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Karimova and Nazarbayeva: Power, Prison, and Privilege – The Diverging Fates of Central Asia’s First Daughters

The lives of the eldest daughters of Kazakhstan’s first president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, and Uzbekistan’s first president, Islam Karimov, share striking similarities. Both once wielded immense influence in their respective countries, yet their destinies took drastically different turns. Amid a flurry of media reports after Uzbekistan and Switzerland signed an agreement to return funds appropriated by Karimova, some recent articles have compared the trajectories of the two women. While Nazarbayev allowed his daughter, Dariga, to maintain her wealth and political standing, Karimov took decisive action against his daughter, Gulnara, stripping her of power and ensuring she faced legal consequences. The Rise and Fall of Gulnara Karimova Once a high-profile public figure, Gulnara Karimova built a vast business empire, pursued a career in fashion career, and even dabbled in pop music under the name ‘Googoosha.’ A former UN envoy and self-styled 'Princess of Uzbekistan,' - "From her desire for self-expression came her poems. From her poems came the music. Meet Googoosha.....poet, mezzo soprano, designer and exotic Uzbekistan beauty," read Karimova's X account and since removed official website. "A robber baron… a greedy, power-hungry individual who uses her father to crush business people or anyone else who stands in her way… She remains the single most hated person in the country," asserted a leaked U.S. diplomatic cable. With her political ambitions becoming increasingly apparent, alarming Uzbekistan’s leadership, however, the authorities closely monitored her activities and reported them to her father. By 2014, Karimova had fallen from grace. Placed under house arrest, images of her detention were leaked to the media. After Islam Karimov’s death in 2016, legal proceedings against her intensified. In 2017, she was sentenced to nine years in prison on corruption charges. The Uzbek Supreme Court later extended her sentence to 13 years and four months, with the term officially calculated from August 21, 2015. Karimova's financial empire also crumbled. In 2020, the Swiss authorities froze her assets, valued at 800 million Swiss francs (approximately $880 million at the time). Uzbekistan recovered $131 million from these funds, and in February 2024, Uzbekistan and Switzerland signed an agreement to repatriate an additional $182 million. The funds, originally seized by the Swiss authorities in 2012 as part of a corruption case against Karimova, will be transferred to Uzbekistan through the UN Uzbekistan Vision 2030 Fund. Dariga Nazarbayeva: From Power to Uncertainty Unlike Karimova, Dariga Nazarbayeva remained a central political figure in Kazakhstan for years. Nazarbayeva held several high-ranking positions, including deputy prime minister and chair of the Senate. In 2019, when Nazarbayev stepped down, she was just one step away from the presidency. Following the political turmoil in Kazakhstan in January 2022, Nazarbayeva disappeared from public life. While her current whereabouts remain unclear, she is frequently linked to luxurious properties in London and the UAE. A British court recently reviewed a case involving her London properties, which were initially seized as “unjustified wealth.” However, she and her family successfully proved that the assets were acquired legally. The protests that erupted on January 2,...

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Proposed Kazakh Foreign Agents Law Sparks Heated Debate

The potential adoption of a law on foreign agents has sparked heated discussions and even serious conflicts in Kazakhstan. However, some experts believe that labeling foreign agents will help the country's citizens understand whose interests certain sections of the media and bloggers are serving. Discussions about the possible adoption of a foreign agents law in Kazakhstan have been ongoing for several years. The sharp reduction in USAID activities worldwide, including in Kazakhstan, has given new momentum to the debate. A directive from U.S. President Donald Trump to shut down the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) brought shocking details to light. It was confirmed that over the years, USAID had spent millions of dollars funding various projects in Kazakhstan. Some of these projects, including those involving the Kazakh government, were related to energy, modernization, healthcare, and other progressive fields. However, a significant portion of the funds went toward media resources that promoted a specific point of view in Kazakhstan, often leading to conflicts, as extensively reported by The Times of Central Asia (TCA) in a series of articles. Following Trump’s directive, Mazhilis (Parliament) Deputy Magerram Magerramov accused USAID of lobbying for the LGBT community. According to him, Elon Musk and Trump had called USAID a criminal organization. The deputy claimed that foreign-funded non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were promoting an alien and harmful perspective in Kazakhstan. Sources indicate that the shutdown of USAID’s activities has already led to the closure or suspension of certain media outlets in Kazakhstan and Central Asia. For example, on February 17, Mediazona Central Asia announced it was temporarily ceasing operations. The issue of foreign funding for media and bloggers has caused an intense reaction in Kazakhstan’s information space. Amid the USAID shuttering, Mazhilis deputy from the People's Party of Kazakhstan, Irina Smirnova, proposed amending the legislation on foreign financing. Her proposal served to escalate tensions. On February 12, Smirnova submitted a parliamentary inquiry to Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov. According to Smirnova, around 200 NGOs in Kazakhstan receive foreign funding, with 70% financed through various U.S. sources. Official government data shows that the country has 165 different grant donors, including 53 international organizations, 31 foreign government organizations, and 81 foreign and Kazakh NGOs. "Even experts find it difficult to distinguish between friendly resources and those that require caution to avoid falling under the influence of destructive 'soft' power," Smirnova stated, representing this a challenge for Kazakh society. According to Smirnova, many countries counter such challenges by adopting foreign agent laws. For example, Israel has had such a law since 2016, China since 2017, Australia since 2018, the UK since 2023, and France since 2024. One of the original models for such laws is the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act, enacted in 1938 to counter Nazi propaganda. Smirnova suggested that Kazakhstan should develop national legislation on foreign agents similar to Western countries so that citizens can evaluate and compare information while understanding its source. Her statement triggered a massive backlash, however, with the most extreme reaction coming from Arman Shuraev, a former...

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Some Good News as Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan Finalize Border Deal

Central Asia is offering a rare bright spot in a geopolitical landscape that often seems troubled by conflict and uncertainty. Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are on the verge of resolving a long-running border dispute that has sometimes flared into deadly violence, an outcome that will open the way to smoother transport links as well as energy and water agreements between the two countries. At a ceremony in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan’s capital, on Friday, 21 February 2025, the chief negotiators for each country signed what they said was an agreement demarcating their nearly 1,000-kilometer border, the final and most critical of a series of accords aimed at ending the dispute over territory. Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan must also add their signatures as part of the process of making the agreement legal. The most painstaking work has been done after months of discussions over the delineation of the border, which was the scene of clashes in 2021 and 2022 that killed dozens of people and forced mass evacuations of residents. Much of the frontier runs through mountainous areas. Saimumin Yatimov, Tajikistan’s chief negotiator and head of the State Committee for National Security, said the deal, once ratified, “will bring an end to the 100-year dispute” between the neighbors, the AKIpress news agency reported. Yatimov’s counterpart in the talks was Kyrgyz security chief Kamchybek Tashiyev. Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and other Central Asian states declared independence from the Soviet Union as it fell apart in 1991. The origin of lingering border problems, in particular between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, go back a century to when the Soviet Union formed those republics, drawing lines on a map with little regard for ethnic and geographical circumstances. Geopolitical strategist Velina Tchakarova, whose predictions for 2025 include heightened tensions in the Indo-Pacific, noted the positive development between the two Central Asian countries. “Not everything is about bad news in global geopolitics,” Tchakarova said on X.

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After Deadly Mining Accident, Kazakhstan to Inspect Hazardous Industries

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has ordered an audit of industrial facilities to assess their compliance with safety standards following a deadly accident at a Kazakhmys Corporation mine in the Ulytau region. Tokayev described the state of workplace safety in Kazakhstan as “unacceptable”, citing gross violations of safety regulations. He criticized companies for failing to invest adequately in worker protection, leading to industrial accidents, fatalities, and injuries. Government Mandates Safety Overhaul “The President instructed the government to take the following measures to ensure the safety of citizens involved in hazardous production facilities: conduct an audit of facilities for compliance with industrial safety standards, develop and implement modern safety systems, including gas alarms, seismic sensors, and positioning systems,” reads an official statement. Tokayev also directed authorities to digitize industrial safety systems, introducing automated forecasting and warning mechanisms. Based on the audit’s findings, companies will be required to increase investment in modern safety technologies by adjusting their operational programs. Additionally, the Cabinet of Ministers has been tasked with tightening supervision and regulatory controls in the industrial sector. “These instructions have been placed under special control by the presidential administration,” the statement emphasized. Investigation Into the Mining Tragedy As The Times of Central Asia previously reported, on February 17, an explosion at the Zhomart mine in Zhanaarka district, Ulytau region, killed seven employees of Kazakhmys Corporation LLP. A government commission was established to investigate the incident, with preliminary findings attributing the accident to a natural gas explosion. Mining operations at the site have been suspended pending the results of the investigation. Two specialized subcommissions have been created: One to determine the cause of the accident. Another to identify possible safety violations. These subcommissions are expected to complete their work by March 1. Calls for Stronger Oversight Kazakhstan’s parliament is pushing for stricter workplace safety measures, particularly in the mining sector. Mazhilis deputy Arman Kalykov has proposed the creation of a separate state body dedicated to industrial safety, which would report directly to the prime minister.

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Turkmenistan Plans to Raise Conscription Age

Turkmenistan plans to raise the age of military conscription from 27 to 30, Turkmen News reports. A decree has reportedly been prepared, but President Serdar Berdimuhamedov has yet to sign it. Avoiding the draft in Turkmenistan is difficult. Men who study abroad must report to military office upon their return. Without a military ID, they face restrictions on employment, housing, and official registration. Since late December 2024, reports have indicated that military offices have largely stopped issuing “white tickets” - documents that confirm an individual's fitness for service without requiring enlistment. This policy shift leaves potential conscripts with fewer options: staying abroad leaves them in legal limbo while returning home runs the risk of immediate conscription. The Turkmen army has long struggled with a shortage of soldiers. Changing conscription rules appears to be an attempt to bolster the ranks, but it may only deepen young men’s reluctance to serve. Conscripts often endure poor living conditions, inadequate supplies, and mistreatment by senior soldiers. Corruption remains a significant issue, with funds allegedly being misappropriated and discipline deteriorating. Defense Minister Begench Gundogdyev has been criticized for failing to address these problems. In other Central Asian countries, such as Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, the conscription age remains at 27.

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Uzbekistan Strengthens Intellectual Property Protection

Uzbekistan is taking significant steps to enhance intellectual property (IP) protection with a new draft law, which was approved in its first reading by the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis on February 18. The proposed legislation introduces amendments to multiple legal codes, strengthening penalties for copyright violations and industrial property rights infringements. Key changes include: Increased fines for copyright infringement Administrative penalties for violating rights to selection achievements Confiscation of items used in patent-related offenses Expanded judicial powers to inspect and seize counterfeit goods Stricter criminal liability for intellectual property violations Criminal penalties for unauthorized use of trademarks, software, and inventions Mandatory destruction of counterfeit goods at the offender’s expense The law aims to curb counterfeit production, attract foreign investment, and support Uzbekistan’s efforts to join the World Trade Organization. Under Uzbekistan’s Copyright Law, intellectual property rights apply to works by Uzbek citizens, residents, and those first published in the country. Currently, fines for copyright violations range from UZS 375,000 (USD 28.95) to UZS 1.87 million (USD 144.36) for individuals and up to UZS 3.75 million (USD 289.48) for officials. Additionally, the Code of Administrative Responsibility imposes various fines for violations of personal non-property rights related to intellectual property. In neighboring Kazakhstan, copyright or related rights violations under the Criminal Code carry a minimum fine of KZT 295,360 (USD 588.17) as of 2024. More severe offenses can result in imprisonment for three to six years.