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Artificial Intelligence

Kazakhstan Police Robot Dog Raises Privacy Questions

Kazakhstan’s police used a mobile facial-recognition robot to scan crowds during Metallurgist Day celebrations in Karaganda Region, saying the machine helped identify four people sought over legal or administrative violations. The deployment extends the country’s rapidly expanding surveillance network beyond fixed cameras, allowing police databases to be accessed through a platform that can move through crowded public spaces. The four-legged robot was used during celebrations held on July 17-18 in the industrial cities of Balkhash and Temirtau, which attracted more than 115,000 visitors. More than 1,000 police officers were also deployed to maintain public order, according to the Karaganda police. Robot dogs equipped with facial-recognition cameras have also been deployed at Astana’s railway stations in January, and by police in Aktau since May. Karaganda's robodog carries surveillance cameras and is connected to police databases. Authorities say it can scan faces within its field of view and compare them with records of people sought by law enforcement. Its main advantage over a fixed facial-recognition camera is mobility. During the earlier trial at Astana’s Nurly Zhol railway station, a robot moved through waiting rooms, escalators, and other public areas while transmitting live video to a police command center. The system was also able to compare images with police wanted lists and broadcast warnings through an onboard speaker. Police said the Karaganda robot helped identify one person wanted for evading child support payments, two people owing debts under enforcement proceedings, and a previously convicted man who had breached a court order requiring him to remain at home during specified hours. Officers took legal measures against all four. The authorities did not explain how the facial-recognition matches were verified by officers, how many false alerts the system generated, or how many people were scanned before the four matches were produced. The robot dog forms part of a much larger surveillance system operating across Kazakhstan. The country has approximately 1.6 million surveillance cameras, according to figures provided by the Interior Ministry to the independent outlet Vlast.kz. Around 545,000 are connected to police command centers, while more than 24,000 use artificial intelligence capable of recognizing faces. Vlast’s investigation found that Kazakhstan’s surveillance infrastructure has expanded rapidly, with facial recognition, biometric identification, and networked cameras becoming central elements of the government’s smart-city programs. Supporters argue that such systems can help police locate wanted people and respond more quickly to emergencies. Critics warn that the same infrastructure can be used to track activists, protesters, and other members of the public. Kazakhstan-based digital-rights specialists have called for tighter safeguards governing facial recognition. The Eurasian Digital Foundation has recommended restrictions on mass and indiscriminate surveillance, alongside greater transparency and clearer rules on how government agencies process biometric information. The organization has also argued that Kazakhstan needs stronger independent oversight of the collection, storage, and use of biometric data, as well as procedures allowing people to challenge the processing of their information by law enforcement agencies. The Interior Ministry’s account of the Karaganda deployment did not disclose the cost or the manufacturer of...

Internet Restrictions

A Signal from Uzbekistan: How Turkmen Border Villages Reach the Outside World

In Diýýar, a village in northern Turkmenistan close enough to catch Uzbekistan’s mobile signal, a foreign SIM card inserted into a small Wi-Fi router can turn a barely functioning 2G connection into usable home internet. In early July, police reportedly entered around ten households in the village, identified Uzbek-connected routers, and confiscated the SIM cards. Similar inspections have been under way across close to 60 settlements in Dashoguz Province, according to Radio Azatlyk, the Turkmen Service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. The campaign covers parts of Shabat and Görogly districts, including Kirov, Diýýar, Bedirkent, Aýlak, and Nyýazow, in areas where Uzbek mobile signals cross the border. The Internet Across the Border What the authorities are removing is more than a foreign phone number. Residents told Radio Azatlyk that Turkmen Telecom internet is either unavailable or extremely slow in several border villages. TMCell, the mobile brand operated by the state-owned Altyn Asyr network, often provides only 2G service, while home Wi-Fi is unavailable. Households able to obtain an Uzbek SIM card use networks such as Ucell and Uztelecom, placing the card in a router that supplies internet throughout the home. Residents said YouTube and Instagram become accessible through these connections, although TikTok and many foreign websites still require a VPN. One resident described the Uzbek service as “300 times” faster than the Turkmen alternative, a personal estimate rather than a measured comparison. The cards arrive through an informal chain of traders and other residents who regularly cross into Uzbekistan. A Dashoguz source said they sell for around 200 manats and that sellers also help buyers complete the registration. The arrangement depends on geography, personal contacts, and a signal strong enough to reach across the frontier. One local source said many people from Dashoguz work abroad, including in Russia, Poland, and Germany. For households with relatives overseas, a usable connection can provide a direct link beyond the village. It also opens independent news sites and social platforms that remain blocked or unreliable on Turkmen networks. Residents confronted by police sometimes say they use the internet only to pass the time, reportedly hoping to avoid a fine. A Signal Treated as Suspicion The reported consequences vary. Some first-time offenders receive a warning, particularly when they cannot afford a penalty. Others are threatened with fines of up to 50,000 manats or imprisonment. That amount is about $14,300 at Turkmenistan’s official exchange rate and roughly $2,500 using the widely reported informal rate. Residents said officers described the use of foreign telecommunications services as possible espionage on behalf of another country. The reports cite no court case or published provision under which simply possessing an Uzbek SIM card constitutes espionage. The threat itself, however, raises the stakes around an ordinary household connection. Police and security officers reportedly do not use specialist equipment to locate the routers. Local sources said they rely instead on informants in villages, schools, and local administrations. They allegedly gather information through schoolchildren as well. Residents who travel regularly to Uzbekistan, including small...

Labor Migration

Nearly 160,000 Citizens of Tajikistan Listed in Russia’s Controlled Persons Register

Nearly 160,000 citizens of Tajikistan, including about 25,000 minors, have been listed in Russia’s register of controlled persons, a senior official from Tajikistan’s migration service said. The figure reflects the impact of tighter Russian migration rules on one of Central Asia’s largest sources of migrant labor. Sharif Norzoda, Tajikistan’s deputy minister of labor, migration, and employment, said around 160,000 citizens of Tajikistan are currently listed in the register, with children included because they accompanied family members who had moved to Russia. The register, maintained by Russia’s Interior Ministry, is updated every four hours and contains information on foreign nationals who no longer have legal grounds to remain in the country. Individuals included in the database are required to regularize their legal status in Russia. Norzoda said more than 15,000 citizens of Tajikistan had sought assistance from the country’s migration service during the reporting period. The ministry also said 3,953 Tajik citizens facing temporary bans on entering Russia were advised against unnecessary travel after consulting migration authorities, helping them avoid being turned back at the border. According to the ministry, more than 10,700 labor migrants who returned from Russia have already found employment in Tajikistan. Russia introduced the register of controlled persons on February 5, 2025, to tighten migration enforcement. The database is accessible through the Russian Interior Ministry’s website and the government’s online services portal. It is intended to monitor foreign citizens whose legal right to stay in Russia has expired. The tighter migration regime has prompted Tajikistan to diversify destinations for its migrant workers. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, the government has expanded labor migration initiatives beyond Russia, seeking new employment opportunities in Europe and East Asia.

Traffic Offenses

Kazakhstan Olympic Boxing Champion Jailed for Drunk Driving After Multiple Crashes

Kazakhstan’s 2016 Olympic boxing champion Daniyar Yeleussinov has been sentenced to 20 days of administrative detention and banned from driving for seven years after being found guilty of driving under the influence and causing several traffic accidents in Astana. According to Astana’s Specialized Interdistrict Administrative Court, Yeleussinov admitted his guilt during the hearing. The ruling has not yet entered into legal force and may be appealed within 10 days. The incident occurred in Astana on July 9, when police detained Yeleussinov after he allegedly drove while intoxicated, causing a series of collisions and leaving the scenes of the accidents. According to the court, Yeleussinov first struck the supporting structure of an underground parking entrance. He then collided with another vehicle, causing it to hit a third car. In a subsequent collision, he struck another vehicle, which was pushed into a Toyota Hilux. The accidents caused mechanical damage to several vehicles and resulted in financial losses. Evidence presented to the court included a medical examination confirming mild alcohol intoxication, police reports, accident diagrams, video recordings, and witness statements. Yeleussinov admitted full responsibility. He was convicted under Article 608, Part 3 of Kazakhstan’s Code of Administrative Offenses, which covers driving under the influence resulting in property damage. The provision carries a mandatory penalty of 20 days of administrative detention and a seven-year driving ban. “The court found no circumstances preventing the application of administrative detention. Since the sanction under Article 608, Part 3 provides no alternative punishment, the court imposed 20 days of administrative arrest and deprivation of the right to drive vehicles for seven years,” the court said. Yeleussinov, who was born in Kazakhstan’s West Kazakhstan Region, enjoyed one of the country’s most successful amateur boxing careers. He won the 2013 World Championships in the 69-kilogram category, claimed Asian Championships and Asian Games titles between 2013 and 2015, and won Olympic gold at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. After turning professional in 2018, Yeleussinov signed with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing and won the International Boxing Organization welterweight title in 2021. His professional career subsequently slowed, and he has fought only twice since returning to the ring in 2024. In March 2025, he became the first Kazakhstani boxer to sign with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing promotion, although he has yet to make his debut under the new banner. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, another prominent Kazakhstani boxer, Zhanibek Alimkhanuly, was stripped of one of his two middleweight world titles in March after testing positive for a banned substance.

Fraud

Uzbekistan Busts Scam Call Centers Targeting Europe and North America

Uzbek law enforcement authorities have dismantled two illegal call centers in Tashkent that were part of a transnational fraud network targeting victims across Europe and North America, according to the country’s Ministry of Internal Affairs. The operation, carried out jointly by the Interior Ministry’s Cybercrime Department and the State Security Service, targeted offices located in the Yashnabad and Yakkasaray districts of the Uzbek capital. Authorities found 97 people, including five foreign nationals, at the first location, while 34 more, including three foreigners, were apprehended at the second site. According to investigators, the call centers conducted fraudulent phone calls and mass messaging campaigns using spoofed telephone numbers. Operators posed as financial advisers and investment brokers, persuading victims to purchase cryptocurrencies and invest in purported high-yield investment schemes. The group also created multiple phishing websites designed to imitate legitimate investment platforms, promising returns of up to 70% per month. The Interior Ministry said the organizers recruited university students in Tashkent with foreign-language skills to communicate with overseas victims. Employees operated under aliases and underwent specialized training that emphasized strict operational security. Access to the offices was tightly controlled. Criminal proceedings have been opened by the Cybercrime Department’s investigative division. Authorities said investigative and operational measures are continuing with respect to the remaining 111 individuals found at the two facilities. The Interior Ministry added that its International Cooperation Department and Uzbekistan’s National Central Bureau of Interpol are preparing requests for assistance to law enforcement agencies in Europe and North America. Officials described the operation as the result of “hundreds of hours of surveillance, digital forensic analysis, and international cooperation.” The case follows a series of major anti-fraud operations in Uzbekistan. Earlier this year, the State Security Service dismantled three call centers that targeted Russian citizens by promising compensation for allegedly defective dietary supplements and then demanding advance “tax” payments before victims could receive the fictitious reimbursements. In another operation in June, the Uzbek authorities uncovered multiple fraud schemes across six regions involving false promises of employment in South Korea. In one case, the head of a private company allegedly demanded approximately $384,000 from a group of 48 people in exchange for arranging overseas jobs.

Kamchybek Tashiyev

Kyrgyz Court Convicts Former Security Chief Tashiyev, Parliamentary Speaker, and Six Others

The trial of high-ranking Kyrgyz officials accused of plotting to overthrow the government concluded on July 2. All eight defendants, including the former chief of Kyrgyzstan’s security service and the former speaker of parliament, were found guilty and sentenced to four years in prison. However, none will actually serve any prison time as the court ordered them all placed on probation for the next three years. The Letter of 75 It all started on February 9, 2026, when a group of 75 people, including former state officials, released an open letter calling on President Sadyr Japarov and Speaker of Parliament Nurlanbek Turgunbek uulu to call an early presidential election. Japarov became acting president in the wake of the October 2020 protests that ousted President Sooronbai Jeenbekov. One of his first moves as acting president was to appoint his long-time friend Kamchybek Tashiyev to be the head of the State National Security Service (GKNB). The presidential election of January 2021 resulted in victory for Japarov, with a concurrent vote approving a change from a parliamentary to a presidential form of government. A new constitution was drafted and approved in a referendum in April 2021. Japarov was elected president under the constitution that was scrapped in that referendum. The previous constitution stipulated a president could serve one six-year term in office. The new constitution allowed a president to serve two five-year terms. The open letter the 75 people published said a snap presidential election could clarify Japarov’s term. But Japarov and others saw the letter as an attempt to oust him from power. On February 10, Japarov sacked Kamchybek Tashiyev and several of the authors of the open letter were detained, with Japarov saying this was necessary to “prevent a split in society.” Japarov was evasive about the reason, repeating that he and Tashiyev remained friends. In the days that followed, a series of top GKNB officials were dismissed, as were the governors of Kyrgyzstan’s second and third largest cities, Osh and Manas (formerly Jalal-Abad), respectively. Several ministers and officials in other state bodies were also changed. The government was restructured so that the GKNB was under the control of the president. Tashiyev was in Germany for a medical exam, and Turgunbek uulu was in Turkey when the open letter was released. Turgunbek uulu stepped down from his position and handed in his resignation as a parliamentary deputy directly after his returned to Kyrgyzstan. Tashiyev returned briefly on February 13, but only stayed in Kyrgyzstan for a few days before again leaving the country. He finally came back on March 19 for questioning by the Interior Ministry and has been in Kyrgyzstan since then, though he kept a low profile. It was clear early on that the state prosecutor was building an attempted coup case against some of the 75 authors of the letter. But Japarov and other officials declined to specify which charges Tashiyev might face, or whether he would face any charges at all. The announcement that Tashiyev was dismissed...