Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Nov 12, 2024 (AFP)
Uzbekistan has said it will soon introduce a "moral test" for media content, including films and songs published in the Central Asian country, in a bid to protect what the government called the "national mentality".
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has introduced some reforms since coming to power after the 2016 death of dictator Islam Karimov, but rights groups say the country remains deeply authoritarian.
"It is very important to prevent the broadcasting of media products that undermine the education of young people and our national mentality," the Khabar state news agency said late Monday, quoting a report by several government bodies.
"A moral test will be introduced for television and radio channel, social networks, TV series, cartoons, films, songs and music videos," it added.
Without going into detail, Khabar said "measures will be taken to prevent the broadcasting of media products that threaten the education of young people and the national mentality".
It also said authorities would do an "analysis of the conformity" of media content and its "level of compatibility" with the values of Muslim-majority Uzbekistan, an officially secular ex-Soviet republic of around 35 million people.
The announcement came as Uzbek artists -- mostly women -- have already been prosecuted by the state for "inappropriate dress".
According to Khabar, the decision for the new rules was taken by the culture ministry, the government's Centre for Spirituality and Education and the Uzbek Media Association.
An agency overseeing the "unification of state information policy" -- a body once headed by Mirziyoyev's daughter -- also took part in drawing up the rules.
Mirziyoyev has carried out a number of reforms since coming to power in a bid to break with the isolation of his predecessor Karimov's regime.
While his government has succeeded in attracting foreign investment, political opposition remains non-existent and the press and economy are still mainly controlled by the state.
According to Reporters Without Borders, Uzbekistan's press freedom index -- which saw s short period of improvement following Mirziyoyev's election -- has fallen back to a level similar to that of the last years of the Karimov presidency.
Sumber : AFP
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