The government of Tajikistan has instructed its officials to prioritize state-controlled over independent Tajik or international media sources. As a result, in-country journalists complain, their already restricted contact with government officials has been almost entirely eliminated. The official statement released by the Tajik government instructs its officials to limit its contact with any independent journalists when it speaks on anything related to government meetings, the Tajik president’s agenda and general activities, and on meetings held by Tajik officials domestically or internationally.

The government’s perhaps predictable rationale for the edict is that independent news organizations stand opposed to the successful functioning of the country, and are therefore “enemies of the constitution.” However, the concern among civil society organizations and in segments of the Tajik society is that the directive could have the effect of “diminish[ing] independent journalists’ chances of directly raising social issues” and from obtaining legitimate information from government officials.

Follow us on Twitter: @SteppeDispatch

News Briefs:

• Azerbaijan’s state-controlled energy company SOCAR has resumed oil exports via Russia. Azerbaijan has a history of using the Baku-Novorossiisk pipeline to export crude but halted exports earlier this month. It remains unclear why, although with exports resumed it is expected to export significantly more crude via the pipeline than in 2014.

• Indian state-controlled power company BHEL signed three new agreements with Kazakh companies during Indian Prime Minister Modi’s recent visit to the country. The pacts were signed with JSC Samruk Energy, KUS, and Kaznex Invest, three primarily state-controlled Kazakh agencies.

• On the heels of its cancellation of a cooperation agreement with the US, Kyrgyz officials remained adamant that the US will suffer more as a result. Kyrgyz Deputy Foreign Minister Emil Kakiyev announced that the cancellation will adversely affect USAID and other US-led development organizations that, according to US officials, have delivered more than $2 billion in aid to the country since 1991.

• A suicide attack in Faryab province in northern Afghanistan left 19 dead and more than 35 wounded. The attack does not appear to have been claimed already, although it is suspected that the Taliban led or was involved in the attack.