Uzbekistan

The number of Internet users doubled between 2001 and the end of 2002, but the high cost of connection excludes most people from the Internet and the few who can afford it suspect the government spies on their messages. Several cybercafés have sprung up in the capital, Tashkent, but the US organisation Internews says customers have to promise in writing not to send "political or religious" e-mails. So self-censorship is routine in a country where no independent media are allowed. There are several ISPs, two of them privately-owned. The authorities ended the monopoly of the state-owned ISP, Uzpak, in October 2002. OpenNet Initiative (ONI), which catalogues censored sites, says the authorities systematically block access to opposition sites such as the Birlik party and the banned Islamic party Hizb ut-Tahrir. News sites that carry critical articles about President Islam Karimov are sometimes censored. In February 2003, a freedom of information law, which restricts news put out by all media, including the Internet, came into force. Its article 4 says freedom to inform the public can be restricted to "protect the moral values of society, national security and the country's spiritual, cultural and scientific potential." This vague definition leaves plenty of room for interpretation and thus censorship. The same is true of other articles, which give pretexts such as "preserving cultural and historical values," "preventing psychological influence over and manipulation of public awareness" and preserving "social stability." LINKS: - The Uzbek service of Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty - The news site Eurasianet - The censored site of Birlik, the opposition Popular Movement of Uzbekistan