OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media welcomes release of journalist in Uzbekistan, urges release of remaining imprisoned journalists

BRATISLAVA, 2 March 2018 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today welcomed the news that journalist Yusuf Ruzimurodov, who has spent 19 years in jail, has been released.

“I am delighted that Yusuf Ruzimurodov has been set free after nearly two decades of imprisonment,” Désir said. “I welcome this as a positive step towards the liberation of all journalists in Uzbekistan. It is my hope that the authorities follow through with the release of those journalists who remain behind bars, including Bobomurod Abdullaev, Gayrat Mikhliboev and Khayotkhan (Khan) Nasreddinov.”

At the request of the Uzbek authorities, Ruzimurodov was arrested in Kyiv on 15 March 1999 and subsequently deported to Uzbekistan. Ruzimurodov, at the time a reporter for the opposition party newspaper Erk, was sentenced to 15 years in prison. In 2014, his sentence was extended by three years.

The Representative has repeatedly called on the Uzbek authorities, including during his visit to Tashkent in October 2017, to release Yusuf Ruzimurodov and other media professionals who are imprisoned in the country (www.osce.org/fom/351046 and www.osce.org/fom/369916).

The Representative is currently in Bratislava to meet with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico as well as with Slovak journalists and to pay tribute to the murdered journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée.

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media observes media developments in all 57 OSCE participating States. He provides early warning on violations of freedom of expression and media freedom and promotes full compliance with OSCE media freedom commitments. Learn more at www.osce.org/fom, Twitter: @OSCE_RFoM and on www.facebook.com/osce.rfom.