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

Rogun Dam

Tajikistan Ratifies $300 Million World Bank Grant for Rogun Dam

Tajikistan’s lower house of parliament has ratified a $300 million World Bank grant for the Rogun Hydropower Plant, providing fresh financing for the country’s largest infrastructure project. The agreement was approved on October 1. The funding comes from the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank’s concessional financing arm for low-income countries. It will support continued construction and equipment installation, alongside safety and environmental safeguards and support for communities affected by resettlement. The World Bank approved the grant in June. Together with an earlier package, its approved financing for Rogun now totals $650 million. Tajikistan is also raising money from other international partners. Italy committed $150 million through its Climate Fund in July. The Asian Development Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, European Investment Bank, Islamic Development Bank, and Gulf development funds have also approved or expressed interest in supporting the project. The World Bank expects up to $3 billion in concessional financing to be mobilized for the project. By August, the dam had reached a height of about 190 meters. About 145 meters remain before it reaches its planned height of 335 meters, according to Italian construction group Webuild, one of the main contractors on the project. Two generating units are already producing electricity while construction continues, with their output expected to increase as the reservoir level rises. The World Bank currently puts planned capacity at 3,780 MW and expects the plant to be fully operational in 2033. It estimates annual generation at about 14.4 billion kWh. Rogun is intended to reduce Tajikistan’s chronic winter electricity shortages and increase power exports. The World Bank expects electricity from Rogun to be exported to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Hydropower could also help balance fluctuations in growing solar and wind generation across the region. Rogun is being built on the Vakhsh River, which joins the Panj to form the Amu Darya. Reservoir filling therefore also concerns downstream Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, where Amu Darya water is extensively used for agriculture. The environmental coalition Rivers without Boundaries has criticized the project’s impact assessments, arguing that they rely on outdated data and do not adequately account for climate change or the project’s wider effects across the basin. The World Bank says Tajikistan must comply with regional water-sharing arrangements. Reservoir filling is expected to proceed gradually through 2039, with compliance monitored throughout the project. In September, the World Bank also published new resettlement and livelihood restoration documents for communities affected by construction and the expanding reservoir. The Times of Central Asia previously reported on the expansion of international financing for Rogun after Italy committed $150 million to the project.

1 month ago

Latvia-Uzbekistan relations

Latvia Proposes Temporary Visa Suspension for Uzbek Citizens

Latvia’s Interior Ministry has proposed temporarily suspending visa issuance to Uzbek citizens after several Uzbek nationals were accused of committing crimes shortly after arriving in the country, including offenses against minors. Interior Minister Jānis Dombrava said the measure was necessary to protect public order and give Latvian authorities time to work with Uzbekistan on tighter screening procedures. Latvian law allows the government to temporarily restrict visa applications and entry for citizens of a particular third country if authorities identify risks to internal security or public order. The proposal has not yet been approved – the Interior Ministry wanted the Cabinet to consider it on September 29, but its coalition partners were not ready to place the issue on the agenda. The ministry said it expects the proposed restriction to be considered at the next government meeting. If adopted, Latvian authorities plan to use the suspension period to work with Uzbekistan on improved screening procedures aimed at preventing people considered a security risk from entering the country. The ministry has not specified how long the proposed suspension would last or whether exemptions would apply. As Latvia is a member of the Schengen Zone of European countries, it is also questionable how enforceable such restrictions would be. The visa concerns come as Riga and Tashkent are simultaneously trying to expand business ties. Uzbekistan’s Dunyo news agency reported on October 4 that a Latvian business delegation was due to visit Uzbekistan on October 5–10 for a business forum. Latvian companies have expressed interest in closer economic ties, with agricultural producers particularly interested in importing more Uzbek mineral fertilizers. Latvia is not the only Baltic state tightening scrutiny of migration from Central Asia. Neighboring Lithuania is closing external service centers that accept applications for temporary residence permits in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan from November 1, citing security concerns. The closures follow a sharp increase in applications from Central Asian workers as more people from the region seek employment outside Russia. The Times of Central Asia recently examined the restrictions and the limits they expose in Central Asia’s growing shift toward European labor markets.

1 month ago

Cyber Security

U.S. Commits $5 Million for Cybersecurity in Central Asia

The United States has committed $5 million in foreign assistance to support cybersecurity and the digital sector in Central Asia. The funding will be administered through the U.S.-based nonprofit CRDF Global, State Department official Mark Cameron said at a conference in Astana. The assistance is intended to strengthen cyber defenses across the five Central Asian states, including the protection of critical infrastructure and the financial sector. CRDF Global is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization which works with governments and institutions on security-related programs, including cybersecurity and efforts to reduce technological and biological threats. Cameron said Central Asian startups would also be able to receive grant funding, including for projects involving artificial intelligence. “We believe that private companies are taking the lead in this area,” he said. The announcement came during the C5+1 SI: Digital Innovation for Economic Growth conference, held in Astana on September 29-30. The C5+1 format brings together the five Central Asian states and the United States. Participants included government officials from the region, U.S. organizations, and technology companies including Meta, Oracle, Honeywell, Wabtec, and EPAM. Discussions covered a range of topics from artificial intelligence to data centers, with a focus on personal data protection, and C5+1 efforts to align digital standards. The U.S. funding comes as Central Asia’s technology sector expands. Startups with roots in the region are increasingly attracting international capital and expanding into U.S. and European markets, particularly in artificial intelligence, enterprise software, and digital commerce.

1 month ago

Labor Migration to Russia

Uzbekistan Proposes One-Stop Center for Migrant Workers Heading to Russia

Uzbekistan has proposed establishing a one-stop center where citizens planning to work in Russia could complete key migration procedures before departure. The initiative was discussed at a meeting between Uzbekistan Migration Agency Director Muhsinxo‘ja Abdurahmonov and Russian Ambassador to Uzbekistan Alexey Yerkhov. The Migration Agency also wants Russian-language examinations to be available in the regions so applicants do not have to travel to Tashkent. It said the necessary infrastructure has been prepared in four regions. Uzbekistan is proposing that citizens travel to Russia for specific vacancies. Prospective workers would know their employer and working conditions in advance. In 2025, Tashkent and Moscow considered conducting medical examinations and Russian-language tests at branches of Russian universities in Tashkent and Jizzakh. The latest initiative comes as work-related travel from Uzbekistan to Russia has declined. In January-June 2026, Uzbek citizens made more than 1.1 million entries into Russia declaring work as the purpose of their trip, down 13.2% from a year earlier. Across Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan, work-related entries fell by about 15%, from more than 2.3 million to 1.9 million. The figures count border crossings rather than individual workers, meaning the same person can be counted more than once. Despite fewer work-related entries into Russia, cross-border remittances to Uzbekistan reached $9.3 billion in the first half of 2026, up 13% year-on-year. The Central Bank attributed the increase to sustained demand for labor and relatively high wages in traditional destination countries for Uzbek migrant workers, as well as the strengthening of national currencies. The Central Bank also pointed to signs of diversification in the geography of labor migration. Transfers from the United Kingdom increased by 62% year-on-year, those from European Union countries by 27%, and those from the United States by 19%.

1 month ago

Railway Digitalization

EBRD Provides €38.4 Million for Digital Transformation of Uzbekistan Railways

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will provide a loan of up to €38.4 million to O’zbekiston temir yo’llari (UTY), the country’s national railway operator, to digitalize transport management and improve cybersecurity. According to the EBRD, UTY owns and operates a 6,950-kilometer railway network and is responsible for up to 40% of freight transported in Uzbekistan. Some dispatching and scheduling work remains manual, as do parts of operational control. The financing will allow UTY to introduce modern digital traffic and transportation management systems and upgrade cybersecurity protections for its IT infrastructure. The EBRD said the changes should improve the safety and reliability of railway operations while allowing UTY to manage train movements and network capacity more efficiently and reduce costs. The planned cybersecurity measures will be aligned with international best practices. The Bank also links the project to the development of the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor, also known as the Middle Corridor, which connects Central Asia with the South Caucasus and onward to Europe. Landlocked Uzbekistan connects to the corridor through neighboring countries before cargo crosses the Caspian Sea. The project is the EBRD’s first public-sector initiative of this kind in Uzbekistan and is specifically focused on the digital transformation of the national railway operator. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, the EBRD has also provided a loan of up to €20 million to Uzbek pharmaceutical manufacturers Samarkand England Eco-Medical and Bayan Medical to expand production. To date, the EBRD has invested almost $6.9 billion (€6 billion) in Uzbekistan through 210 projects, with most of the funds supporting private entrepreneurship. Uzbekistan has been the largest recipient of EBRD funding in Central Asia for each of the past six years.

1 month ago

Nobel Prize in Literature

Uzbek Writer Hamid Ismailov Appears in Bookmakers’ Odds for 2026 Nobel Prize

British bookmaker Ladbrokes gives Uzbek writer Hamid Ismailov odds of 33/1 for the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature. The Ladbrokes list also includes Haruki Murakami, Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie, Stephen King, and J.K. Rowling. Bookmakers’ odds, however, have no connection to the Nobel Prize’s official nomination process. Details of nominations are kept secret for 50 years, and the literature laureate is selected by the Swedish Academy. The 2026 laureate will be announced on October 8. This year’s Nobel Prize carries an award of 12 million Swedish kronor, or about $1.2 million. Ismailov was born in 1954 in Tokmok, in what is now Kyrgyzstan, and grew up in Uzbekistan. He was forced to flee Uzbekistan in 1992 after coming under pressure from the government of then-President Islam Karimov over his writing and political views. His works were subsequently banned in the country. He settled in the United Kingdom and went on to work for the BBC World Service for 25 years. Ismailov writes principally in Uzbek and Russian. His international profile has grown through English translations of novels including The Railway, The Dead Lake, and The Underground. His novel The Devils’ Dance, translated from Uzbek by Donald Rayfield with John Farndon and published by Tilted Axis Press, won the EBRD Literature Prize in 2019. In 2025, Ismailov’s We Computers: A Ghazal Novel, translated from Uzbek by Shelley Fairweather-Vega and published by Yale University Press, was named a finalist for the U.S. National Book Award for Translated Literature. The novel draws on Persian poetic traditions and literary history to explore artificial intelligence. Its story centers on a French poet and his Uzbek translator, who experiment with a computer program capable of analyzing and generating literary texts. The Nobel Prize in Literature, first awarded in 1901, went to Hungarian writer László Krasznahorkai in 2025.

1 month ago

AIIB

AIIB and Uzbekistan Agree on $5 Billion Infrastructure Project Pipeline

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and Uzbekistan have agreed on a pipeline of potential infrastructure projects worth up to $5 billion for 2026-2029. The two sides also signed a $1.5 million grant agreement to help prepare a project to modernize the country’s electricity transmission network. The updated Multi-Year Rolling Pipeline (MYRP) was signed on the sidelines of the AIIB’s 11th Annual Meeting in Doha. The document identifies areas for potential financing through 2029. The $5 billion figure represents a pipeline of prospective investments, rather than loans already approved by the bank. Uzbekistan is a founding member of the AIIB and is the bank’s largest partner in Central Asia, accounting for 51% of its operations in the region, according to Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade. Tashkent is seeking to expand cooperation on cross-border transport, energy, and water projects, while bringing more private capital into infrastructure development. The AIIB also agreed to provide a $1.5 million grant to help prepare the electricity transmission project. The funding will support technical studies, assessments of investment needs and climate risks, and preparations for integrating new solar and wind power plants into the grid. The work will focus on the southern energy corridor between the Surkhandarya and Samarkand regions and on the Fergana Valley. The studies are intended to identify bottlenecks in the transmission network and options for increasing its capacity. Grid modernization is becoming one of the key challenges in Uzbekistan’s energy transition. The government says renewable energy accounted for around 30% of electricity generation in 2025 and aims to raise the share to 54% by 2030. Connecting additional generating capacity will require both an expansion of the high-voltage transmission network and improvements in its reliability. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Uzbekistan plans to commission more than 17 GW of additional renewable energy capacity and build around 6,000 kilometers of high-voltage transmission lines by 2030. The expansion of green generation is becoming increasingly important as domestic gas production declines: Uzbekistan, once a net gas exporter, became a net importer in 2023.

1 month ago

Child protection

Uzbekistan Considers Life Imprisonment for Child Sexual Offenses

Uzbekistan is considering life imprisonment for rape and certain other violent sexual offenses involving children under the age of 14. A bill introducing this penalty and other measures to protect minors has passed its first reading in the lower house of parliament. The Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis approved the bill on September 29. It proposes lengthy prison terms or life imprisonment for these offenses. Under current law, the rape of a child under 14 is punishable by 15 to 20 years in prison. The proposed amendments would also eliminate certain limitation periods for sexual offenses against children, preventing offenders from avoiding criminal liability or punishment because the prescribed period has expired. During the parliamentary debate, lawmaker Gulrukh Agzamova said 445 criminal cases involving the rape of children under 14 had been opened in Uzbekistan between 2022 and 2025. Under the proposed changes, questioning of child victims would be video-recorded, while face-to-face confrontations between a child and a suspect or defendant would be conducted under a special procedure. If someone close to the child is suspected of violence, additional safeguards would apply. A guardian or a state body responsible for protecting the child’s rights and interests would then be required to participate in the investigation and court proceedings. Child victims and minor witnesses would also be provided with state-funded legal assistance. The bill was debated amid public outrage over a case involving the alleged sexual assault of a five-year-old girl at a state kindergarten in the Uchqurgan district of the eastern Namangan region. The case has revived debate over the death penalty in Uzbekistan. On September 27, Saida Mirziyoyeva, head of the Presidential Administration, called for capital punishment for such crimes. The death penalty is prohibited by Uzbekistan’s Constitution, meaning its reinstatement would require a constitutional amendment. The push for tougher penalties, however, predates the high-profile case in Namangan. Uzbekistan’s Strategy for Protecting Children from All Forms of Violence for 2026-2030 includes proposals to increase penalties for sexual crimes against children under 14, up to life imprisonment. Following its first reading, the bill will continue through the parliamentary process.

1 month ago

FIDE Chess Olympiad

Uzbekistan Wins FIDE Chess Olympiad Gold on Home Soil in Samarkand

Uzbekistan has won the Open section of the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, claiming its second title after its breakthrough victory in Chennai in 2022. The hosts entered the final round with 18 match points, one ahead of defending champions India. Uzbekistan defeated Ukraine 2.5-1.5 to finish with 20 points, while India drew 2-2 with Hungary. India’s draw meant Uzbekistan had secured gold even before its match against Ukraine had finished. India and Germany both finished on 18 points, with India taking silver on tiebreak and Germany bronze. Mukhiddin Madaminov delivered the decisive win on board four against Ukraine, while the other three games ended in draws. [caption id="attachment_57312" align="aligncenter" width="1774"] Uzbekistan’s players during the final round of the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand. Image: FIDE[/caption] Uzbekistan won its first seven matches before Germany handed the hosts their only defeat of the tournament, 2.5-1.5, in Round 8. The team responded by beating the United States, the top seed in the Open section, in Round 9, before defeating Armenia 3.5-0.5 in the penultimate round. The winning squad consisted of Javokhir Sindarov, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Nodirbek Yakubboev, Shamsiddin Vokhidov, and Mukhiddin Madaminov, with former FIDE world champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov serving as captain. Four of the five players had also been part of Uzbekistan’s gold medal team in Chennai in 2022. “The most important thing is how much attention is being paid to chess in our country,” Kasimdzhanov said at the Olympiad’s final press conference. He credited support from the president and prime minister with giving the team the conditions it needed to prepare and compete. Kasimdzhanov also pointed to the relationship among the players as an important factor in the team’s performance. “Such unity does not exist in every team. We are together, we are friends, and that helps us.” Preparations, he added, extended to details beyond the chessboard. “We did everything we could. We left nothing to chance,” he said. “Considering how important this tournament was, we carefully thought through even the smallest details.” The Samarkand victory extends Uzbekistan’s run of medals at three consecutive Olympiads: gold in Chennai in 2022, bronze in Budapest in 2024, and gold again in Samarkand. Abdusattorov also won the individual gold medal on board one in Samarkand, posting a performance rating of 2869. Kazakhstan won silver in the women’s competition after drawing 2-2 with Poland in the final round. China took gold, while India claimed bronze on tiebreak. The competition ran from September 16 to 27, following the opening ceremony on September 15. Before the tournament, FIDE said a record 400 teams had registered across the two main competitions, with 208 in the Open section and 192 in the Women’s section, surpassing the previous record set in Budapest in 2024. The home victory also came days after Uzbekistan increased financial rewards for its leading chess players. Under Presidential Resolution No. PP-346, adopted on September 21, gold at the senior World Chess Olympiad or Chess Paralympiad carries a one-time award of $200,000 for each player. The corresponding...

1 month ago

Counter-Terrorism

Uzbek-U.S. Citizen Extradited from Georgia on Charges of Supporting ISIS and al-Nusrah Front

Davud Ansariy, an Uzbek citizen who is also a naturalized U.S. citizen, has been extradited from Georgia to New York. U.S. prosecutors accuse him of leading a network that raised money to support ISIS and the al-Nusrah Front and helped aspiring fighters travel to Syria. Ansariy, 41, also known as Kozimjon Gafurov and Kozim, was arrested in Tbilisi in August 2026 and extradited to the United States on September 23. He faces one count of conspiracy to provide material support and one count of providing and attempting to provide material support to ISIS and the al-Nusrah Front, both designated by the United States as foreign terrorist organizations at the time of the alleged conduct. If convicted, he faces up to 35 years in prison. The alleged conduct dates back more than a decade. According to prosecutors, Ansariy led a group based primarily in Brooklyn whose members either planned to travel to Syria to join ISIS or the al-Nusrah Front or helped finance such trips. Participants referred to the group as “chayxona,” an Uzbek word meaning “tea house” or “tea party.” Prosecutors allege that money collected through the network was used to pay for the travel of aspiring fighters to Syria and to support families left behind by those who traveled there, as well as the families of those killed while fighting. According to prosecutors, these collections helped finance the travel of at least three people to Syria in 2013. All three are believed to have been killed there. Investigators also link the network to Akhror Saidakhmetov, who was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport on February 25, 2015, while attempting to board a flight to Istanbul. According to court filings, the “chayxona” collections raised money for Saidakhmetov’s planned journey. He later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Ansariy left the United States for Turkey in May 2016, buying a one-way ticket the day before his departure. He left five days after one of his alleged co-conspirators was arrested on May 11 and did not return to the United States until his extradition this month. A federal grand jury in Brooklyn indicted Ansariy in November 2021. Georgian authorities arrested him after he traveled from Uzbekistan to Tbilisi in August 2026. Ansariy pleaded not guilty on September 24 and was held without bail, the New York Post reported.

1 month ago

Previous 1 … 3 4 5 6 7 … 107 Next