Uzbekistan: CFWIJ Condemns Uzbekistan for Denying Shahida Yakub Entry into Country
Location: Uzbekistan, Tashkent
Date: April 3, 2023
Independent journalist and documentary filmmaker Shahida Yakub (Tulyaganova) stopped at Tashkent airport and denied entrance into Uzbekistan. The Coalition For Women In Journalism calls on the authorities to cease expelling and suppressing critical voices from the country.
"Two men were holding my passport and boarding passes and virtually whisked me through the crowds as if I was a criminal," Shahida Yakub, an Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker, tells CFWIJ.
During Easter break, journalist Shahida Yakub and her two children traveled home to Uzbekistan to visit family. Yakub, who currently resides in the UK and holds British citizenship, was stopped at Tashkent airport upon arrival.
The CFWIJ reached out to Yakub, who explained she felt targeted. Other journalists, including one of her former colleagues from BBC Uzbek, were let through. But not her.
““They virtually whisked me through the crowds as if I was a criminal””
She says the airport customs personnel’s face became pale when he scanned Yakub's documents. Passport control, the immigration office, and the national security service were called. After they asked for her Uzbek surname, they informed her she was not allowed to enter Uzbekistan.
The journalist asked the reason for the denial of entrance but was told they couldn’t give her a reason. “We can't let you in, and we will put you on the next flight to London,” they told her.
Investigations
Yakub believes they have a file on her containing all the "crimes" she committed against the Uzbek state through her reporting.
Shahida Yakub was born and raised in Uzbekistan. She was a news and current affairs producer/reporter with BBC (UK) and RFE/RL (Czechia). For the past 20 years, Yakub has lived in the UK.
RFE/RL’s Uzbek service has worked out of Czechia since 2005, after the country blocked its websites following an investigation into a massacre by security forces. In 2021, its reporters faced threats of beheadings and sexual assault, CPJ reports.
“They don’t want any criticism. That’s the problem. Even though it’s not criticism, we’re not critical. We’re just telling the truth”
In 2021, Yakub investigated the Sardoba Reservoir dam collapse for RFE/RL. The collapse flooded the area, killing six and displacing 11,000 people. Her investigation exposed the corruption behind the awarded contracts for the dam construction.
"They don't want any criticism. That's the problem,” says Yakub, adding that “it's not criticism. We're not critical. We're just telling the truth.
But Yakub says that she won’t budge. “We don't negotiate with authorities. They can't buy me. They can't threaten me because I don't give a damn. And they can't control me."
Press Freedom Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan does not shy away from silencing women journalists. In 2022, reporter Gulnoza Said was denied entry. Said was held for several hours at Tashkent airport. Her passport was confiscated in the process.
Journalist Lolagul Kallykhanova was detained in 2022 after covering the Karakalpakstan protests. Police took her into custody for “endangering constitutional order.”
“They can’t buy me. They can’t threaten me because I don’t give a damn. And they can’t control me”
CFWIJ’s fellow Agnieszka Pikulicka has faced an array of abuse while reporting from Uzbekistan, including denial of entry, revoking accreditation, intimidation, and sexual harassment.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism stands in solidarity with Shahida Yakub. Her personal life has been affected due to her journalistic work. Expelling and suppressing critical voices does not help any country. Uzbekistan must allow journalists to do their work without fearing repercussions in their professional and personal lives.
Yakub's body of work includes 'My Fake Passports And Me', an investigation into passport forgery in Europe, produced by BBC Panorama. Her film 'How to Plan A Revolution', which followed the fight of young opposition leaders in Azerbaijan against the autocratic regime, won the Prix Europa in Berlin. Her documentary 'Airport Donetsk', the story of the epic battle for Donetsk International Airport in Eastern Ukraine, was the winner of the ArtDocFest Laurel Branch.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
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