Latest posts by Alexander Sodiqov from December, 2013
Search Engine Suggests Kazakhstan is a “Satan's Den”
Popular web search engines often have bizarre autocomplete suggestions. Kazakhstani blogger Fyodor Kovalyov writes [ru]: Сейчас решил узнать о наиболее значимых событиях уходящего года, произошедших в разных городах Казахстана, и пришёл в тихий ужас – если верить поисковой системе Yandex.kz, то мы живём, как минимум, в логове сатаны! I have just...
“Tajikistan is not the Center of the World”: Rewriting of Country's History Spurs Ridicule
As historians in Tajikistan seek to move the origins of the nation as far back in time as possible, netizens are increasingly distrustful of the updated history.
Misuse of National Flag Causes a Stir in Tajikistan
An image of a Tajik flag used to collect trash has angered social media users in the country.
In Tajikistan Protest Occurs Online
While many people in Tajikistan are unhappy about the country's dire economic situation and political leadership, public protest is rare in the country. The fear of inevitable punishment by the state, the weakness of political opposition, and the memories of the 1992-1997 civil war make the likelihood of mass protest...
VIDEO: Young Men Are Forced to Join Army in Tajikistan
As Tajikistan's military faces a struggle to get enough volunteer conscripts, recruitment officers often rely on illegal practices in drafting military-age men into the army. One of the most common among such practices is “oblava” which involves “military press gangs making sweeps of city streets, bazaars and bus stations, rounding up...
Czechoslovakia's Architectural Heritage in Kyrgyzstan
Karina Ditkovskaya writes [ru] about a unique architectural heritage left by volunteer construction workers from Czechoslovakia in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan: In the 1920s a commune of volunteers from Czechoslovakia built a whole district of Bishkek. Now, after almost one hundred years, this area of Kyrgyzstan's capital city stands out due...
Ukrainian TV Show Angers Tajiks
A popular Ukrainian travel series has recently aired an episode about Tajikistan. Many Tajikistanis then turned to social media to curse the video.
