Online harassment and state persecution against Agnieszka Pikulicka following her coverage on anti-LGBTQ+ campaign in Uzbekistan

Agnieszka Pikulicka's work is published in Al Jazeera, Eurasianet, The Guardian, and The Diplomat. She is a journalist and a fellow at The Coalition For Women In Journalism, as well as a media and journalism lecturer.

February 1, 2021

Agnieszka took to Twitter and revealed how, after a long wait of six months, her accreditation was canceled by the Uzbekistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The reason given was that she works for media companies other than the one mentioned in her application. Agnieszka revealed how a contact at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, named Rustom, harassed her. When the journalist refused his sexual advances, he pressed her to write positive things about Covid-19 quarantine measures.

CFWIJ urged the Uzbek authorities to reassess their media accreditation process and address the inappropriate behavior among its officials. 

February 2, 2021

Agnieszka had a pleasant meeting with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Uzbekistan, and she was assured that the status of her accreditation remains open. 

February 3, 2021

Agnieszka received her new accreditation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs apologized to the journalist, and the employee responsible for the sexual harassment was fired. 

CFWIJ is concerned about the challenges that caused unnecessary obstruction in Agnieszka’s work.

March 28, 2021

Agnieszka covered the demonstration of an angry mob protesting against LGBT rights. The journalist reported that Uzbek authorities are actively looking for gay couples, a crime punishable by up to 3 years in prison.

March 29, 2021

Uzbek blogger and LGBT rights supporter Miraziz Bazarov was viciously tortured by unknown people wearing masks on March 28. The blogger was admitted to the hospital after suffering serious injuries. Agnieszka reported that Miraziz received death threats, and despite informing the police, they did nothing. The journalist was confronted by police officers in the hospital. They ordered her not to talk about the incident, as not to disrupt the investigation. 

March 31, 2021

The journalist reported that her friends who visited Miraziz Bazarov at the hospital were questioned and threatened by security forces. Two people who visited the injured blogger were questioned for four hours. A friend of Agnieszka also received a call from the investigating officer, who insulted and threatened him. In total, four people were questioned and threatened by security services. The journalist also said threats are directed at her, too, and she’s blocking trolls and haters on social media. 

CFWIJ believes the intimidation from authorities was unjustified and aimed to prevent Agnieszka from reporting freely on a heinous crime. 

April 1, 2021

The Uzbekistan Ministry of Internal Affairs issued a statement claiming that Agnieszka’s coverage of events around the torture of Miraziz Bazarov was biased. A statement titled “Is a foreign journalist allowed not to abide by the national laws” purports that Agnieszka had a biased approach in her coverage of the events that took place on March 29. The statement further reads that the journalist covered events that never even happened. 

Quoting several of her recent tweets, The Ministry Of Internal Affairs concluded that Agnieszka violated three different laws:  article 6 of the law regarding the protection and professional activity of a journalist, article 7 of the principles and guarantees of freedom of information, and article 6 of the mass media law. The statement accused Agnieszka of being hostile towards government agencies by disseminating information that is not based on truth. 

CFWIJ determined that Agnieszka’s coverage on issues is not biased but based on facts.

April 2, 2021

Agnieszka shared on Twitter that the statement from the Ministry of Internal Affairs is an attempt to discredit her work. The journalist said that if her work violated the laws mentioned in the statement, she is ready to stand trial. If it is not so, she demands a public apology from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. 

April 3, 2021

Several unidentified trolls followed Agnieszka on Twitter. The journalist shared that the accounts left comments urging the government to kick her out. In a statement directed to whoever is running the troll factory in Uzbekistan, Agnieszka said she would report and block these accounts. She further said that whosoever is commenting should know that homophobic views and incitement of hate are strictly prohibited on a platform like Twitter. 

CFWIJ condemns the online trolling of Agnieszka. We commend her courage and commitment to continue reporting facts amidst the hostility she faces online. 

April 4, 2021

Agnieszka shared the images of two cars parked outside her house. The journalist said this is the typical view from her window these days. She described how they disappear when she offers them tea. She tweeted a second picture of a man walking towards the car parked outside her home. 

CFWIJ condemns the harassment Agnieszka is facing from Uzbek authorities. This kind of interference in a journalist's life is entirely unjustified. 

Agnieszka also shared the statement from Miraziz Bazarov’s lawyer, including, “Bazarov spoke to his mother and is still in intensive care. The possible reason behind not transferring him to the regular ward is to avoid his contact with me, his associates and foreign correspondents and representatives of embassies''. The journalist also shared the letter written by Miraziz’s lawyer to the investigating officer inquiring about the allegations against the activist.

June 3, 2021

The Ministry of foreign affairs rejected Agnieszka’s application to extend her press accreditation. The letter issued by the foreign ministry officials stated that her application was rejected on the basis of her work. It further stated that Agnieszka has degraded the honor and dignity of the Uzbek citizens. Agnieszka believes that her past claims of sexual harassment and pressure behind asking her to write positive articles are the reasons behind the cancellation of her accreditation.

Nov 9, 2021

Agnieszka Pikulicka was stranded for days after being denied entry into Uzbekistan by officials present at Zhibek Zholy-Gisht Kuprik border. Agnieszka was unreachable for more than 24 hours after being exposed to extreme cold without food and shelter for more than 48 hours. She tweeted that the Polish embassy had no explanation on why Uzbek authorities denied her entry. On November 10, Agnieszka updated on her Twitter that she has safely reached Poland and will take a while to deal with the trauma.