Uzbekistan: Polish Journalist Agnieszka Pikulicka Stranded As Uzbekistan Denies Entry, CFWIJ Concerned For Her Safety

Location: Uzbekistan
Date: November 9, 2021

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is seriously concerned for the safety of its fellow member and freelance journalist Agnieszka Pikulicka, who was stranded for days after Uzbek officials at the Zhibek Zholy-Gisht Kuprik (Chernyaevka) border crossing denied her entry to the country. After braving the extreme cold at the Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan border crossing for over 48 hours, without access to proper food or shelter, Agnieszka has been unreachable since Tuesday morning. The last time the CFWIJ heard from her she said "there is no food and it is very cold". According to her Twitter, she was permitted to buy an air ticket home and was due to fly out from the Tashkent airport this morning. The CFWIJ condemns the arbitrary denial of entry to the Polish citizen and freelance reporter for Al-Jazeera and The Guardian. We urge the authorities to immediately ensure her safety.

Agnieszka was denied entry by Uzbekistan without cause and it has been more than two days now since she was stopped at the border. She was forced to face harsh weather conditions without sufficient resources at the border. After being stranded for 27 hours, the journalist tweeted that the Polish Embassy did not receive any explanation from Uzbek authorities regarding the sudden ban on her.

“I can’t enter Kazakhstan because of Covid-19 regulations. I can’t even take my clothes and pack my life. This is what you can expect from [Uzbek President Shavkat Miromonovich] Mirziyoyev’s second term: backlash against independent voices,” she wrote on Twitter.

She also explained that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had offered her a drive to the airport from where she could take a flight to Turkey at her own expense. This gesture, however, permitted her only 10 minutes to gather things from her home.

“Since I declined the offer, I’m still at the border, in the cold, with no food or proper place to sleep. I committed no crime, I only did my job. The government firstly sent a security services operative to influence my reporting, then organised a hate campaign against me and now the ban,” she wrote.

This is not the first time Agnieszka has faced trouble with the Uzbek authorities. 

In June 2021, her press accreditation was rejected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The letter issued by the ministry stated that her accreditation was rejected on the basis of her work. They also accused her of degrading the honour and dignity of the citizens of Uzbekistan and interfering in the internal affairs of the republic.

Earlier on April 5, Agnieszka shared the intimidation she was facing from the authorities. Two cars were parked outside her residence on April 4. She called this a typical view from the window. She also tweeted a picture of a man walking towards the car parked outside her home. 

On March 30, Agnieszka was subjected to harassment for her coverage of an attack on LGBTQ+ vlogger Miraziz Bazarov. Agnieszka mentioned on Twitter that her partner - who is neither a journalist nor an activist - was questioned by security officials for merely accompanying her to the hospital. 

Prior to that, in February 2021, Agnieszka reported that she was being harassed by an official of the Uzbekistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs after she applied for accreditation.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism has followed the violations against the journalist, who has reported fiercely - despite the obstructions - for the past three years, vigilantly. We designed a detailed timeline for Agnieszka documenting all important events.

We call on the Uzbek authorities to make sure that Agnieszka’s life is not endangered and to take immediate steps for this situation to end as soon as possible. Expelling and suppressing critical voices does not help any country. Uzbekistan must allow Agnieszka Pikulicka entry into the country and permit her to report freely.

The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.

If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.