DUSHANBE, June 21, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- Media Alliance of Tajikistan (MAT) has provided financial assistance to family of Mahmadyusuf Ismoilov, a reporter for the Dushanbe-based independent weekly, Nouri Zindagi (Light of Life).

Ismoilov, who is charged with defamation, insult, incitement of ethnic, racial, regional or religious enmity, and extortion, is currently being held in the pretrial detention facility in Khujand.

Replying to an appeal from the National Association of Independent Media of Tajikistan (Nansmit), MAT has sent little more than 1,000 somoni to Ismoilov’s family in Asht district, the MAT secretary general Khurshed Niyozov said.

The Media Alliance of Tajikistan is a media organization that groups SMT independent TV station, Vatan radio station, Avesta news agency, Dast ba Dast public association and the weeklies Farazh , Biznes i Politika , Fakty i Kommentarii , Vecherka , Kuryer Tadzhikistana and Manu Tu as well as separate journalists.

On June 13, Tajik media watchdog, Nansmit, appealed to media organizations and journalists in Tajikistan, asking to provide financial assistance to Ismoilov’s family.  A number of journalists have supported this initiative of Nansmit and 2,757 somoni have been collected during the first week of the action.

Ismoilov was arrested in Sughd province on November 23, 2010 but the regional press first reported on the case on December 13, 2010.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on December 16 denounced the imprisonment of Mahmadyusuf Ismoilov.  CPJ reports that Nansmit said Ismoilov was criminally charged with defamation and insult through the media (two separate counts).  If convicted, Ismoilov faces up to two and a half years in prison.

Tajik media organizations consider that Ismoilov was arrested in retaliation for his reporting.  According to local press reports, regional prosecutors asked Nouri Zindagi to provide them with all the articles Ismoilov had written for the weekly since he joined the newspaper in 2008.