Latest posts by Alexander Sodiqov from February, 2014
Tajik Court Fines Journalist for Calling Docile Intellectuals ‘Shit’
A journalist who quoted Vladimir Lenin in criticizing state-appointed, docile intellectuals in Tajikistan has been ordered by court to pay over 6,000 US dollars in "moral damage".
“They Fell Our Souls and Memory”: Felling of Trees Draws Anger in Tajikistan
Whenever the authorities in Dushanbe launch a redevelopment project, they start by felling trees. Over the last decade, Tajikistan's capital has lost thousands of trees.
Soviet-era Monuments and Slogans in Tajik Capital “Should Stay”
Over the last two decades, the authorities in Dushanbe have dismantled most of the Soviet-era monuments and huge political slogans on rooftops which had all been an important feature of the cityscape before 1991. However, as Radio Ozodi reports [tj], Tajikistan's capital has preserved a handful of Soviet statues, slogans, and signs...
Kazakhstan Gets Its First Medal in Sochi
Kazakhstan's Denis Ten finished third in men's figure skating tonight, bringing the country its first-ever Olympic medal in this sport.
Tajik Team at Olympics Opening Ceremony Included a Russian “Tourist”
Following the Olympics opening ceremony, many people in Tajikistan were shocked to find out [ru] that one of the individuals who walked into the ceremony in Sochi alongside Tajik athletes under their nation's flag had little to do with the country. Vladimir Vladimirov, a Russian entrepreneur and member of a municipal...
Tajik Bloggers Ask to Meet With President
Every year, the president of Tajikistan meets with selected members of the national intelligentsia in Dushanbe, in late March. These meetings normally feature long speeches by the president followed by endless praise of his work and his answers to carefully scripted questions from the audience. As the authorities begin [ru]...
Tajikistan: Welcome to the “Facebook Republic of Pitzostan”
A government committee in charge of enforcing language regulations in Tajikistan has recently caused many laughs by insisting that the word “pizza” should be replaced with “pitzo” on restaurant signs in the country's capital. According to the committee's chair, “pitzo” sounds more “Tajik”. #Tajikistan has officially renamed pizza “pitzo”. For...
Russian Commentator Apologizes for Mistaking Uzbekistan for Tajikistan
Renowned Russian sports newscaster has apologized for mistaking the national team of Uzbekistan for that of Tajikistan during a live television broadcast from this year's Winter Olympics opening ceremony. Responding to thousands of angry messages addressed to him through social media sites, Dmitry Guberniev posted [ru] an apology on his...
“What the Hell Is Tajikistan? Why Do They Even Exist?”
Tajikistan is a small and relatively young country unknown to many people throughout the world. Tajikistan Monitor writes: The opening ceremony for this year’s Winter Olympics gave me an opportunity to monitor people’s online reactions to watching team Tajikistan enter the Sochi stadium. Below are just some of the most...
Patients in Uzbekistan “Have Nobody to Rely on Except for God”
On Registan.net, Gulnoza Saidazimova paints a bleak picture of the healthcare system in Uzbekistan (part one, part two): [The system is so inadequate and outdated that] a wealthy few head to foreign countries for medical treatment, drawing on their own savings and often those of their close relatives, whereas the majority poor can...
Three Main Blogging Platforms in Kazakhstan
Mr Wow! introduces [ru] the three most popular domestic blogging platforms in Kazakhstan: A decent and law-abiding blogger in Kazakhstan inhabits one of the three reserves: Yvision [yvision.kz], Gonzo[gonzo.kz], or Horde [horde.me].
Russian Commentator Mistakes Uzbekistan for Tajikistan at Olympics Opening Ceremony
A renowned Russian sports commentator mistook Uzbekistan's national team for that of Tajikistan in a live broadcast from the opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics in Sochi.
Some Kazakh Bloggers Dine With the Mayor, Some Get Jail Terms
Three Kazakh bloggers have been sentenced to 10 days in jail for protesting outside a restaurant where a mayor was meeting with their fellow bloggers.
