accessed May 3, 2007).
2. See Joanna Lillis, “Tajikistan: No surprises in presidential elections,” Eurasia Insight, November 6,
2006, http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/
articles/eav110606a.shtml (accessed May 2, 2007);
and Nigora Buhari-zade, “The opposition raises
protests,” Deutsche Welle, August 29, 2006,
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2150509,
00.html (in Russian).
3. In 2005 the State Licensing Commission formally
denied BBC a license, basing its argumentations on
a complex interpretation of the Law on Licensing
Certain Types of Activities. See Eurasia Insight, “Tajik
government “tightening the screws” on independent
media,” August 26, 2006, http://www.eurasianet.org/
departments/insight/articles/eav082506a.shtml. In
addition, in 2005 the leader of the main opposition
party, Iskandarov, was convicted on terrorism and
corruption charges and sentenced to a twenty-threeyear prison term.
4. See InternetWorldStat, http://www.internetworldstat.
com/global_internet_stats.htm (accessed May 2,
2007).
5. Estimate by the Civil Initiative on Internet Policy
(CIPI), Civil Initiative on IT Tajikistan.
6. Data of the Ministry of Communications of RT,
AsiaPlus 30 (313) from January 24, 2006,
http://www.asiaplus.tj.
7. Internews Network, http://www.khoma.tj.
8. See State Statistics Committee, http://www.stat.tj;
Internet access tariffs of ISP Intercom,
http://www.intercom.tj; and ISP Babilon-T,
http://www.tojikiston.com.
9. 2005 study conducted by the Civil Initiative on
Internet Policy (CIPI), http://www.cipi.tj.
10. See the Tajikistani TLD hosting organization,
Information and Technical Centre of the President of
Tajikistan Administration, http://www.nic.tj.
11. A joint Tajik-American company, TACOM, stopped
providing Internet service in the summer of 2006, but
it is still a licensee.
12. See the Ministry of Communications, http://www.
mincom.tj, Law on Telecommunications, law no 56 of
2002, May 10, 2002, http://www.tajik-gateway.org/
index.phtml?lang=en&id=1414
13. The ICT Council was established by presidential
decree no. 1707 of February 27, 2006.
14. The Conception was ratified by presidential decree
no. 1175 of November 7, 2003.
15. Points 2 and 3 of regulation no. 389, “On Creating a
Republican Network of Data Transfer and Measures
to Order Access to Global Information Networks,”
August 8, 2001, (unofficial translation from Russian).
388
Country Summaries