Uznews.net was an independent Uzbek news website that operated from 2005 to 2014. As of 2010, it had been blocked by the Uzbek government for several years.[1]

The website's editor-in-chief is Galima Bukharbaeva, an Uzbek journalist known for her eyewitness coverage of the 2005 Andijan massacre;[2] she later won the International Press Freedom Award of the Committee to Protect Journalists.[3]

Uznews.net reporter Salijon Abdurahmanov was arrested during a traffic stop on 7 June 2008, who searched his car and stated that they found 114 grams (4.0 oz) of marijuana and 5 grams (0.18 oz) of opium in his trunk.[4][5] Abdurahmanov stated that the drugs had been planted in retaliation for an uznews.net story he had recently published about alleged corruption of traffic police.[5] He was found guilty and sentenced to ten years in prison in October 2008.[5] The conviction drew protests from a number of Western-based human rights organizations, including Amnesty International (which named him a prisoner of conscience),[6] Human Rights Watch,[7] the Committee to Protect Journalists,[8] the International Federation for Human Rights,[9] and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.[10]

As of December 20, 2014, the news site is shut down and all links redirect to the following message in Uzbek, Russian, and English:

Uznews.net has ceased to exist.

We thank all our readers for having been with us and a separate thank you to the most faithful who are logging in now. We are touched.

Uznews.net Team (January 2005 - December 2014)

A tribute article by Reporters Without Borders stated that the email of editor-in-chief Galima Bukharbayeva was hacked and confidential information identifying independent journalists who contributed to UzNews.net was leaked to the public.[11] While all of the content has been taken down from the site, it is still accessible from the Internet Archive.

References

  1. ^ Felix Corley and Mushfig Bayram (16 March 2010). "Uzbekistan: Internet censorship continues". Forum 18. Retrieved 10 June 2011.
  2. ^ "Uzbek embassy tells police to stop campaign for release of journalists". uznews.net. 11 May 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2011.
  3. ^ "IPFA 2005 - Galima Bukharbaeva". Committee to Protect Journalists. 2005. Retrieved 10 June 2011.
  4. ^ "Uzbek Prison Shows 'Impostor' To Red Cross". Radio Free Europe. 20 November 2012. Archived from the original on 24 November 2012. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
  5. ^ a b c "Uzbek slammed with 10-year prison term". Committee to Protect Journalists. 10 October 2008. Archived from the original on 3 December 2012. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
  6. ^ "Amnesty Declares Uzbek Journalist Prisoner Of Conscience". Radio Free Europe. 6 August 2008. Archived from the original on 24 November 2012. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
  7. ^ "Uzbekistan: Journalist Sentenced to 10 Years". US Federal News Service. 11 October 2008. Archived from the original on 17 November 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2012 – via HighBeam Research.
  8. ^ "CPJ calls for release of jailed reporters in Central Asia". Committee to Protect Journalists. 15 May 2012. Archived from the original on 18 November 2012. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
  9. ^ "Confirmation in Appeal of Mr. Salijon Abdurahmanov's Sentence to Ten Years in Prison". International Federation for Human Rights. 11 December 2008. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
  10. ^ "OSCE Says Uzbekistan Made Up Charges Against Journalist". Radio Free Europe. 16 October 2008. Archived from the original on 24 November 2012. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
  11. ^ "Tribute to leading news site that was forced to close". 2015-01-14. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2024-01-17.

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