Letter to President of Kyrgyzstan on Uzbek-language TV
Reply-To: [email protected]
Sender: [email protected]
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2000 09:19:48 +0200 (EET)
Message-Id: <[email protected]>
Subject: Letter to President of Kyrgyzstan on Uzbek-language TV
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: Azer Hasret <[email protected]>
Letter to President of Kyrgyzstan on Uzbek-language TV
To: His Excellency Mr. Askar Akayev
President of Kyrghyz Republic
Fax: (996-3312) 21-69-22; 21-86-27
E-mail: [email protected]
Your Excellency,
As it was informed by Osh Media Resource Center on June 29, the
Kyrghyz Republic's State Commission on Radio Frequencies issued a
decree that obliges OshTV - a private TV-station based in Osh,
southern Kyrghyzstan with the main language of broadcasting being
Uzbek and covering mainly Osh town's ethnic Uzbek audience - to cease
broadcasting on fifth VHF (very high frequency) channel and to switch
to 23rd channel on UHF (ultra high frequency). The latter not only
would require special receivers from viewers to watch Osh TV
programming, but would also reach a smaller audience.
The decree dated 29 June and signed by the chairman of the State
Commission, Esen Topoev (who is also Kyrghyzstan's defense minister)
rejected Osh TV's appeal to prolong its license to broadcast on VHF
fifth channel, put a deadline for ceasing Osh TV's broadcasting -
01.07.2000 (July 1st), and assigned the Kyrghyz National Agency for
Communications to oversee the implementation of the decree.
According to Khaliljan Khudaiberdiev, Osh TV director who had
previously contacted a number of governmental agencies in an effort to
find support, the State Commission's decree contradicts with the
official position of the presidential administration on Osh TV's case.
Prior to this decree, Khaliljan Khudaiberdiev received an offical
letter on May 16 from the Kyrghyz president's aide and press-secretary
Osmonakun Ibraimov who informed Osh TV director of the fact that
National Agency for Communications has prepared all relevant and
necessary documents for prolonging the expiration date of Osh TV's
license on VHF broadcasting and that the solution will be come out in
the nearest future.
The issue of switching broadcasting frequency for Osh TV arose in
October, 1997 when the newly formed National Agency for Communications
revoked licenses from all private TV stations in Kyrghyzstan for
re-registration. There were further efforts on the part of this agency
to revoke Osh TV's license in 1998, but they failed due to Osh TV's
strong resistance. This resistance allowed Osh TV to bring the case to
the presidential administration's attention. In March, 1999 the
National Agency on Communications, pressured by the president's
administration, agreed to allow Osh TV's broadcasting on VHF with the
period of duration of 9 months. After this period expired, Osh TV was
obliged to switch to UHF broadcasting on channel 23rd.
According to Khaliljan Khudaiberdiev, the process of changing from VHF
to UHF broadcasting is extremly costly for the station's budget. About
2 million soms (local currency) (US$42,675) is needed to change
equipment and infrustructure necessary for UHF broadcasting. More
importantly, the change of frequency can result in the loss of the
majority of Osh TV audience mostly ethnic Uzbeks). Mr. Khudaiberdiev
did not rule out the possibility that this process might lead to Osh
TV's closing down.
Your Excellency,
Journalists' Trade Union [JuHI] as a member of International Freedom
of Expression eXchange [IFEX] network calls on you to do all in your
power to ensure freedom of media in your country and to follow
international obligations to which Kyrghyzstan is a part. We hope that
this problem will be solved by your attention during a short period of
time. At the same time we call on you to review the cases of Moldosali
Ibrahimov of 'Akiykat' newspaper and Hakimjon Husanov of 'Mezon' TV.
Thanks a lot for Your attention and regards,
Mr. Azer H.HASRET, Founder and Chairman
Journalists' Trade Union [JuHI]
33 Khagani, Baku 370000 AZERBAIJAN
Phone: [994 12] 474559. Fax: [994 12] 474561
[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]
http://members.xoom.com/Azer2013/
--
==============================================================
MINELRES - a forum for discussion on minorities in Central&Eastern
Europe
Submissions: [email protected]
Subscription/inquiries: [email protected]
List archive: http://www.riga.lv/minelres/archive.htm
==============================================================