The authorities in Central Asia must release all journalists interned in the region, said the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir in his opening remarks at the 19th Central Asia Media Conference, “Open Journalism in Central Asia”, which concluded in Tashkent yesterday.

 “I call for the release of Dilmurod Saiid, Yusuf Ruzimurodov, Bobomurad Abdullaev and all other journalists still imprisoned. It is possible and necessary,” Désir said in his meetings with Uzbek authorities.

The conference brought together over 100 participants, including journalists, representatives of governments, civil society organizations and academia from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Mongolia as well as several international experts from Belgium and Austria.

The participants discussed a wide range of issues, including current tendencies in news media distribution, professional challenges in the digital and increasingly mobile environment, as well as safeguards to media freedom whilst countering violent extremism and hate speech.

“Open debates, and the freedom to hold governments to account, can only improve the quality of governance, by detecting weaknesses, needs and new questions. And it is my belief that freedom of expression and freedom of the media strengthen the resilience of society to cope with challenges of security,” Désir told the conference.

Side events on topic ranging from the rights of minorities to media in the digital age and environmental journalism illustrated different aspects of the media’s role with respect to security. Participants also looked into issues of media regulation and self-regulation in the context of reporting on terrorism and countering extremist narratives.

The latest media freedom developments in Central Asia and Mongolia were also discussed and best practices shared. Participants put forward suggestions and proposals on what could and should be done to strengthen and ensure open journalism in the region. Based on the discussions at the conference, a set of recommendations has been compiled and will be published.

The Representative discussed media freedom issues in Uzbekistan in bilateral meetings with: Sarvar Otamuradov, Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis, Uzbekistan’s parliament; Sherzod Shermatov, the country’s Minister of Development of Information Technologies and Communications; and Ilkhom Abdullaev, Chairperson of the Committee on Information and Communication Technologies of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis.

The OSCE Representative also thanked the Uzbek authorities for hosting the Central Asian Media Conference for the second time, an event which takes place annually in the region and provides an opportunity to discuss and co-ordinate efforts to promote and support the fulfilment of OSCE media freedom commitments in Central Asia.