One Year After Journalist's Murder, Still No Answers

October 24, 2008 | WASHINGTON, D.C.« Back to Press Releases

One year ago today, Alisher Saipov, a 26 year-old Uzbek journalist who was a correspondent for the Voice of America (VOA) and contributor to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty(RFE/RL), was shot to death by an unidentified gunman near his office in the southern Kyrgyzstan town of Osh. Despite pledges by the Kyrgyz authorities to bring Saipov's killers to justice, the case remains unsolved.

"One year later, and the shots that killed Alisher Saipov still echo with his young family and among journalists worldwide who seek to freely report the facts. The government of Kyrgyzstan must pursue Saipov's killers, following a path to justice no matter where it leads," said Edward Kaufman, member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the federal government agency that oversees VOA and RFE/RL.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) today called the investigation "disgraceful." The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says promises by the Kyrgyz government "hang in the air, lacking the political will to solve the crime."

Exiled Uzbek journalist Galima Bukharbaeva, who has drawn international attention to the Uzbek government’s authoritarian policies, said on a VOA broadcast that local governments “will never find the real killers,” because Kyrgyzstan does not want to get pressure from Uzbekistan given the suspected role of Uzbek security agents.

Andrew Stroehlein, Director of Media and Information of the International Crisis Group in Brussels described on the VOA radio show how Uzbek government jails and harasses journalists to “send a warning to journalists who work inside of Uzbekistan or neighboring countries to stop their criticism.”

An ethnic Uzbek, Saipov, was the founder and editor of the popular weekly Siyosat (Politics), which covered Central Asian politics with a focus on Uzbekistan. He wrote tirelessly about torture in Uzbek prisons. He documented the Uzbek government's crackdown against dissent and the deplorable living conditions of Uzbek refugees in Kyrgyzstan.

In May 2005, Saipov reported on the Andijon Massacre, when government troops opened fire on peaceful demonstrators, killing hundreds of unarmed civilians. Saipov became the target of harassment that culminated shortly before his death in a defamatory program broadcast on Uzbek state-sponsored television. He complained to friends that he had received death threats and warnings that he should stop working as a journalist.

In a commentary, RFE/RL's Uzbek Service Director Sojida Djakhfarova said any "serious official investigation into his killing appears to have been buried along with Saipov.""

Earlier this week, Reporters Without Borders ranked Uzbekistan 162 out 173 when it comes to freedom of the press, below such countries as Libya, Syria, and Saudia Arabia.

The Broadcasting Board of Governors is an independent federal agency, supervising all U.S. government-supported, non-military international broadcasting, whose mission is to promote freedom and democracy and to enhance understanding through multi-media communication of accurate, objective, and balanced news, information, and other programming about America and the world to audiences overseas. BBG broadcasting organizations include the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks (Alhurra TV and Radio Sawa), Radio Free Asia, and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (Radio and TV Martí). BBG broadcasts reach over 175 million people worldwide on a weekly basis.