Closed to Kompromat

Authorities in Tashkent have started blocking access to several external websites that have recently published compromising material — “kompromat” — on Uzbekistan’s leaders, including President Islam Karimov. According to the Central Asian and South Caucasus Freedom of Expression Network (CASCFEN), a collection of press-freedom groups within the region, the external sites blocked to readers inside the country include CentrAsia.ru, which recently published an article alleging a conflict between rival clans within the Uzbek leadership and accusing leaders of corruption. Other sites that readers in Uzbekistan are technically prevented from reading are those of the opposition groups National Movement Birlik and Erk Party Democratic.