DUSHANBE, February 24, 2014, Asia-Plus – Some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have reportedly blocked access to the Tajik and Russian versions of Radio Ozodi.

According to Radio Ozodi management, subscribers of ISPs such as Babilon, Beeline and Tojnet complain that access to ozodi.tj (ozodi.org) and rus.ozodi.tj (rus.ozodi.org) has been blocked since February 23.

Babilon, which is Tajikistan’s largest Internet service provider, has reportedly been ordered to block access to the Radio Ozodi websites beginning on February 23.  Babilon has refrained from commenting on this issue.

Telecomm Technology that also blocked access to the Radio Ozodi website on February 23 restored Radio Ozodi’s web access on February 24.

Meanwhile, the Internet service providers Saturn and Megafon blocked access to the Radio Ozodi websites a month ago.

Senior representatives of the communications service agency reportedly say that facts of blocking access to the Radio Ozodi websites are unknown to them.  “Thus, the deputy head of the Communications Service under the Government of Tajikistan neither confirmed nor denied this information.  He just confined himself to the phrases “we will see,” “let’s talk later.”

The Association of Internet Service Providers of Tajikistan noted that the Radio Ozodi websites could only be accessed by using proxy servers.

The Radio Ozodi management says that this is the second time this year that Radio Ozodi has been blocked in Tajikistan.  Access to Radio Ozodi was blocked on January 18 and it was back online on January 22.  The Tajik authorities attributed that incident to technical problems.

The Radio Ozodi management is sure that blockage of news websites in Tajikistan has become an instrument on pressure on independent media in the country.