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Madame President, 

The freedom of expression is one of the fundamental values of the European Union. It is indispensable for individual dignity and fulfilment, but also essential for the enjoyment of a wide range of other human rights, be they civil, political, economic, social or cultural. This is why the EU pays particular attention to the situation of independent media, supporting media pluralism and freedom of expression across the world.  

And this applies also to our relations with Tajikistan. 

The EU regrets to see that the media environment in Tajikistan remains constrained by an obstructive regulatory environment, political influence and lack of diversity. The EU shares the concerns of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Ms. Ribeiro, expressed during her visit to Tajikistan in October 2022, about the high number of imprisoned journalists as well as the persisting obstacles to the media freedom. The EU also shares her concerns about the physical and legal safety of journalists, media regulation, accreditation of media workers or access to information.  

The Government of Tajikistan justifies its restrictive approach using security reasons, the fight against terrorism and tackling Islamic radicalism. While the EU recognizes these security concerns of Tajikistan, it does not find the measures proportionate. 

The EU actively supports independent media and the strengthening of the journalists’ capacity, through trainings addressed to both private-media professionals and institutional press officers, from ministries and the Tajik Parliament.  

The dynamic in the EU-Tajikistan relations, the positive dynamic, allows for strong engagement with the authorities on human rights, through regular political dialogues as well as cooperation activities. Notably, the EU discussed the situation of independent media and journalists at the 14th EU-Tajikistan Human Rights Dialogue, which took place in Dushanbe on 14 December 2023. At that meeting, the EU called on Tajikistan to ensure right to freedom of expression, both online and offline, without fear of reprisals, in compliance with international law and standards. The EU requested that the Government of Tajikistan ensures effective protection of independent journalists and media workers against any form of harassment and intimidation.  

Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-251445