On January 16, 2004 the employee of the Management of State Protocol of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has prevented me, the correspondent of independent news agency "Turkiston Press", to participate at the ceremony of mourning to the died head of representation of the United Nations in Uzbekistan Richard Konroy.
Requiem on the victim of plane crash on January 13 passed in a building of Catholic Church in Tashkent. The employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the rough form informed, that the wife of R.Konroy asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan to not admit press on ceremony.
Meanwhile, the employee has not given the explanatory why the spouse has addressed with this question in foreign policy department of Republic which has no right to regulate work of mass media (except for delivery of accreditation to foreign journalists). From what times the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has become the security-police department which is carrying out the private assignment? Moreover, the building of church is not the property of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where can be a specific mode of protection, and action of the employee of management of the state protocol can be considered as excess of the powers and restriction of the rights and freedoms of the journalist.
R.Konroy was the public person, the head of the international organization which has brought in the huge contribution to democratization of Uzbekistan and rendering humanitarian assistance to the country, to refugees, regular citizens. He always willingly and actively cooperated with journalists, than has deserved respect. And mourning to him could not bypass attention of national press. On behalf of "Turkiston-press" I wanted to express the condolences and to listen to speeches of the officials who have come also on this mourning ceremony, then to prepare the report.
The employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has refused to identify his name and a position. He also has roughly noticed, that doesn't conduct a conversation with press, this mission is assigned to other diplomats of the ministry. Coming closer an employee of the department of accreditation informed that journalists can interview during this burdensome moment and bring in discomfort for attendants, and it is unacceptable.
If the question concerned similar ethical problems I could, however, and others beside staying journalists to guarantee observance of all norms of moral and ethics. Most likely, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not wish to pass in general the "superfluous" information on this tragic event.
Instead of the interdiction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I have managed to enter church and have taken part in ceremony. On my eyes shooting was conducted by extraneous persons, and that did not disturb the employees of the above-mentioned establishment. However if foreign policy department aspires to limit activities of the journalist his officials should remember the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan "On mass media" where is written down the following: "Mass media have the right to search, receive, distribute the information and bear the responsibility for truthfulness and reliability of the published information in the order established by the legislation" (clause 2).
In clause 5 of the Law "On protection of professional activity of journalist" is marked: "At realization of professional activity a journalist has the right to collect, analyze and distribute the information, to be present… on mass ceremonies", and in clause 10: "the state guarantees to the journalist free reception and distribution of the information, provides his protection at realization of professional activity by him".
It is very pity, that these clauses are not known to diplomats of Uzbekistan who for some reason work also as security guards.
