Central Asia's week that was #37
Historic trilateral border meet, Tajik repression persists, Uzbek hydropower projects advance. Also, Kyrgyz shifts to fuel taxes, Uzbek footballer joins Premier League, and U.S. funds Registan work.
So this happened…
The heads of government of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan held a historic meeting at the tri-border area where the three nations converge – Batken region in Kyrgyzstan, Ferghana region in Uzbekistan, and Sughd region in Tajikistan – to discuss border-related issues. Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov, Kyrgyz Cabinet chief Adylbek Kasymaliev, and Tajik Prime Minister Kokhir Rasulzoda pledged to enhance regional cooperation and resolve longstanding territorial disputes. Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan completed the formal delimitation of their shared border in 2023, bring a close to decades of fraught negotiations. A similar agreement on the Kyrgyz-Tajik border is anticipated later this year, with officials stating that working groups have been tasked with expediting the final documentation process.
Uzbekistan’s Supreme Court has begun hearing the appeal of seven employees of a former senior presidential administration official who were arrested on hooliganism charges following an October assassination attempt targeting their employer. A lawyer for the group, which includes a guard and a chauffeur, claims they were detained on spurious grounds just one day after gunmen attempted to assassinate Komil Allamjonov. None of the workers are suspected of involvement in the assassination plot itself, raising questions about police priorities in the immediate aftermath of the attempted killing. Investigations into the assassination plot are proceeding under a heavy cloak of secrecy. Independent media have linked one known suspect to Otabek Umarov, a son-in-law of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who is widely believed to have been engaged in a bitter rivalry with Allamjonov.
The authorities in Kyrgyzstan detained two members of the opposition Social Democrats Party, prompting fresh accusations of mounting political repression in the country. Anarbek Kataganov and Zhanna Samysheva were taken into custody by police separately on the same day. Kadyr Atambayev, a leading figure in the Social Democrats, wrote in a Facebook post that Samysheva was denied access to her lawyer. Investigators have said a lawyer was present when she was being questioned. These arrests follow the extended pre-trial detention of Social Democrats leader Temirlan Sultanbekov and two senior party colleagues accused of attempted vote-buying ahead of local elections last year. Sultanbekov declared a hunger strike almost two months ago and is reportedly in deteriorating health.
A court in southern Tajikistan sentenced the editor of independent weekly Payk to 10 years in prison on charges of bribery, extortion, and extremism. The trial was held in a detention centre behind closed doors. Details were classified. Ahmad Ibrohim, 63, denied the charges, saying they were retaliation for critical reporting. One accusation made by prosecutors was that subscriptions to the newspapers taken out by government officials was tantamount to extortion money. Payk has faced sustained pressure as the only independent outlet in the southern Khatlon Province. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the verdict, calling it part of a broader crackdown on independent media. Ibrohim is one of eight journalists currently imprisoned in Tajikistan, CPJ said.
Kulmamad Pallayev. An activist from Tajikistan’s Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) who was arrested during a 2022 security sweep has died in a Dushanbe prison, independent journalist Anora Sarkorova reported on her Telegram channel. Kulmamad Pallayev, 50, died on the night of January 12 after reportedly experiencing severe stomach pain, bleeding, and vomiting. Despite repeated requests, prison authorities allegedly denied him medical assistance, Sarkorova reported, citing her sources. Pallayev was detained during a military crackdown in the GBAO following anti-government protests and was accused of terrorism and treason. Those charges widely dismissed by activists as politically motivated.
Uzbekistan and China have agreed to begin constructing two pumped storage hydropower plants later this year, marking the first projects of their kind in Central Asia. The deal was concluded earlier this month during a visit by officials from Uzbekhydroenergo, the state-run hydropower company, to Guangzhou, where they met representatives from China Southern Power Grid. The innovative plants, one of which will be located not far from the capital, Tashkent, will use renewable energy to pump water to upper reservoirs during periods of low electricity demand, storing potential energy for release during peak hours. This approach ensures a more balanced energy supply while producing clean electricity.
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And there’s this too…
Kyrgyzstan has overhauled how motorists are taxed in an effort to optimise revenue collection and reduce administrative burdens. The transport tax has been replaced with a fuel surcharge of one som (around $0.01) per litre of petrol or diesel, shifting the tax burden to consumption rather than ownership. The reform includes a tax amnesty for vehicle owners, wiping out transport tax debts accrued before 2025. In other tax-related measures, businesses and individuals are being freed from tax debts incurred before January 2022. Agricultural land will also be exempt from property tax until 2030, during which time the government has committed to modernising irrigation systems.
For the first time, imports of electric and hybrid vehicles into Uzbekistan outstripped petrol-powered cars in 2024. Generous government incentives, including tax exemptions, reduced registration fees, and waived licensing charges for eco-friendly taxis, have powered this shift. The average pre-tax price of imported electric cars dropped by nearly two-thirds compared to 2023. Around 24,000 electric cars and 17,500 hybrids were imported last year, compared to 33,000 petrol cars. Most new cars on Uzbek roads remain domestically produced, but Chinese automaker BYD’s local factory, which opened in 2022, plans to manufacture up to 500,000 electric and hybrid vehicles annually by 2027. To support this transition, Uzbekistan has pledged to install more than 32,000 charging stations nationwide by the end of 2025.
Salim Abduvaliyev, a prominent organized crime figure and former vice president of Uzbekistan’s National Olympic Committee, has been released from prison due to chronic health issues, according to local media. Abduvaliyev, 74, was serving a six-year sentence for illegal firearms possession following his 2023 arrest during a crackdown on organized crime. Once described in a U.S. diplomatic cable released by Wikileaks as a “Tashkent mafia chieftain,” Abduvaliyev wielded significant influence within Uzbekistan’s elite under the late President Islam Karimov. His release, facilitated under legislation allowing exemptions for severe illness, raises questions about the government’s commitment to dismantling informal power structures and tackling corruption. Abduvaliyev formally stepped down from his position at the Olympic committee last year, a role now occupied by Otabek Umarov, a son-in-law of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
Kazakhstan will implement community service as a penalty for minor offences starting next month. Courts will assign offenders between 10 and 100 hours of tasks such as cleaning and landscaping in their local area. Daily shifts will be limited to four hours and scheduled outside work or study hours. This penalty is available for 11 types of offences, including minor hooliganism –such as using foul language in public – domestic disputes, and petty harassment. Offenders can opt for community service as an alternative to paying fines or serving brief jail terms. Local authorities will determine the work assignments, which will typically focus on beautifying public spaces.
Sher-Dor Madrassa in Samarkand. The United States has pledged $500,000 to support restoration work at the Sher-Dor Madrassa, part of the iconic Registan Square in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The project, the largest ever U.S.-funded cultural preservation initiative in Uzbekistan, is being carried out in partnership with Uzbekistan’s Cultural Heritage Agency and the UNESCO-affiliated International Institute for Central Asian Studies. Efforts to restore the madrasah’s façade will be done by local artisans with support from international experts. The initiative is being implemented under the auspices of a bilateral cultural heritage protection agreement signed in 2023 and is part of the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation, which has to date supported 14 projects in Uzbekistan.
Abdukodir Khusanov is set to make history as the first footballer from Uzbekistan to sign with an English Premier League club, reportedly joining Manchester City from French side Lens for €40 million ($41.2 million) plus bonuses. The 20-year-old defender, capped 18 times for Uzbekistan, is expected to sign a four-and-a-half-year contract with the reigning English champions, though final formalities are still pending. This move highlights the rising profile of Uzbek footballers on the global stage. Another trailblazer, Eldor Shomurodov, 29, Uzbekistan’s all-time leading scorer, is currently contracted to Serie A club AS Roma and is on loan at Cagliari.
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