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Afghan Refugees

Tajikistan Officially Confirms Deportation of Afghan Refugees

Tajikistan’s State Committee for National Security (GKNB) has publicly commented for the first time on the deportation of Afghan citizens from the country, citing alleged violations of national law and crimes that the authorities said had sparked public outrage. The statement followed an appeal by Afghan citizen Muhammad Hakim Tursun, who criticized the deportation of his compatriots. In its response, published through the state news agency Khovar, the security service claimed that some Afghan citizens living in Tajikistan had “grossly violated the requirements of the law” despite being provided with conditions for residence, work, and education. To justify the deportations, the agency cited crime statistics that it said involved Afghan citizens and foreign nationals, without clearly explaining the time period covered or how many cases were linked specifically to Afghan refugees in Tajikistan’s Sughd region. According to the GKNB, the authorities recorded 670 cases of illegal drug trafficking, 32 cases involving membership in terrorist organizations, 15 cases of sexual violence against minors, and 594 instances of forged documents being used to obtain refugee status. The security service also reported 45 cases involving the organization of gambling and entertainment establishments and 25 cases related to ties with what it described as “destructive organizations” and attempts to destabilize the situation in the country. Particular attention in the statement was devoted to a high-profile murder case in Khujand. According to the agency, on the evening of April 30, Afghan citizen Rahmoni Muhammadumar allegedly killed local resident Aziza Vokhidova, who, according to authorities, “attempted to defend her honor and dignity.” Earlier, Tajikistan’s Interior Ministry reported the detention of the suspect. In a video released by authorities, the suspect allegedly confessed to the crime, saying he acted because of “strong sexual attraction” and stabbed the woman multiple times. Following the killing, residents of the Dehmoy jamoat in Jabbor Rasulov district told journalists that their Afghan neighbors had suddenly disappeared. According to witnesses, unidentified individuals transported approximately 200 to 250 refugees away in vehicles on May 4, many of whom had reportedly lived there for years. Until the publication of the GKNB statement, the authorities had not officially confirmed the mass deportation of Afghans. Officials had instead limited themselves to reminding foreigners of the need to comply with migration laws. Tajikistan has previously faced criticism over the forced return of Afghan refugees. In December 2024, UNHCR urged the authorities to halt deportations after at least 41 Afghan citizens, including 37 refugees, were returned without due process. The agency warned that forced returns to Afghanistan could violate international law and place returnees at risk. The security service stressed that more than 10,000 Afghan families who obey Tajik laws continue to reside in the country. The statement also said Tajikistan has served as a “second homeland” for several generations of Afghan citizens over the past 35 years and claimed that the state treats them “impartially.” Nevertheless, the agency emphasized that security concerns remain its top priority.

Animal Rights

Kazakhstan Renews Debate Over Stray Animals After Parliament Approves Euthanasia Amendments

Kazakhstan has once again found itself at the center of a heated public debate over how the state should address the country’s growing stray animal problem. Recently approved parliamentary amendments allowing the euthanasia of dogs after a short holding period have triggered strong criticism from animal rights activists, volunteers, and private shelter owners, who argue that the new measures fail to address the root causes of the crisis and instead merely conceal its consequences temporarily. For many involved in the debate, the issue goes beyond animal welfare and points to deeper problems in state governance. For years, responsibility for stray animals in Kazakhstan has effectively been left to private initiatives, including small shelters and volunteer networks that operate largely on personal funds and donations. One such initiative is the Amigo shelter near Almaty, which currently houses around 200 dogs and 80 cats. The shelter did not begin as a business or long-term charitable project, but rather as a spontaneous effort to rescue several animals from capture facilities and the streets. Over time, the number of animals grew, and temporary assistance evolved into a permanent struggle for survival. [caption id="attachment_48766" align="aligncenter" width="1774"] Image: TCA[/caption] “We never planned to create a shelter. It all started with a few rescued animals, and then it became impossible to stop because they were completely dependent on us,” Amigo representatives told The Times of Central Asia. That dependency has become one of the defining features of Kazakhstan’s private shelter system. Unlike many Western countries, where large numbers of animals are adopted through well-developed adoption programs, animals in Kazakhstan often remain in shelters for years; sometimes for the rest of their lives. According to Amigo’s owners, society still approaches shelter animals with caution, while a culture of responsible adoption is only beginning to emerge. The financial burden on such organizations is enormous. In addition to food and veterinary care, shelter owners must independently pay for land, kennel construction, transport, fuel, generators, heating, water supply, sterilization, vaccination, and staff salaries. In many cases, infrastructure must be built entirely from scratch. Amigo’s own history reflects this instability. The shelter was initially located on a small property in Baiserke, but the growing number of animals and expanding residential development made continued operations impossible. The owners took out loans to purchase land near the village of Zhetygen, where they personally built enclosures and installed utilities. Later, after Zhetygen was incorporated into the new city of Alatau, they faced the threat of land seizure for state needs and were once again forced to search for a new location and finance another relocation through debt. [caption id="attachment_48767" align="aligncenter" width="1774"] Image: TCA[/caption] According to shelter representatives, Kazakhstan still lacks a clear legal status for such facilities. Agricultural land is formally designated for livestock rather than cats and dogs, meaning that even privately purchased plots do not guarantee long-term security. For shelters, relocation means far more than changing addresses, it requires transporting hundreds of animals, rebuilding infrastructure, and effectively starting over. Against this backdrop, discussions...

Elections

Kazakhstan Rules Out Fines for Not Voting in Elections

Kazakhstan does not plan to introduce compulsory voting or impose fines on citizens who fail to participate in elections and referendums, Central Election Commission (CEC) Secretary Shavkat Utemisov said. Speaking on the sidelines of a joint session of parliament, Utemisov acknowledged that declining voter participation, particularly among young people, remains a challenge in Kazakhstan. He said, however, that the country does not intend to adopt practices used in some states where voting is mandatory. Utemisov added that some countries have lowered the voting age, citing Belgium, while others impose penalties, including fines, on citizens who fail to appear at polling stations. “But Kazakhstan is not taking that path at the moment; for us, this issue is not as pressing as it is in the West,” he said. Kazakhstan’s most recent major electoral event was the constitutional referendum held on March 15. According to the CEC, approximately 12.4 million citizens were eligible to vote, while more than 9.1 million cast ballots, a turnout of 73.12%. The next major political event will be elections to Kazakhstan’s new unicameral parliament, the Kurultai, which President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev previously said would take place in August. Utemisov stressed that draft amendments to the Constitutional Law “On Elections,” adopted by the outgoing parliament, contain no provisions introducing mandatory voting. According to him, the CEC also has no plans to initiate such amendments in the near future. The election official added that ensuring voter turnout should be the responsibility of political parties participating in campaigns. At the same time, he warned that any attempts to encourage participation through cash payments or gifts could be interpreted as voter bribery. During the joint parliamentary session, lawmakers also approved the Constitutional Law “On the Kurultai of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Status of Its Deputies,” which will enter into force on July 1. The new parliament will consist of 145 deputies, compared to the current bicameral legislature, which includes 148 members, 98 deputies in the Mazhilis and 50 senators. Deputies in the Kurultai will serve five-year terms. Elections will be held exclusively under a proportional representation system based on party lists. “The draft law defines the place of the Kurultai within the system of state authorities, the principles of its operation, its structure, the procedure for its formation, and the mechanisms for exercising its powers,” Mazhilis deputy Aidos Sarym said. According to Sarym, the legislation also establishes the powers of the new parliament to adopt laws, participate in the formation of state bodies, and conduct parliamentary oversight. A separate provision states that the Kurultai will become the legal successor to the current parliament. The Times of Central Asia previously reported that the August vote will become Kazakhstan’s first parliamentary election in which citizens vote exclusively for political parties rather than individual candidates.

Mandatory Contributions

Healthcare Workers in Turkmenistan Reportedly Forced to Pay Mandatory Fees to Public Association

Turkmenistan does not allow independent public associations, and officially registered groups are reportedly funded through mandatory contributions collected from citizens, according to Chronicles of Turkmenistan. The publication says healthcare workers and students at medical institutions were required to pay annual membership fees to support the public association Ýaş Tebigatçy (Young Naturalist) Civil Society Organization. According to the report, the organization’s chairperson, Leyli Shymadova, appealed earlier this year to then-health minister Myrat Mammedov for assistance. Mammedov retired in February 2026. “Shymadova asked the minister to issue instructions requiring all employees of the ministry’s institutions and students of medical educational establishments to pay $5.72 as an annual contribution. The minister ordered that her request be fulfilled, as reflected in a document dated January 12,” the publication reported. The report also states that similar letters were sent to the Ministries of Education and Environmental Protection, and that employees of institutions under those ministries were likewise required to pay the requested amounts. “Public associations are non-profit organizations and should be financed through voluntary donations from individuals or organizations. But in Turkmenistan this is done coercively,” the publication’s authors wrote. The Ýaş Tebigatçy association was officially registered in September 2022.

Armed Forces

Tokayev Sets Two-Year Deadline for Military Reform in Kazakhstan

Speaking at a traditional ceremony ahead of Defender of the Fatherland Day, celebrated in Kazakhstan on May 7, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said the country must reform its armed forces within the next two years. “Our country must be prepared to prevent various challenges and respond to any threats. Therefore, we need to strengthen our defense potential and continue, above all, the technological modernization of the Armed Forces. This is a requirement of today’s unstable and turbulent times. In this regard, it is first necessary to carry out deep reforms in our Armed Forces and militarized structures. This is a strategically important task that must be resolved in a short period within two years,” Tokayev said during a ceremony awarding state honors and military ranks ahead of Defender of the Fatherland Day and Victory Day, celebrated on May 9. Russian analysts responded to the statement before many Kazakh commentators, largely arguing that Kazakhstan faces no major external threats and therefore has little need for sweeping military reform. One of them, Stanislav Pritchin, head of the Central Asia sector at the Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations in Moscow, said Kazakhstan had no serious territorial disputes or significant tensions with neighboring countries. “There are some political disagreements, but overall, the country exists in a fairly calm environment. There are simply no conflict points that would require Kazakhstan to fundamentally revise its military doctrine or significantly strengthen its army,” he told the publication, Expert. Pritchin also suggested that Russian concern stemmed from uncertainty over how Tokayev’s accelerated military reform agenda fits with Kazakhstan’s commitments to Moscow-led organizations such as the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). In Kazakhstan, however, the reform agenda fits a familiar pattern: by the time Tokayev publicly announces a deadline, work in that direction is often already well underway. In December 2025, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov outlined major military reforms while responding to parliamentary questions about discipline in the armed forces. Following presidential instructions, the government submitted three draft laws to parliament intended to form the foundation of the reform process. The legislation addresses crime prevention and revises administrative regulations within the military system. One of the main goals is to clearly divide responsibilities among commanders, military police, and other authorized bodies while introducing technology-based disciplinary oversight mechanisms. At the same time, the Health Ministry has developed a 2026-2028 roadmap for suicide prevention in Kazakhstan, with separate provisions focused on military personnel. As part of the broader reform effort, the authorities have also approved the interagency “Digital Prevention” program for 2025-2028. The initiative includes integrating video surveillance systems, artificial intelligence, and a unified database to monitor discipline and public order within the military. In parallel, the “Law and Order in the Army” program aims to strengthen military discipline and prevent offenses among service members. Tokayev also addressed military reform in an interview with the newspaper Turkistan earlier this year. The interviewer noted that repeated deaths among soldiers during military service were damaging...

Parental Responsibility

Turkmenistan Introduces New Fines for Parents Over Children’s Misconduct

Turkmenistan has introduced new rules that tighten parental responsibility for children’s misconduct, while reports suggest that additional unofficial requirements are already emerging at the local level. The amendments to the administrative code, signed by President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, came into force on May 1. The updated legislation increases penalties for what is defined as “improper upbringing” and expands the range of situations in which parents of children under 16 can be held liable. In several cases, warnings have been eliminated entirely. Under the new rules, offenses such as drug use without a prescription or minor hooliganism now result in immediate fines of around $29. Penalties for traffic violations have risen from $11.6 to $14.5. The manufacture or possession of pyrotechnics can lead to fines ranging from $58 to $145, while smoking carries penalties of $29 to $58. Other sanctions have also been increased, including those related to alcohol and tobacco sales and various administrative violations. However, the implementation of the law appears to vary across regions. According to local sources, some authorities are interpreting the rules more broadly and introducing additional measures. In schools in the Lebap region, for example, there are reports of proposed fines for families if students arrive late to class ($29), possess smartphones or headphones ($290), or skip lessons. These measures have not been officially confirmed, and teachers in other regions say they have not received similar instructions. Some observers suggest the reports may be exaggerated or intended as a deterrent to improve discipline. Nevertheless, educators warn of potential corruption risks. Recorded violations could become grounds for informal payments, with smaller sums demanded instead of official fines, bypassing the state budget.