18 September 2006
Journalist Ogulsapar Muradova, a Turkmen correspondent for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, has died in prison under unexplained circumstances. It is not known exactly when or where Muradova died. She was 58 years old.
Turkmen authorities declined the family’s request that a medical examiner at the morgue conduct an examination but allowed Muradova’s two adult daughters to take their mother’s body home after they appealed for help to the U.S. embassy in Ashgabat. Relatives said there was a visible head injury. The family called a medical examiner but Turkmen security have surrounded the apartment building and are allowing no visitors to the Muradova family.
Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, expressed “deep sadness” at the news. “Mrs. Muradova will be remembered for her courage and dedication to reporting the truth to the people of Turkmenistan.”
RFE/RL Acting President Jeff Trimble said “This is a terrible outcome of a long ordeal and a shocking indictment of the Turkmen regime’s callous and inhumane treatment of the people it rules. All of us at RFE/RL mourn the untimely loss of a colleague. Our hearts go out to Ogulsapar Muradova’s family.” Trimble added that RFE/RL will not let Muradova’s life be wasted: “We will keep her memory alive by carrying on her work, continuing through our broadcasting to bring truth to Turkmen citizens and to be their voice to the outside world.”
Sources in Ashgabat told RFE/RL that the first sign of trouble appeared yesterday when as many as four unmarked security vans took up position in front of the Muradova apartment building and the family was placed under 24-hour surveillance. This morning Turkmen security took Ogulsapar Muradova’s daughters Sona and Maral, to the city morgue and pressured them to sign a document, confirming they had taken custody of the body, without allowing them first to see it. The family was not permitted to see her while she was alive and was not told where she was incarcerated after her trial August 25.
Ogulsapar Muradova was put on trial with two other defendants — Sapardurdy Khajiev and Annakurban Amanklychev — behind closed doors with no counsel present, in a municipal court in Ashgabat’s Azatlyk district. In proceedings that lasted just a few minutes, all three were found guilty of being in illegal possession of bullets and ammunition under Article 287 of Turkmenistan’s penal code. Muradova was sentenced to six years in a medium security prison. Her family had not seen her since she was taken from her home in Ashgabat by police on June 18 and only twice before the trial were allowed to send her a package of food and medication.
The Director of the Turkmen Helsinki Foundation based in Bulgaria, Tajigul Begmedova said today “Ogulsapar Muradova “was an extremely healthy person, she had no problems with her health. Only after her arrest she started to ask for drugs and we started to worry… Now she is dead and if authorities claim it was because of ill health, it would be an absolute lie”. According to the family, the medication sent to Muradova in custody was for elevated blood pressure and a minor heart ailment.
The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), an independent federal agency that oversees U.S. international broadcasting, including RFE/RL, issued a statement July 13, demanding that Ogulsapar Muradova be released. Major U.S. and international human rights groups have also condemned the Turkmen government for imprisoning Muradova. They included Amnesty International, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Human Rights Watch, the International Helsinki Federation and Reporters Without Borders.
RFE/RL’s Turkmen Service broadcasts six hours of programming a day to Turkmenistan, produced in Prague and transmitted to listeners via shortwave, medium wave and satellite broadcasts. Turkmen Service programming is also available via the Internet; English-language news about events in Turkmenistan can be found on the RFE/RL website.
18 September 2006
SES ASTRA, an SES GLOBAL company, has announced today that its interactive BLUCOM service has been awarded Product of the Year 2006 by the renowned European technology magazine Cable & Satellite International. The award is granted annually at the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) in Amsterdam. BLUCOM was nominated in the category best playout/connectivity/service/solution, one out of 16 categories. The Cable & Satellite International awards are one of the most prestigious technology awards internationally. With more than 1,000 exhibitors, the IBC is one of the most important trade shows in the areas of digital consumer electronics, broadcast and media.
The innovative interactive BLUCOM technology is already used by several German TV and radio channels. BLUCOM supports services like program guides, weather and sports information and other added value services. Furthermore, it enables voting, downloads, advertising, chats and transaction television, thus allowing the consumer to interact directly with the program. The mobile phone with its SMS functionality is used as a return path. As BLUCOM can be received via a set-top box as well as via UMTS/GPRS, virtually every household be it cable, satellite or terrestrial can use the service. BLUCOM has been developed by the SES ASTRA affiliate ASTRA Platform Services (APS) in Germany.
12 September 2006
The AIB Directory of Global Broadcasting is published every nine months, and of course changes to personnel in broadcasting organisations around the world occur throughout the year.
To keep users of the Directory up-to-date, the AIB produces a supplement to the publication that is updated every month. The latest supplement, including data on the soon-to-be-launched France 24 international television channel, is available online as a PDF file. Simply right click on the link below to save the latest update.
To order the current Directory, follow the link via our publications link on the navigation pane to the left of this screen.
12 September 2006
AIB Chief Executive Simon Spanswick is in Paris for the Asia-Pacific/Europe Media Dialogue taking place at UNESCO’s headquarters.
Organised by the Asia Institute for Broadcasting Development, this event brings together senior executives from broadcasting organisations throughout the Asia-Pacific and Europe regions.
Three days of debate includes a session moderated by the AIB’s Simon Spanswick. Full details are available online at the AIBD website – follow the link below.
11 September 2006
SES ASTRA, an SES GLOBAL company, has announced today at the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) in Amsterdam that it has signed a second transponder contract with the public Polish television TVP (Telewizja Polska SA). The additional capacity on SES ASTRA`s prime orbital position 19.2 ° East will enable TVP to enhance its existing channel line-up on ASTRA by new thematic channels like TVP SPORT, TVP ROZRYWKA (entertainment), TVP FILM, TVP HISTORIA and TVP INFO.
TVP has been broadcasting from one transponder on ASTRA 19.2° East since last year for its encrypted channels TVP 1 and TVP 2 as well as TVP 3, TV POLONIA and TVP KULTURA, which are free to air.
With almost 40 million inhabitants and 12 million TV households, Poland is SES ASTRA`s largest market in Central and Eastern Europe and TVP is one of the most important broadcasters in the region. SES ASTRA reaches some 107 million households across Europe.
Thanks to this agreement, the Polish people will gain easier access to the new thematic channels to be broadcast by TVP soon. This is very good news for the Polish TV viewers, said Marcin Bochenek, Vice President of TVP.
The new contract with TVP is another important milestone in our strategic partnership and a major step to develop our position in the Polish and Central and Eastern European market, said Alexander Oudendijk, Chief Commercial Officer of SES ASTRA. The contract allows TVP to enhance its offer to its audiences in Poland and all across Europe. We are very pleased with this cooperation which enables us to build an even stronger base for further future growth in this all important market.
