Tajik army accused of forced draft

International media watchdogs have denounced the forced conscription of three Tajik journalists after they broadcast a programme criticising the methods of military recruitment in Tajikistan.

The Paris-based group, Reporters Without Borders, said it deplored the army's threats to kill the head of the station which broadcast the programme.

Another organisation has urged Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov to ensure the journalists are released immediately and that the military officers involved are investigated and prosecuted.

Nine journalists were initially detained by police.

Six were then released, but three were taken to a military base in the town of Khudjand in northern Tajikistan.

The nine journalists had produced a report on the highhanded recruiting methods of the Tajik military.

It alleged young people were being press-ganged into service.

Arrests

The reporters had secretly filmed a group of young men apparently been taken into custody and forced to undergo a medical examination.

A local television station organised a talk show to discuss the recruitment issue.

The head of Khudjand's military services was invited to participate.

He denied the army was using force to draft new recruits.

As he left the studio, witnesses say he threatened the journalists.

A few days later, police arrested the nine reporters.

Six of them turned out to be exempt from military service and were eventually freed.

But the others, all in their early 20s, were sent to the town's army base.

Risky business

Both the talk show and the film were part of a training exercise run by Internews - a US-based organisation promoting freedom of the media.

Internews has protested against the military's action and appealed to mayor of Khudjand to intervene.

Media watchdogs have also expressed serious concern.

They say the arrests highlight the vulnerability of reporters and show independent journalism is still a risky business in Tajikistan.

The licensing of the country's first fully independent radio station had raised hopes that the situation was improving.