Central Asia's week that was #16
Olympic glory, Kazakhstan's war on swearing, studying to get pricier in Uzbekistan. Also, Kyrgyz statehood builders named, disputes over conservative clothes, and a Tajik teahouse's final days.
So this happened…
Diyora Keldiyorova made history by becoming the first Olympic gold medal winner for Uzbekistan in judo. Following her victory in the 52-kilogram category, Keldiyorova, 26, told reporters that it was her “mission to change the lives of women in Uzbekistan.” Kazakhstan had, as of Wednesday, also made a strong start in the Games, winning one gold and two bronze medals. Tajikistan’s Somon Makhmadbekov won bronze in the men’s judo 81-kilogram category.
Kyrgyzstan registered its concern to Moscow’s newly appointed envoy to Bishkek over what it says is the growing number of cases of Kyrgyz nationals being denied entry to Russia. This unusual public rebuke comes amid reports of intensified screening procedures at Russian airports for citizens of Central Asian countries following the Crocus City Hall massacre in March. Kyrgyzstan’s membership in the Russia-dominated Eurasian Economic Union notionally affords its citizens freedom of movement within the bloc, but this privilege routinely breaks down in practice. Russian ambassador Sergei Vakunov responded to Bishkek’s complaints by saying more cooperation was needed between law enforcement bodies to resolve outstanding migration issues, which suggests little will change in the immediate future.
A court in Kazakhstan sentenced a stand-up comedian to 10 days in jail for using foul language during a routine in which he criticized the authorities. The bit that landed Alexander Merkul in hot water was performed last year, but came to the attention of law enforcement after his social media team uploaded it to the internet in June. Merkul is the latest victim of an anti-profanity campaign that government detractors argue is simply another way to silence critics. Nuraskhan Baskhozhayev, another stand-up comedian, was sentenced to 15 days behind bars in May; likewise for using offensive language during a performance in which he alleged that officials were travelling to Dubai while huge areas of Kazakhstan were struggling with flooding.
Kyrgyzstan’s president approved changes to the law to make it a crime to run sex webcam studios. Organizing or facilitating sex work services via the internet will now be punishable by fines of up to 200,000 soms ($2,300) or three years in prison. The Kyrgyz sex webcam industry has been thriving for the best part of a decade. The business has until now been almost entirely unregulated and law enforcement typically turned a blind eye. Women lured into the industry often come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Once in the business, sex webcam performers frequently became victims of blackmail. Journalists working on covering the underground industry have estimated that anywhere up to 5,000 women may at times have worked in Kyrgyzstan’s webcam studios.
Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev fired a deputy head of the National Security Committee who had been in the post for 11 years. No reasons were given for this personnel change. Marat Kolkobayev was, among other things, in charge of investigating the events that culminated in the deadly political unrest of January 2022, which the authorities have largely sought to pin on the former head of the KNB, Karim Masimov. Speaking to reporters last year, Kolkobayev intimated that many details of his investigations would likely never see the light. “If I divulge all the details of the case today, then tomorrow I might be sitting [behind bars] next to the people whose cases are now being investigated,” he said.
The annual cost of tuition at state universities in Uzbekistan will increase by an average of 15 percent in the next academic year, the Higher Education, Science, and Innovation Ministry announced. This marks the first such rate increase in four years. Tuition for a bachelor’s degree in education will increase to around $600. The annual cost for a law degree will increase to $900. Demand for university education has surged precipitously in Uzbekistan in recent years. Around 381,000 new students were admitted to higher education institutions for the 2023-2024 academic year.
And there’s this too…
Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov officially recognized five historical figures as the founders of the modern statehood of Kyrgyzstan. His decree coincides with the 100th anniversary of the establishment in 1924 of the Soviet Union’s Kara-Kyrgyz autonomous region, which was later elevated, in 1936, to the Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic. Four of the five men, all prominent political figures in the early Soviet period, were executed in 1938 at the height of Stalinist repressions against perceived nationalist movements. A fifth figure, Ishenaly Arabayev, was arrested in 1933 and died in prison in mysterious circumstances.
Asaka Motors International, a maker and distributor of cars in Uzbekistan, has begun manufacturing Hyundai vehicles under license. Production will initially focus on assembling large-scale components at the company’s Sirdaryo region factory, but the plan is to localize the manufacture of parts, local government officials said. No production output forecasts have as yet been made public. The car industry in Uzbekistan has historically been dominated by government-controlled UzAuto Motors, which produces vehicles under the ubiquitous Chevrolet and Daewoo brands. With other players, including from China, now entering the market, the variety of cars visible on Uzbekistan’s roads is broadening.
Kyrgyzstan has banned the use of religious terms in the names of private companies. Under the changes approved by President Japarov, only non-profit religious organizations will be permitted to use religious words in their name. The measure is intended to harden the distinction between private enterprises and faith groups, thereby promoting a secular business environment. Some lawmakers raised concern the law would adversely affect the future of existing companies with religious names, but sponsors of the legislation said it would not be enforced retroactively. Russia is looking at adopting a similar law.
Authorities in Tajikistan announced that the much-loved Rohat teahouse in the centre of the capital, Dushanbe, is to be torn down and replaced with more “modern buildings.” The nearby Lohuti theatre, which was built in the late 1920s, is likewise slated for demolition. Rohat has long been in the crosshairs of officials determined to pursue further development in the heart of Dushanbe. Soviet-vintage architecture tends to divide opinions – some are eager to preserve reminders of the past and worry that newer builds are lacking in quality and character, while others decry preservation efforts as pointless sentimentality over a problematic era of history. Part of the teahouse was previously demolished to make way for a gargantuan government and parliament complex being built with funds from the Chinese government.
The Council of Ulema in Tajikistan has issued a fatwa stating that traditional Tajik female clothing conforms to tenets of the Hanafi school of thought in Islam. Tight or diaphanous outfits, however, are out, said the clerics, whose edicts are strictly policed by the government. The Council said that women should avoid wearing clothes that “contradict Tajik culture and religious values” in the interests of preserving peace, stability and national security. This guidance from a religious institution is intended to bolster the moral force of a ban adopted in June on clothing “alien to the nation’s traditions.”
A resident of Kostanay, a city in north Kazakhstan, submitted a complaint to the police about a popular singer who argued during an online stream that women spurning the hijab deserve to be beaten or killed. Saida Sisembayeva wrote in a Facebook post that she wanted the police to investigate if Ulangasyr Kami’s remarks constituted an actionable incitement to hatred and violence against women. Sisembayeva said that she filed the complaint to highlight the inaction of lawmakers speaking increasingly vocally about the need for upholding traditional values. It is unclear whether Kami, whose musical output consists heavily of upbeat synth-pop tunes, was speaking in earnest or if he was merely seeking to curry favour with a conservative crowd.