Concern in Uzbekistan as Polish journalist claims harassment

TASHKENT: A Polish journalist denied accreditation by Uzbekistan said that an official sexually harassed her and pressured her to write "positive stories", drawing condemnation from rights groups and a foreign embassy.

Agnieszka Pikulicka-Wilczewska, who is based in the Central Asian country's capital Tashkent and has written for Al Jazeera and The Guardian, told AFP on Tuesday that an offical dealing with her accreditation request tried to kiss her and sent her suggestive messages.

Britain's ambassador to Tashkent Tim Torlot and Human Rights Watch called on authorities to investigate the allegations, which the journalist first made on Twitter late on Monday.

After Pikulicka-Wilczewska rebuffed the official's advances he began to tell her to write "positive stories" about the government, she told AFP, noting that she informed another government official about the man's behaviour last August.

On Monday Pikulicka-Wilczewska said that her application for media accreditation had been refused after six months of waiting -- long after the two-month deadline to consider applications provided by law.

The Uzbek foreign ministry could not be reached on Tuesday.

Uzbekistan has projected itself as a changed country since the death in 2016 of long-ruling despot Islam Karimov, pursuing reforms that precipitated a boom in tourism while tackling forced labour in its lucrative cotton sector.

The hardline regime has also allowed breathing space for independent media including foreign press, although decision-makers often appear to be at odds over how much is too much.

Komil Allamjonov, a former communications chief and presidential press secretary, promised to meet with Pikulicka-Wilczewska in Tashkent, where the journalist has a teaching position at a local university.

Allamjonov wrote on Twitter that he was "seriously concerned by the complaint".

Uzbekistan's recent progress eradicating forced labour has been acknowledged by the Cotton Campaign group, which has influenced a long-lasting boycott of Uzbek cotton supported by more than 300 entities, including global retailers.

The campaign also raised concern over Pikulicka-Wilczewska's allegations in a tweet on Tuesday.

"Independent journalists and NGOs are vital to enabling environment for business that meets international standards," the group warned.