Reporters on the Job

May 16, 2005

Under Watch: Correspondent Peter Boehm was stymied in his effort to travel to Andijan, Uzbekistan, for reporting on violent clashes there this weekend (page 1). He flew from capital Tashkent to Namangan, where he hoped to take a taxi to nearby Andijan. But he was soon stopped by a police roadblock, where Peter's taxi driver was threatened by police for carrying a foreign journalist.

So they returned to Namangan, where Peter took another taxi and attempted a more circuitous route. He got within 12 miles of Andijan before being stopped. A police official took his credentials, telling Peter he couldn't proceed to Andijan because "you left Tashkent without informing the authorities." Peter was escorted back to Namangan by a policeman. "I've been followed everywhere," he says. "It's not threatening, but they're making it very difficult to work. They clearly want to know where I am every minute."

- Josh Burek
Europe editor