DUSHANBE, March 10, 2015, Asia-Plus – In its article “Slowly, Change is Coming'': Life for Women in the Post-Soviet World” The Guardian has published a material by Konstantin Parshin about Tajik journalist Olga Tutubalina.

“Olga Tutubalina got her introduction to journalism in Tajikistan in the early 2000s, covering warlord politics and shootouts.  But she developed her thick skin and reputation for fearlessness only later, after she started to push back against Tajik government attempts to restrict free speech.

“Tutubalina, now a 36-year-old single mother, began her career during a difficult time for Tajikistan. The country was struggling to recover from its 1992-97 civil war.  The central government’s authority didn’t quite extend to every corner of the country, and warlord militias ruled in areas where the central government didn’t.  Over time, the government managed to consolidate its rule, but not without bloodshed.

“Times are still tough in Tajikistan, but in different ways.  Once the warlords were neutralized, authorities moved to limit the influence of opposition parties, steadily reducing the space for political debate.  Tajik officials these days seem to grow more bold and paranoid with each passing year, tolerating less and less criticism.  Social media sites are blocked routinely without explanation; hundreds of websites are inaccessible.

“In 2013, Tutubalina stepped into trouble.  Quoting Vladimir Lenin, she called the fawning, state-funded “intelligentsia” – that is, the poets, writers and artists who receive stipends from the state to praise the government, just as they did in communist days – “not the brains of the nation, but its shit.”

“Though Tutubalina did not name any names, the Academy of Sciences and five artists’ unions sued for libel and insult.  In February last year, as expected, a pliant court ruled in the plaintiffs’ favor.

“This is just a show,” says Tutubalina, pressing her lips together in a sarcastic grin.  “In an authoritarian system, there will always be stage directors and clowns.  What matters is that in this unhealthy system, there still is a real intelligentsia – honest, modest and uncompromising professionals who would not lie under any circumstances, and will always call things by their proper names.”

“Tajikistan has a bold constitution that enshrines western values on paper.  But in reality, most laws are just for show. “A woman’s rights largely depend on her social status,” Tutubalina says.

“She shudders to think of life for women in Tajikistan’s patriarchal villages.  “It’s not that they have no rights at all, but they know very little about those rights. In that environment, they cannot enjoy their rights,” she said.