Justice - The Times Of Central Asia

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Legislation

Kyrgyzstan to Introduce New Measures to Curb Noise Levels

During a parliamentary session, deputies determined that the Interior Ministry should be authorized to collect fines for excessive noise. According to the republic's law, fines for exceeding acceptable levels of noise were previously issued by the Department of Health Prevention. However, according to the deputies, the department was not properly equipped to measure levels of noise on the streets or on premises. In addition, the department's employees do not work at night, when violations are most likely to occur. “Individuals believe their rights should not be violated if they want to invite a noisy company home to an apartment building at night, put on music, start construction or repair work, or watch television at a volume that exceeds the maximum permissible noise levels. Entertainment or construction work in one apartment can become a nightmare or sleepless nights for many living there. But complaints to the police due to the lack of the necessary law have no proper effect,” said the Kyrgyz Interior Ministry. According to the civil code of offenses, loud noise is prohibited from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekdays and to 9 a.m. on non-working days and holidays. The only exception is during New Year's Eve celebrations. Violation of the rules in settlements or public places is punishable by a fine of 10 thousand KGS ($120) for individuals and 28 thousand KGS ($330) for legal entities.

Opposition

Tajikistan Court Issues Harsh Sentences to Opposition Group 24 Leader and Associate

A Dushanbe court has handed down sentences to two opposition activists: Sukhrob Zafar, leader of the banned Group 24 (G24), and his associate Nasimjon Sharifov. Zafar was sentenced to 30 years and Sharifov to 20 years in prison. The verdict was announced on October 10 behind closed doors in the Dushanbe pre-trial detention center, and according to Radio Ozodi sources, it fully complies with the state prosecution's request. Official structures still need to confirm this information. Representatives of G24 say the sentences relate to the charges of “calls for violent change of the constitutional order” spread through the Internet. They consider these accusations unfounded and call the case politically motivated. In their opinion, the trial was conducted under pressure from the authorities and was a manifestation of Emomali Rahmon's government's repressive policy. Both activists previously lived in Turkey, where they were hiding from the Tajik authorities. Suhrob Zafar had been there since 2014 and had received repeated threats. He was detained several times at Tajikistan's request but was soon released. Sharifov had also been living in Turkey since 2015 and was detained three times but released each time. In March 2024, they mysteriously disappeared, and only in August it became known that they were taken to Dushanbe, where an investigation against them began. The trial, according to G24 representatives, was yet another example of human rights violations and political repression. The organization claims that the trial was held under tremendous pressure and calls the authorities' actions an act of suppression of dissent. Supporters believe that the repression of activists continues as part of the anti-opposition policy that the Tajik authorities have been pursuing for years. G24 is an opposition organization founded in 2012 by businessman Umarali Kuwwatov, who left Tajikistan after conflicts with the authorities. The movement opposes President Emomali Rahmon's policies, accusing him of corruption and authoritarianism. In 2014, Tajikistan's Supreme Court declared the organization extremist after calls for protests and banned its activities, including websites and publications. The group's founder was killed in 2015 in Turkey, raising suspicions of involvement by Tajik authorities.

Crime

Suspects Arrested in Tashkent for Trying to Sell Ancient Coins Worth $67,000

Uzbekistan's State Security Service, in collaboration with customs officials, hosted an event in Tashkent to investigate the attempted sale of ancient coins. A Tashkent resident was apprehended whilst trying to sell 100 gold coins to a resident of Andijan for $67,000, and an additional 37 gold coins were seized from the seller's car. According to the experts, the gold coins of 5 and 10 rubles, with a total net weight of 776 grams, are considered cultural numismatic treasures of significant artistic and historical value. Minted between 1897 and 1911, the coins have authenticity levels of 900 and 916 and are valued at 950 million UZS. It was discovered that the buyer planned to sell the historical coins, known as “Nikolai”, in the Osh region of the Kyrgyz Republic. A criminal case has now been opened and investigations are underway.

Mass Media

“A Punitive Decision To Scare Journalists”: Bolot Temirov Hits Back at Bishkek Court

After almost a year of proceedings, the Lenin District Court in Bishkek has convicted journalists Makhabat Tazhibek Kyzy and Azamat Ishenbekov of the Temirov Live project. Both were sentenced for calling for "mass disorder;" a verdict which the media project founder, Bolot Temirov, considers revenge for their professional activities. According to the court ruling, Makhabat Tazhibek Kyzy (head of Temirov Live) was sentenced to six years in prison, and journalist Azamat Ishenbekov, to five years. Two journalists, Aktilek Kaparov and Ayka Beishenalieva, were sentenced to three years of probation, whilst the remaining seven project employees were acquitted. On January 16, 2024, law enforcers searched the office of Temirov Live and seized all editorial equipment in the interest of the investigation. Eleven employees of the publication were searched and detained. Later, the Kyrgyz Interior Ministry said they had studied Temirov Live and Ait Ait Dese's content on social networks and that results of the forensic examination had shown that the employees of the editions had called for mass riots. A criminal case was initiated under Article 278 of the Criminal Code of the Kyrgyz Republic, “Calls for active disobedience to the lawful demands of representatives and mass disorder.” Two months later, most of the participants in the trial were released under house arrest, leaving four journalists in detention. In an interview with the state news agency Kabar, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov said two of the eleven defendants were professional journalists but emphasized that the “others are said to have education only to an 11th-grade level. How can you deny they were paid some money to sit on social networks and spread false messages calling for unrest? Once again, false information calling for unrest is not freedom of speech." The detention of the journalists had been earlier criticized by the UN Human Rights Office and other international organizations. Bolot Temirov, husband of convicted journalist Makhabat Tazhibek Kyzy and founder of the Temirov Live project, whom Kyrgyz authorities expelled from the country in 2022 and stripped of his Kyrgyz citizenship, told The Times of Central Asia that he disagreed with the court's verdict. He claimed the decision was political and that his wife was convicted only to blackmail him: “This is a punitive decision to scare journalists and our citizens. I regard (the court's verdict) as revenge against me personally.... Why were some convicted and others not? I have no idea what's going on in their heads. Based on the law, there is no single offense. There was no call for mass riots, disobedience to the authorities, or any violence against citizens." Temirov said he was especially shocked by the harsh sentence served on his wife, and the court's refusal to grant a reprieve until his 12-year-old son came of age. The Bishkek Leninsky Court ruled that the child be handed over to the guardianship authorities and transferred to an orphanage. According to Temirov, the court should have appointed him as guardian since no one had deprived him of parental rights, or alternatively,...

Justice

Alisher Usmanov Sues Journalist for Insults in Germany

As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Alisher Usmanov won a court case against the German TV channel ARD, after a Hamburg court determined the channels' broadcast accusation that Uzbek-born billionaire Alisher Usmanov had created a system of bribing the International Fencing Federation (FIE),unreliable. In his article “Doubtful judges in action at the Olympics – 5,000 euros bribes in fencing,” award-winning journalist Hans-Joachim Seppelt accused Usmanov of bribery and manipulation of judges in international fencing. According to the report, the court banned its distribution as “inappropriate news based on suspicion.” If the court order is violated, the violator will be fined up to 250,000 euros per episode or imprisoned. But Usmanov needed more and in an complaint submitted electronically to the Cologne prosecutor’s office on October 8, called for the journalist to be prosecuted. In a statement to BILD, Usmanov's lawyer, Joachim Steinhöfel said, “Mr. Seppelt and ARD Sportschau not only violated basic journalistic standards and the press code. This malicious and vile gossip- should be - punished. Seppelt only wanted to humiliate Mr. Usmanov. He had no facts. This is not journalism; this is shaming.”

Crime

Assault on Teacher by Parent in Tajikistan

History teacher Faizikhan Rajabova of School No. 8 in Vahdat city, Tajikistan, was attacked on October 5, on the eve of Teachers Day. She stated on social media that she was beaten by one of her students' parents in the classroom in front of the children, following her complaint to the school's director about the disruptive behavior of the student. As a result of the attack, she was hospitalized in Vahdat Hospital. In response to her appeal to Dushanbe Mayor Rustam Emomali to take action in the case, Tajikistan's Ministry of Education and Science said that an investigation is underway with the relevant bodies. Additional information will be provided once it is finalized. This case is not unique. In September 2024, student Bekhzod Nazarov was detained in Dushanbe for assaulting a teacher, and in Bokhtar, two young men were arrested for beating up a teacher. Criminal cases have been opened against the attackers under the article “hooliganism.” At a meeting with educators, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon expressed concern about such incidents and ordered the development of a law to raise the status of teachers in society. He said that respect for teachers is vital to the nation's future, and measures should be taken to improve their working conditions and role in society.