'islam Karimov's Death Opened A New Page in Uzbekistan's History' Reporters Without Borders

AKIPRESS.COM - President Islam Karimov's death in August 2016 opened a new page in Uzbekistan's history, Reporters Without Borders said in 2017 Press Freedom Index.

"Throughout his 25-year reign, the eternal dictator kept intensifying censorship and the persecution of independent journalists. Will his successor, former Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev, allow his fellow citizens to enjoy the right to information enshrined in the constitution? The dean of Uzbekistan's imprisoned journalists, Muhammad Bekjanov, was finally released in February 2017, but nine others continue to rot in prison in the most abominable conditions.

Discontent with complete control over the traditional media, the authorities have steadily tightened their grip on the Internet in recent years, blocking access not only to independent news websites but also, more recently, to censorship circumvention tools and many instant messaging apps. They have also increased pressure on the small number of...