August 13, 2020, Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan -- Uzbekistan, which is among the countries with the worst ranking in press freedom (156 in 180 countries) resort to disproportionate ways to intimidate journalists.

Kar24.uz editor Kumar Begniyazov was summoned by the prosecutor’s office late night on July 25 to “explain her errors” with claims that she reported about the death of Senator Musa Erniyazov, the chairman of Karakalpakstan’s parliament, six days before his announced death.

Kumar in her testimony explained that she had not and that in fact after checking with the parliament’s press office, she had issued a report on her Telegram channel denying the report that he had died. The alleged false news was reported by another media outlet with a similar name. 

Another journalist, Lola Kallikhanova, the editor of Makan.uz, was also summoned over the same charges and was collected from her home by no fewer than six police cars. One of the plainclothes policemen who came for her snatched her phone from her hand and none of them showed any ID. 

Lola, who has written many stories about coronavirus deaths in Karakalpakstan, suspects that the sudden summons to the prosecutor’s office was just a pretext to gain access to her mobile phone and sources in an attempt to silence journalists who inform the public about the pandemic.

Both journalists along with another, male journalist were released following the three-hour interrogation.

Karakalpakstan is Uzbekistan’s only autonomous region. For fear of separatist movements and insurrections, the Uzbek government restricts access to information about the deaths of senior Karakalpakstan officials who are loyal to Tashkent and who keep the region under tight control.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism finds such methods absurd and unnecessary. Hampering the work of journalists amidst the coronavirus outbreak will cause false news and rumors to gain popularity which in turn will damage the public health of Uzbek citizens.