Latest posts by Alexander Sodiqov
As Twitter Use Rises in Tajikistan, Who Should You Follow?
Although Twitter's popularity in Tajikistan still lags far behind that of Odnoklassniki or Facebook, the number of Tajikistani voices on the social network is rising. Nilufar Shukrikhudo observes: It makes me quite happy to see twitter gain momentum in #Tajikistan. I've been waiting for a while for that to happen. —...
Social Media in Tajikistan's Election: A “Milestone” or Just “Noise”?
There was an unprecedented amount of social media buzz around the recent presidential polls in Tajikistan. There is little agreement, however, about whether the buzz made any real difference.
Tajik Elections Debate: Either Rahmon or “Cannibalism”
Prior to Tajikistan's presidential elections, the website of the opposition Islamic Revival Party (IRPT) published a story titled “Will Emomali Rahmon Remain President or Not?” [tj]. The story drew hundreds of comments, triggering a heated debate between those who thought it was time for the incumbent president to step down and...
Tajikistan Votes in “Imitation” of Presidential Elections
Today's elections in Tajikistan will extend the two-decade-long presidency of Emomali Rahmon for another seven years. The vote does not have even a modicum of suspense.
Life in Kyrgyz Prisons Through Camera Eyes
Photographer Eric Gourlan spent over a month in prisons in Kyrgyzstan, documenting the life of both inmates and guards. Photographs he took there provide a rare “view from the inside” the country's prison system. Kloop.kg publishes some of the remarkable photos that are now displayed at a museum in Bishkek. The documentary...
Young People Revel In Halloween Fun in Kyrgyzstan
While debates over the appropriateness of participating in Halloween fun rage in Tajikistan, young people in the neighboring Kyrgyzstan revel in Halloween festivities. The country's most popular blogging platform has published [ru] a map of all venues organizing Halloween festivities in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan's capital. Dozens of people dressed up in zombie...
Kazakhstanis Divided on Whether Home Is Really Best
A debate about why some Kazakhstanis stay in their country while others choose to emigrate has unfolded online. It started after Daniyar posted his “What Is Keeping You in Kazakhstan?” [ru] on yvizion.kz. The blogger identified seven main reasons why he preferred to stay in the country: #1. Великая история… #2....
Yelling and Fist-banging at UN Review of Uzbekistan's Torture Record
Authorities in Uzbekistan prefer to deal with allegations of torture, forced sterilization of women, and use of slave labor to harvest cotton primarily through yelling and insulting experts.
Kazakhstan's Soviet Mosaics: “Ghosts of an Epoch Gone By”
In a post titled “The Walls Are Crying”, a blogger reflects [ru] on Kazakhstan's slowly disappearing Soviet artistic mosaics that once adorned housing blocks and industrial facilities across the country: Many of these works of art died along with the buildings which they adorned. Some are being destroyed. But many mosaics...
Tajik Official Plagiarizes Story Extolling President
Social media users in Tajikistan have caught an education official-cum-ardent supporter of the incumbent president plagiarizing. In his recent article “Why I Am Voting for [President] Emomali Rahmon” [ru] Ilkhomjon Khamidov extolled the country's veteran president who is seeking to secure a re-election in the November 6 vote. After the article...
Tajikistan Introduces Controversial “Ethics Code” For Internet Users
As Tajikistan adopts ethical guidelines for the users of internet services and personal electronic devices, netizens fear that he authorities might use the document to control free expression.
‘Politics is a Men-Only Game': Female Candidate Quits Presidential Race in Tajikistan
Saddened by the failure of Tajikistan's female presidential candidate to enter the race, netizens are pessimistic about the country's future. Some say they will boycott the vote and emigrate.
Jump off the Bridge! The Tajik President's Motorcade is Coming
A recent incident in the capital of Tajikistan has revealed how much the country's netizens hate presidential motorcades.
Tajikistan: Voters Are Entitled to Know if Candidates are ‘Full’ or ‘Hungry’
As Global Voices reported, some netizens say they will vote for the incumbent president during November 6 elections in Tajikistan because a “full leader is better than a hungry one”. Reflecting on this, Salimi Aioubzod suggests [tj] it is “sad” that voters in the country are more concerned about how...
“Without Papers You Are Nobody” in Kyrgyzstan
Hundreds of people living in Kyrgyzstan do not have the country's identity documents. This makes these people ‘invisible’ to the authorities, as Diana Rahmanova writes [ru]: In essence, you can say, “Here I am. I exist. I live. Here. Here is my body, my face. Look at me. I am not...
“You Can Kick Female Flight Attendants” in Kazakhstan
A former government official in Kazakhstan recently kicked a female flight attendant, reportedly because she did not speak Kazakh. The story has caused a stir on social media. Blogger Pivovar offers [ru] the most interesting and most widely shared Twitter posts on this incident, such as the one below: Казахстан-2013: бить...
Tajik President's Reelection Bid Finds Support Online
With less than six weeks to go before presidential elections, Tajikistan's incumbent leader has found unexpected support from some bloggers.
“Fetishization of Somoni” Continues in Tajikistan
As Tajikistan's president unveils yet another statue of national icon Ismoil Somoni, blogger Tomiris criticizes [ru] monument monoculture in the country: Don't we have other historical figures to erect statues to? Was Somoni really the only one of its kind? I understand that this fetishization of Somoni is a political...
Busting Myths about Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan is not part of the Middle East; Kazakhs do not have Chinese blood in their veins; and not everything about Kazakhstan is bad. Blogger busts (part 1, part 2) [ru] common myths about the oil-rich Central Asian nation.
With Outcome Foretold, Tajik Elections Spark Online Ridicule
In the run-up to presidential vote in Tajikistan, netizens ridicule the country's incumbent president, opposition leaders, and electoral process.
“A Woman Can Only Become President When Men Die Out in Tajikistan”
The upcoming presidential elections in Tajikistan promise to be anything but boring. For the first time in the country's history, a woman is running for its highest political office.