Our People > Sadokat Jalolova

Sadokat Jalolova

Journalist

Jalolova has worked as a reporter for some time in local newspapers and websites in Uzbekistan, and has enriched her knowledge in the field of journalism through courses at the University of Michigan, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Amsterdam on the Coursera platform.

Articles

Tajik Schoolboy Killing

Tajik Schoolboy Killed in Moscow Area Sparks Central Asian Outrage

The fatal stabbing of a 10-year-old Tajik boy at a school in the Moscow area has sparked widespread condemnation across Central Asia. Russia’s Foreign Ministry extended “deep condolences” to Tajikistan following the killing. Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Moscow offered immediate assistance to the Tajik Embassy in Russia after the incident was reported by the press on December 16. She confirmed that the embassy sent a diplomatic note requesting an objective investigation. Official requests were subsequently forwarded to Russia’s Investigative Committee and the Interior Ministry to clarify the circumstances and support the Tajik side. The attack occurred at Uspensky School, where a 15-year-old ninth-grade student, identified as Timofey Kulyamov, allegedly stabbed and killed the victim, Qobiljon Aliyev. Witnesses reported that the suspect asked the child about his nationality before launching the fatal attack. On the day of the incident, he was reportedly wearing a shirt bearing the phrase “No lives matter.” Qobiljon’s family moved to Russia from the Hisor region of Tajikistan four years ago. His father passed away three years prior, and his mother has been working as a cleaner at the same school to support her three children. Journalists, civil society leaders, and public figures in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan condemned the killing, linking it to rising hostility toward Central Asian migrants in Russia. Tajik political analyst Muhammad Shamsuddinov took to social media to denounce what he described as systemic discrimination. “Who killed Qobiljon? The system,” he wrote. Shamsuddinov accused Russian public discourse and policies of fueling an environment of xenophobia, referencing remarks by State Duma members, law enforcement actions, and state-run media coverage. “Qobiljon was killed by Mironov’s constant statements. By Bastrykin’s speeches. By the State Duma’s draft laws. By Russian state television. By nationalist Telegram channels. By the constant and very public raids against migrants. By hours-long detentions at airports,” he wrote. He also criticized the Russian Embassy in Tajikistan for its silence, noting that while it continued to post routine updates and commemorative messages, it had not acknowledged the boy’s death. “As a society, where is the sympathy? The condolences? Nothing,” he wrote. Sherzodkhon Kudratkhuja, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Uzbekistan National Media Association and Rector of the University of Journalism and Mass Communications, also voiced his outrage. “No mother should ever go through this. None,” he said, after reportedly watching a video of the incident. He called the murder of a child based on national identity “impossible to describe in words.” Kudratkhuja urged Russia to introduce formal education on national tolerance in its schools and criticized the normalization of ethnic slurs among adults. “Children learn from adults, and this is the mirror of today’s society,” he said. He emphasized the need to foster values of tolerance, adding that all people “descended from Adam and Eve and are equal in dignity.”

8 hours ago

Taliban

Taliban Dismiss Thousands of Tajik and Uzbek Fighters

The United Nations Security Council has released a new assessment on Afghanistan, revealing that the Taliban have reduced their security forces by approximately 20%. According to Afghanistan International, which cited the UN document, thousands of ethnic Tajik and Uzbek fighters have been dismissed, particularly in provinces where these groups made up a significant portion of Taliban ranks. The downsizing order reportedly came from Taliban leadership and was attributed to budgetary constraints. While the UN document does not explicitly state that the dismissals were ethnically motivated, it notes that the concentration of personnel cuts in Tajik and Uzbek-majority provinces, most notably Badakhshan, Kapisa, Parwan, and Takhar, has raised concerns about possible ethnic discrimination. Taliban officials have previously justified the reduction by claiming their security apparatus had become excessively large. However, the UN warned that the force reduction is occurring amid rising security threats, especially from Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP). According to the report, ISKP has ramped up operations by leveraging modern technologies, including artificial intelligence, to create training materials, some of which reportedly instruct on the assembly of improvised explosive devices. UN sanctions monitors cautioned that this technological advancement, combined with a diminished Taliban security presence, could heighten instability across the country. Although the Taliban have conducted operations against ISKP since early 2025, the extremist group remains resilient. The UN also highlighted that the Taliban continue to publicly deny ISKP’s presence in Afghanistan while simultaneously accusing neighboring countries of supporting the group. Despite this, the Taliban have sought international counterterrorism assistance to confront ISKP. The report estimates that more than 20 international and regional terrorist organizations remain active in Afghanistan. These include Al-Qaeda, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, the Turkistan Islamic Movement, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, and Jamaat Ansarullah. According to the UN, the Taliban have incorporated some former members of these groups into local security units, prompting concerns about ideological alignment and infiltration. The document further notes that advanced weaponry and military equipment are entering Afghanistan through cross-border smuggling and black market channels. Reports have also emerged of drone attacks targeting military sites in Pakistan. The Taliban are allegedly seeking technical support to expand their drone capabilities, with some countries reporting possible Al-Qaeda involvement in drone production sites in Logar and Kabul. Tensions also flared along the Tajik-Afghan border in late October. Armed clashes were reported on October 25 between Tajik border guards and Taliban fighters in the Davanga district of Shahr-e Buzurg, located in Badakhshan province. The confrontation reportedly stemmed from a dispute over water diversion from the Amu Darya river. The presence of Chinese-operated gold mining facilities in the area has further complicated the region’s security dynamics.

8 hours ago

travel

EU and Uzbekistan Discuss Steps Toward Easing Visa Access

Uzbekistan’s Foreign Ministry has initiated the first round of consultations with experts from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, according to the Dunyo news agency. The discussions focused on the potential easing of visa procedures for Uzbek citizens traveling to the European Union for purposes such as work, study, truck driving, or group tourism. Representatives from the European side outlined a number of preconditions Uzbekistan must fulfill before the European Commission can formally consider simplifying visa requirements. Both sides agreed to continue consultations in the coming period to advance the process. The talks follow President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s official visit to Brussels on October 23-24, during which Uzbekistan and the EU signed an Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement. The new framework replaces the 1996 agreement and expands bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, digital technologies, environmental protection, and climate resilience. Negotiations on the updated agreement began in 2019 and concluded in 2022. While in Brussels, Mirziyoyev also held meetings with executives from leading European companies and financial institutions, including Linde, SUEZ, Meridiam, Commerzbank, and the European Investment Bank. The sides agreed to pursue new projects worth more than €10 billion across sectors such as energy, chemicals, logistics, critical minerals, textiles, and pharmaceuticals. These investments add to an existing EU-led project portfolio in Uzbekistan valued at more than €40 billion.

1 day ago

advocacy

Uzbekneftegaz Signs $5 Million Consulting Deal With U.S. Firm Ballard Partners

Uzbekneftegaz has signed a $5 million lobbying and strategic consulting contract with the U.S.-based firm Ballard Partners, according to documents published by the Uzbek Telegram channel Revizor on December 12. The agreement outlines services for “strategic consulting and advocacy before the U.S. government.” The reported monthly fee is $83,334, implying a contract duration of approximately five years. Ballard Partners is often described by U.S. media outlets as having close ties to President Donald Trump. Reuters recently reported that several major companies, including cryptocurrency exchanges Kraken and Blockchain.com, retained Ballard Partners after the November elections for lobbying on digital asset regulation. The firm is led by Brian Ballard, a longtime Trump fundraiser, and has seen a notable uptick in clients in recent months. Politico reported earlier this year that Ballard Partners’ revenue has sharply increased, with many organizations under pressure from the current administration turning to the firm for representation. According to the report, Ballard signed around 40 new clients following the elections, exceeding its client intake from the previous ten months. The Uzbekneftegaz deal follows recent comments by Uzbekistan’s Minister of Energy, Jurabek Mirzamakhmudov, confirming that the government has been in discussions with the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) regarding sanctions on Russian energy giant Lukoil. However, there is no publicly available evidence linking the Uzbekneftegaz agreement with Ballard Partners to the Lukoil sanctions issue. At this stage, the specific scope of Ballard Partners’ work on behalf of Uzbekneftegaz remains undisclosed. The available documentation does not specify the precise interests the firm will advocate for in Washington, leaving open questions about the contract’s strategic goals and expected outcomes.

1 day ago

Natural resources

Mirziyoyev: Uzbekistan’s Natural Resources Valued at Up to $79,000 Per Person

Uzbekistan’s vast underground wealth has drawn renewed attention following the release of an international ranking of countries by natural resource value per capita, as reported by Uzbek publication Zamin. According to the ranking, Saudi Arabia tops the list, with natural resources valued at approximately $1 million per person, driven largely by its extensive oil reserves. Canada and Australia follow, each exceeding $700,000 per capita, supported by a combination of oil, forests, minerals, iron ore, coal, and natural gas. Russia ranks fourth, with more than $520,000 in resources per person. Although accurately assessing Uzbekistan’s total natural resource value remains difficult due to fluctuating global commodity prices and ongoing geological exploration, the country's long-term potential is considered substantial. In July 2018, Azam Qadirhodjayev, then Deputy Chairman of Uzbekistan’s State Committee for Geology and Mineral Resources, estimated the total potential value of the country’s mineral resources at approximately $5.7 trillion. Of this, over $1 trillion stemmed from explored and currently developed deposits. At the time, only about 20% of Uzbekistan’s territory had been fully studied, leaving considerable room for new discoveries. Additional details were provided in December 2023, when Ilyos Jumayev, a representative of the Ministry of Mining Industry and Geology, announced at a press conference that Uzbekistan officially possesses 101 gold deposits and three silver deposits. According to the ministry, the country holds nearly all mineral types found globally, including gold, silver, copper, uranium, oil, natural gas, lithium, molybdenum, tungsten, manganese, nickel, cobalt, tantalum, and niobium. Major gold reserves serve as the raw material base for the Navoi and Almalyk mining and metallurgical complexes, while copper deposits are primarily located in the Tashkent region. The value of Uzbekistan’s natural resources was also a key topic at the Tashkent International Investment Forum in June 2025. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev stated that the country’s underground wealth is valued at approximately $3 trillion. He emphasized that the global demand for technological minerals is rising amid the fourth industrial revolution and identified strategic reserves of lithium, tungsten, magnesium, graphite, titanium, and vanadium as vital for developing high value-added industries. Based on the president’s $3 trillion estimate and Uzbekistan’s current population of roughly 38.24 million, the per capita value of natural resources stands at approximately $78,000 to $79,000. While lower than the per capita resource wealth in countries like Saudi Arabia or Canada, officials argue that incomplete geological surveying leaves room for this figure to grow. Uzbekistan’s resource base includes not only precious and rare earth metals but also energy resources such as oil and natural gas, underscoring the country’s strategic position in the global minerals landscape.

2 days ago

Israel-Iran Escalation

Central Asia Unites: Evacuations Amid Middle East Turmoil

As hostilities between Israel and Iran escalate in the Middle East, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan have initiated a comprehensive evacuation of their citizens from high-risk areas, drawing on regional cooperation and humanitarian assistance to ensure their safe return. Regional Support in Evacuation Efforts Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan have stepped in to aid the Central Asian nations' evacuation operations, providing transit routes and logistical support. At the Astara border checkpoint, six Kazakh citizens crossed from Iran into Azerbaijan, where they were offered medical assistance and meals before continuing their journeys. Turkmenistan has also facilitated the safe passage of approximately 120 evacuees, including citizens of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Romania, through its border checkpoints with Iran. Turkmenistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that foreign diplomats and their families were recently evacuated from Iran through Turkmenistan. The country provided comprehensive humanitarian assistance to the evacuees, offering transportation, food, accommodation, and essential supplies. Turkmenistan’s authorities highlighted that the operation was carried out in close cooperation with foreign embassies and international organizations, reflecting its commitment to humanitarian values, international cooperation, and good neighborly relations, particularly during the “Year of Peace and Trust,” as declared by the United Nations General Assembly at Turkmenistan’s initiative. Uzbekistan has evacuated over 30 citizens of its citizens from Iran via Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “All necessary measures are being taken to ensure the safety of our citizens. The embassies of Uzbekistan in Iran and Israel are operating around the clock,” the ministry stated. Kyrgyzstan has also successfully evacuated 28 of its citizens from Iran via Azerbaijan. "Currently, the necessary assistance is being provided to facilitate the swift return of the evacuees from Azerbaijan to Kyrgyzstan," a Foreign Ministry official stated. Flight Bans and Alternative Routes Kazakhstan’s Civil Aviation Committee has meanwhile implemented a full ban on flights over or near the airspace of Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria following intensified airstrikes in the region. This decision disrupted flights for hundreds of Kazakh travelers, particularly those in the United Arab Emirates and other Middle Eastern nations. To address the situation, alternative evacuation routes were established. On June 15, two FlyDubai flights arrived in Almaty, carrying a total of 332 Kazakh citizens. These flights included passengers initially stranded after the airspace ban and others who had been scheduled to depart after the interruption. Following rerouting operations, airlines such as Air Astana and FlyArystan have warned of disruptions to flights to and from the Gulf and North Africa. Passengers have been advised to check schedules in advance and to expect delays. Mirziyoyev Addresses the Conflict’s Impact The conflict between Israel and Iran has raised serious concerns across Central Asia. Speaking during a government meeting held via videoconference, Uzbekistan’s President Mirziyoyev warned that the hostilities could negatively impact newly developing trade and transport routes in the region. The growing conflict will “have an impact not only on the Middle East, but also on our region. If the escalation continues, trade relations and logistics routes that are...

6 months ago

Crime

Mystery and Intrigue Behind the Death of Inessa Papernaya

Further details have come to light which shroud the death of Inessa Papernaya in yet more mystery. As reported by TCA yesterday, Papernaya and her companion were found dead in a Tashkent hotel on October 20, along with an Uzbek man in a neighboring room whom media sources initially referred to simply as U.Kh. It has since come to light that this person was Khushnud Udekov, a well-known 48-year-old businessman from the Khorezm region whose private gas company was liquidated. Initially, reports stated that Papernaya was a Russian journalist known for her work with lenta.ru and profile.ru. It was also reported that Papernaya was in Uzbekistan on vacation, and was staying at the Karaman Palace Hotel with her fiancé, Maxim Radchenko, whom she had traveled with in order to meet his relatives. However, Papernaya’s last post for either of these publications came in 2019, since when she had become an employee of the Russian mining company, Norilsk Nickel. According to accounts surrounding the death of Papernaya and Radchenko, hotel staff knocked on the door of their room after the couple, who were supposed to have returned to Moscow, stopped answering the phone. Receiving no response, staff entered the room, where they discovered the bodies of the pair in the bathroom. “When she didn’t answer her phone at 11 PM, I felt something was wrong,” Papernaya’s mother told the media. “I knew something had happened.” The body of Udekov was subsequently found in the room directly below, with some local publications speculating that the businessman may have been the target of a contract killing. Preliminary reports attributed the cause of the deaths to poisoning of “unknown origin,” with early suggestions being made that gas seeped into the room through the ventilation system after the hotel’s pool was cleaned on October 19-20, leading to the incident. The hotel where the incident occurred was also still under construction, and the first floor was stuffed with building materials and furniture. Following the gruesome discovery, authorities sealed off the Karaman Palace Hotel. The Prosecutor General’s Office of Uzbekistan launched an investigation under Article 186 of the Uzbek Criminal Code, which covers the provision of unsafe services, and a forensic examination was ordered to determine the precise causes of death. According to Hayat Shamsutdinov, the press secretary of Uzbekistan's Prosecutor General 's Office, the exact cause of death will be determined after a thorough examination, the results of which are expected in about a month. Forensic expert Alexey Reshetun, however, has stated that it is “extremely difficult to imagine that two adults would die in a single room as a result of gas entering through the ventilation.” Relatives of Radchenko, meanwhile, have disputed what they describe as several different versions of the deaths which have been put forward. Radchenko’s sister stated that the family were initially told “he had an epileptic seizure; she ran up to him, slipped, fell, hit her head and died. This is some kind of TV series: how do you fall? What...

1 year ago

Corruption

The Fall and Fall of Salim Abduvaliev – Kyrgyz Authorities Place Uzbek “Kingpin” on Wanted List

The State Committee for National Security of Kyrgyzstan (GKNB) has issued an arrest warrant for the already imprisoned 73-year-old Salim Abduvaliev, who for decades was one of Uzbekistan's most prominent individuals. As part of the investigation, evidence was obtained that Abduvaliev had financed the activities of an organized criminal group led by Kamchybek Asanbekovich Kolbaev, an individual linked to heroin trafficking who was wanted by the U.S. Department of State and was a member of the international criminal group, the "Brothers’ Circle," or “Bratva”. Kolbaev was killed in Bishkek in a security operation in October 2023 at the age of 49. In a dramatic fall from grace, in March of this year, Abduvaliev was sentenced to six years in prison in Uzbekistan for “arms trafficking”. Initially a fan of President Mirziyoyev, even being photographed wearing a t-shirt proclaiming “My President” emblazoned with Mirziyoyev’s image, Abduvaliev eventually fell afoul of reforms and a crackdown on corruption. “Whether it is criminal groups… or officials mired in corruption, if someone flouts the law and causes harm to the state and society, we will never be able to stand by and watch it,” Mirziyoyev said in December 2023. “In ‘New Uzbekistan,’ the law must prevail, and punishment for crimes must be inevitable”. Having been hugely influential in CIS countries for decades, Abduvaliev now also stands accused in Kyrgyzstan of establishing illegal channels for transporting narcotics to Europe. According to the GKNB, Abduvaliev regularly provided material support to Kolbaev and helped him to become the leader of the Kyrgyz criminal world and rank among the most influential criminal figures in the region. In their indictment, the GKNB stated that Kolbaev and Abduvaliev had a close relationship; pictures showing Kolbaev’s visits to “celebrations and other events” organized by Abduvaliev in Uzbekistan number among the evidence. Based on the collected materials, Abduvaliev was placed on the interstate and Interpol databases by the Oktyabr District Court of Bishkek. Widely-known as "Salimboy-Boyvaccha" (which can be used to mean “grandfather”, “rich man”, or “dandy”), Abduvaliev previously held the position of Vice President of the National Olympic Committee and President of the Wrestling Association of Uzbekistan. He was also an associate of the mob boss, Gafur Rakhimov, considered to be one of the most prominent drug lords in the CIS. [caption id="attachment_21414" align="alignnone" width="700"] Image: GKNB of the Kyrgyz Republic[/caption] A mainstay of Central Asian crime circles, Abduvaliev was in the aluminum business with the notorious Michael Cherney – declared by the FBI to be an “organized crime figure” - sponsored the participation of Anatoly Bykov – since jailed for murder - in elections in Krasnoyarsk Krai in Russia. A 2012 article in Argumenty I fakty cites an “FBI Organized Crime” report as stating that in 1987, when Mikhail Cherney came to “conquer Moscow,” he came with “recommendation letters [from] respected” Tashkent businessmen known by their nicknames, Gafur and Salim.” A well-connected source who wishes to remain anonymous for their safety told TCA that “in Uzbekistan there was no single business...

1 year ago