· July, 2012

Stories about Tajikistan from July, 2012

Tajikistan: Telecoms Blackout Amidst Provincial Clashes

  28 July 2012

Amidst deadly clashes in the eastern Tajik province of Gorno-Badakhshan, the authorities have cut Internet, mobile, and landline connection to the region. Online people are sharing information via social media and trying to draw international attention to the situation on the ground.

What's Going On in the Mountains of Tajikistan?

  26 July 2012

The recent murder of a senior national security official in the mountainous Tajik region of Badakhshan has led to deadly clashes in the area between government troops and the supporters of a local strongman whom the authorities blame for the assassination. Christian Bleuer on Ghosts of Alexander offers an insightful...

Tajikistan: Learn the National Anthem to be a Doctor

  23 July 2012

Tajikistan's Deputy Health Minister has recently announced [ru] that “without knowing the national anthem, doctors will not be able to correctly diagnose their patients”. Netizens have responded to the announcement with irony. Blogger Harsavor writes [ru], for example: “[M]y donkey cannot diagnose people. Maybe it is because he does not know...

Tajikistan: Senior National Security Official Killed

  22 July 2012

Abdullo Nazarov, a one-star general in the State Commitee for National Security – successor to the Soviet-era KGB – was murdered yesterday in southeastern Tajikistan. Jasur Ashurov tweets [ru] angrily: “How? Tell me, HOW is this possible? If generals are killed so easy, can we really talk about [law] and order...

Tajikistan: Young People Learn to Blog

  21 July 2012

Matrix [ru], a Central Asian youth TV project focusing on Internet and new technologies, has produced a video [ru] about bloggers in Tajikistan. While few Tajiks presently run blogs, some local organizations teach young people how to start blogging.

Tajikistan: Stories of Female Migrant Workers

  20 July 2012

On Blogiston.tj, Shakhlo posts [tj] short stories about the lives of Tajik women working in Russia. Most of these stories focus on the problems that female migrant workers typically go through to help their families back in Tajikistan make ends meet.

Tajikistan: Blogger Urges Young People to Be Politically Active

  13 July 2012

Ahead of the 2013 presidential elections in Tajikistan, Post Scriptum suggests [ru] that the country's young people should be more active in articulating their political preferences. “We should not silently nod in agreement when our future and the future of our country is decided [by older people],” writes the blogger.

Tajikistan: Global Voices Puts Spotlight on Dushanbe Zoo

  5 July 2012

Our recent update on an American student's impression of the Dushanbe Zoo has generated a passionate discussion on ‘Platforma’, a 5,400-odd-member Tajik community on Facebook. A Dushanbe-based newspaper has now published an interview [ru] with the zoo's director who responds to questions asked by Facebook users.

Tajikistan: Facebook Users Discuss Presidential Elections

  5 July 2012

In about a year from now, voters in Tajikistan will go to the polls to elect a president for the next seven years. The Kimiyoi Saodat blog summarizes [tj] a recent Facebook discussion on the next year's elections where opposition groups will have to challenge the incumbent president seeking another...

Tajikistan as Seen by an Ex-pat Blogger

  4 July 2012

On Nancystan, an ex-pat blogger writes about her adventures in Tajikistan and posts photos from the country. In some recent posts, the blogger shared images of a Tajik town lying on the Afghanistan border high in the Pamir mountains. She also wrote about her visit to a border market where...