President without interruption since Uzbekistan’s independence in 1991, Islam Karimov subjects his country to the strictest censorship. No fewer that nine journalists are rotting in prison in the most abominable conditions. They include Muhammad Bekjanov, who was awarded the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Prize in 2013. Not content with complete control over the traditional media, the authorities have been refining their Internet censorship techniques in recent years and have been stepping up pressure on the small number of independent journalists who work clandestinely for Uzbekistan’s exile media.