incident - The Times Of Central Asia

Viewing results 1 - 6 of 8

Russian Journalist Pivovarov Detained After Filming Cotton Fields in Karakalpakstan

Alexey Pivovarov, a Russian journalist and YouTuber, was detained in Nukus, the capital of the autonomous Uzbek republic of Karakalpakstan. He was questioned by authorities along with the photography team for his project, Redaktsiya (Editorial), and Feride Makhsetova, a journalist from the local news portal Hook. Their arrest was initially reported by Hook. The journalists were detained "for an interview", supposedly following a complaint by an unidentified citizen. Authorities confiscated the visual material collected by the team, who, according to Pivovarov on his Telegram channel, had been filming in one of the region's cotton fields. The Karakalpakstan branch of the Agency for Information and Mass Communications claimed that the detentions occurred because the journalists were not accredited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Later, Pivovarov, Makhsetova, and their team were released by the Nukus Department of Internal Affairs. They subsequently traveled to Tashkent without the materials they had filmed in Karakalpakstan. The Russian Embassy in Uzbekistan addressed the incident, stating that it had contacted Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and would provide support to the Russian citizens involved. In a message on his Telegram channel, Pivovarov described the officials in Nukus as “friendly and polite.”

China Afghanistan Border Crime Armed Conflicts Regional Security incident

Chinese Foreign Ministry Condemns Attack on Tajik-Afghan Border That Killed a Chinese Citizen

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has confirmed the death of one Chinese citizen and the injury of four others following an attack near the Tajik-Afghan border. The incident, which occurred on November 18, targeted a camp operated by a private Chinese company on the Tajik side of the border. “China strongly condemns this brutal attack, expresses deep sorrow for the victims, and extends sincere condolences to the families of the victims,” stated the ministry. A working group from the Chinese Embassy in Dushanbe has arrived at the site to provide assistance and coordinate further actions. Rising Security Concerns Chinese companies, particularly those involved in mining activities such as gold extraction, are active in the region. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has urged the Tajik authorities to expedite investigations to determine the circumstances of the attack. “Given the security situation in the Tajik-Afghan border area, we remind Chinese citizens and enterprises in the region to pay special attention to security,” the ministry warned. The incident took place in the Shamsiddin Shokhin area along the 1,350-kilometer Tajik-Afghan border. Initial reports suggest the attack was carried out by armed individuals crossing from the Afghan side during the night of November 17–18. Motives Remain Unclear As The Times of Central Asia previously reported, the incident occurred in the Shamsiddin Shokhin area on the 1,350-kilometer-long Tajik-Afghan border. The attackers' motives and identities remain unknown. Local sources indicate that the incident may be linked to either militant activity or drug smuggling, but no official confirmation has been provided. In addition to the Chinese casualties, a local resident was also wounded. All injured individuals have been taken to the Shamsiddin Shokhin District Hospital for treatment. The Tajik authorities have yet to issue an official statement regarding the attack.

Tajik-Born Artist Sabina Rosas Found Dead in U.S. Hotel

Sabina Rosas, a 33-year-old artist also known as Sabina Khorramdel, was found murdered in a hotel room in the Hamptons in the state of New York, according to the British tabloid the Daily Mail. Born in Tajikistan, Rosas moved to the U.S. in 2009. Her body was discovered on October 28 by staff at the Shou Sugi Ban House spa hotel. Police suspect her partner, 56-year-old Thomas Gannon, in the murder. Gannon was later found dead at his Pennsylvania home, with authorities confirming he had died by suicide. The couple had been seen together at a spa in Water Mill, where CCTV captured Gannon leaving alone. Suffolk County police have described Rosas’s murder as a domestic incident. In 2023 Rosas co-founded Ruyò Journal, a platform to support Central Asian cultural dialogue and community. Just before her birthday, she started a fundraiser to travel to Portugal, where she planned to host her first artist residency in November. She hoped it would provide a beautiful and inspiring space for creating new work. Announcing her plans, she had said: “I will also launch my artist website to create the perfect digital space to showcase my art." “As I am about to turn 33, I can’t help but laugh at the fact that 33 is often associated with the age of Jesus when he made his final sacrifice. Although I don’t plan on doing anything dramatic, I consider this year a turning point in my life,” Sabina wrote shortly before her death.

Russian Journalist Inessa Papernaya Found Dead in Tashkent Hotel

Russian journalist Inessa Papernaya, known for her work with lenta.ru and profile.ru, was tragically found dead in a hotel in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on October 20. It has been reported that Papernaya was in Uzbekistan on vacation, and was staying at the Karaman Palace Hotel with a companion, Maxim Radchenko, with whom she was in a long-term relationship, and whom she had traveled with in order to meet his relatives. According to reports, hotel staff knocked on the door of her room that evening while delivering a package. After receiving no response, they entered the room and discovered the bodies of Papernaya and Radchenko. An Uzbek citizen was subsequently found dead in the bathroom of another room in the hotel. Preliminary reports attributed the cause of the deaths to poisoning of “unknown origin,” with early suggestions being propagated that gas seeped into the room through the ventilation system after the hotel’s pool was cleaned on October 19-20, leading to the tragic incident. Following the discovery, authorities sealed off the Karaman Palace Hotel. The General Prosecutor’s Office of Uzbekistan has launched an investigation under Article 186 of the Uzbek Criminal Code, which covers the provision of unsafe services, and a forensic examination has been ordered to determine the precise cause of death. Relatives of Radchenko have disputed what they have described as several different versions of the deaths which have been put forward. According to Radchenko's sister, the family were initially told that "he had an epileptic seizure; she ran up to him, slipped, fell, hit herself and died. This is some kind of TV series: how do you fall? What nonsense... Then there was a version about drugs, since their bodies were in the bathroom, that meant they were drug addicts." In a further twist challenging the official narrative regarding gas seepage related to the pool being cleaned, Radchenko's sister has categorically stated that "there is no pool there." Meanwhile, no websites advertising rooms at the Karaman Palace make any mention of a pool, with some stating outright that this facility is not available. Hayat Shamsutdinov, press secretary of the General Prosecutor’s Office of Uzbekistan, has confirmed that the bodies will be transported to Moscow for a joint cremation to be held on October 25.

Murder and Arson in Talgar: Kazakhs Fear Rising Tide of Organized Crime

On the night of October 4, 16-year-old Sherzat Bolat was killed in the town of Talgar, located in Almaty Oblast near the city of Almaty. The father of the victim blamed the incident on a gang - allegedly operating in Talgar and the surrounding area for many years - with connections to the government and law enforcement agencies. Later, unknown people burned down the family's house, and National Guard troops were brought into Talgar. The situation brings to mind the darkest pages of recent history, when criminal groups held cities and entire neighborhoods in a state of fear. The Talgar tragedy Sherzat Bolat was murdered in front of his father and mother after an incident occurred involving young people who entered the store the Bolat family rented. As stated by the boy's father, the customers refused to pay for a can of beer, and a fight broke out. According to other relatives, the group had knives and firearms. Sherzat's uncle was also injured during the fight and is recovering in hospital. Police initially claimed that all those involved in the incident had been detained, but the parents of the deceased later said that only seven had been arrested, while there were many more attackers. Fearing that the perpetrators would not be brought to justice, on October 7 Sherzat's relatives and concerned citizens of Talgar staged a rally at which Sherzat's father, Karzhaubai Nurymov, claimed that the so-called “Khutorskie” group was responsible for the boy's death. According to multiple reports, the Khutorskie have been terrorizing Talgar and its surroundings areas for many years. Businessman Hasan Kasymbayev allegedly runs the group, whilst sources also mention his brothers, including Yerzhan Kasymbayev, who was sentenced to 14 years for the murder of customs officer Medet Zhamashev, and Aslan Kasymbayev, head of the Talgar district Akim's (mayoral) office. In addition, the Kasymbayevs are said to be related to an official who once held high positions in law enforcement agencies. According to concerned residents of Talgar, the perpetrators of the boy's murder may be able to avoid justice due to their connections. In a statement, the acting head of the regional police department denied the involvement of any organized crime groups in the murder; the investigation has now been taken over by the Ministry of the Internal Affairs, which has dispatched a team to the scene of the crime. In an interview, Hasan Kasymbayev, who posted controversial photos on social networks, categorically denied his involvement in the murder of the teenager and any participation in an organized crime group. Despite assurances from officials, on October 12, the house of Sherzat's family in the village of Azat, Yenbekshikazakh district, Almaty region, was burned down. Police opened a criminal case and took the murdered teenager's family into protective custody. The house was empty at the time of the fire. The murder and arson have caused a sharp reaction in Talgar and led to a wider reverberations throughout Kazakhstan. Former Minister of Education and Mazhilis deputy, Askhat Aimagambetov, stated...

Tashkent Teacher at Center of Political Debate Arrested for Second Violent Outburst

The Times of Central Asia previously reported that оn September 23, a teacher at a school in Tashkent’s Chilonzor district was filmed slapping a student when the child asked for the Russian language class to be taught in Russian. The Children’s Ombudsman of Uzbekistan, Surayyo Rahmonova, has begun an investigation into the incident. The spokesperson for Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, said that she was worried about the content of the video published online, and asked Uzbekistan to make a legal assessment of this incident. In response, Alisher Qodirov, the leader of Uzbekistan’s Milli Tiklanish (National Revival) party and deputy speaker of the lower house of parliament, urged Russia not to interfere in Uzbekistan's domestic affairs, commenting that “it would be better for [Russia] to deal with their own affairs [which are] full of problems than to deal with our internal issues." Russian Senator Andrei Klimov reponded to Qodirov’s statement, saying that “inter-ethnic relations are very delicate” between Uzbeks and Russians. He called the teacher’s actions “an offense, maybe more” and expressed bewilderment at Qodirov’s remarks. The teacher has since committed other offenses. On September 24, she went to her daughter’s school in another district of Tashkent, where she argued with the school administration and used physical force against the deputy director. When officers from the National Guard and the Interior Administration intervened to restore order, the teacher resisted their demands. She was later sentenced to seven days of administrative detention and fined.