Fourth Central Asian Media Conference
When
26 September 2002 (All day)
Where
Tashkent
(OSCE/Lubomir Kotek)Students from a high school in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, editing the latest edition of their independent magazine "Liceum Life", which is sponsored by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media. (OSCE/Lubomir Kotek) Photo details
The Uzbek capital Tashkent hosted the fourth Central Asian Media Conference on 26 and 27 September, organized by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Freimut Duve, the OSCE Centre in Tashkent and the Open Society Institute.
More than 100 journalists from all five Central Asian states met to discuss the latest developments in the media field. The challenge of corruption was the central theme, and participants also discussed the relationship between religious freedom and freedom of expression.
In light of the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, many journalists affirmed that their working conditions had been deteriorating in the last year. The tendency towards repression was clear, and many cases of media harassment were reported. Freedom of the media and public debate were recognized as crucial elements.