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The EU' s approach to the development of mass media in Central Asia
16/06/2009 By Gulnura Toralieva
In spite of positive developments in terms of human rights, the rule of law and democratisation in Central Asia following the adoption of the European Union (EU) Strategy in June 2007, the state of the mass media continues to deteriorate in all five countries in the region. The dialogue on human rights initiated by the EU mostly focuses on the reform of the judicial and correctional systems, as well as on the rights of disenfranchised segments of the population, all of which is unarguably crucial for further democratisation in Central Asian states.
However, restrictions on freedom of speech through the moral, physical and economic coercion of journalists, and the inexorably shrinking circle of independent media, have so far failed to attract the attention of the EU. The regional media remain exceedingly powerful and effective instruments of government propaganda, and journalists are forced to follow rigorous directives laid down by the owners of media outlets, whom directly or indirectly support both the existing regimes in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, as well as presidential entourages in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. This policy brief identifies tendencies and problems affecting the development of free media outlets in Central Asia and proposes ways and means through which the EU could engage to improve the situation.
In working simultaneously in several directions, the EU uses its limited resources in diverse initiatives, which its local partners are then unable to bring to a successful conclusion due to a lack of funding and inadequately trained staff. Each institution bestowing development aid in the region has its own agenda. The EU, through its political leverage and wide range of human rights values, has a unique opportunity to try and coordinate action. It should seize this opportunity.
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Keywords
Civil society Democracy promotion Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan Turkmenistan UzbekistanRelated publications
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Bio author: Gulnura Toralieva
Regional Media Coordinator for BBC World Trust Service in Bishkek. She worked as IPP (Institute for Public Policy, Bishkek) Program Director from May 2006 to August 2008. In this post Ms. Toralieva has been responsible for management of all IPP projects on good governance, rule of law and media she moderated public events, delivered workshops on journalism and edited a number of training materials for journalists.
