Legislation - The Times Of Central Asia

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Legislation

Kazakhstan Proposes to Abolish Compulsory Military Conscription

In Kazakhstan, activists have led calls to abolish compulsory military service by publishing a petition on the epetition.kz platform directed to the Ministry of Defense. The petition has been provoked by recent tragic cases among servicemen, which, the document's authors say, revealed severe problems in the Kazakh army. The petition emphasizes that the main issues are hazing and non-statutory relations, which exert strong pressure on conscripts, causing psychological trauma and, in some cases, suicide. The authors are also concerned about soldiers' inadequate training. They believe modern challenges and technologies can be effectively countered only by professional soldiers, not temporarily conscripted ones. The authors cite weak medical and psychological supervision as one of the military's critical problems, as it does not help conscripts adapt to army conditions. They propose a switch to a thoroughly professional army, which they believe would improve training and reduce the number of tragic incidents. The petition will be open until October 4. To be considered by the government, a petition in Kazakhstan must garner at least 50,000 votes. In recent years, Kazakhstan has observed an alarming increase in suicides among soldiers. In 2022, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev ordered an investigation to identify the causes of these incidents. Hazing and psychological pressure remains one of the key causes of these tragedies. Despite the measures taken, such incidents continue. Last month Kazakhstan was shocked by the death of a conscripted soldier in the Mangistau region. According to some reports, an officer shot the enlisted man in the face with a pistol.

Legislation

Kyrgyzstan Wants to Fine Emigrants Who Leave Their Children at Home

Kyrgyzstan has proposed introducing liability for parents who go to work abroad and leave their children without proper custody. The bill was initiated by the Ministry of Labor and has been submitted for public discussion. It is planned to introduce the concept of “children of migrant workers” into the Children's Code. According to the Ministry of Labor, in the first quarter of this year, about 85,000 children were identified, half of whom are with relatives without legal guardianship. The Ministry emphasizes that parents' absence leads to a lack of love and care; many are forced to work and do not attend school. The new bill proposes fines of 15,000 KGS ($181) for parents who leave their children in the care of relatives, neighbors, children, or acquaintances without notifying the guardianship authorities. Similar measures to protect migrant children exist in other countries. For example, in Uzbekistan, a project was launched in 2018 to support children left behind by parents who go to work abroad. The project is supported by UNICEF and funded by the European Union. It aims to provide social and legal assistance to children without officially appointed guardians. According to the research data, many children are left with relatives without legal guardianship, leading to various social problems that require state support.

Legislation

Uzbekistan’s Point Man Against Russian “Chauvinism”

Alisher Qodirov is 49 years old, the leader of Uzbekistan’s Milli Tiklanish (National Revival) party, the deputy speaker of the lower house of parliament, and a former presidential candidate. And Qodirov is also a leading critical voice in Uzbekistan regarding the country’s Soviet past and comments of current Russian chauvinists. On September 4, Qodirov wrote on his Telegram account that Soviet ideological propaganda should be banned in Uzbekistan. He was responding to a court verdict earlier that day against a 74-year-old pensioner in Samarkand who was found guilty of “encroaching on the constitutional order of Uzbekistan.” Specifically, the man advocated the restoration of the Soviet Union and said Uzbekistan’s independence was superficial. Qodirov wrote that Uzbekistan’s time as a Soviet republic was a “sad period of our history.” The Milli Tiklanish leader said even suggesting a recreation of the USSR was a “betrayal of our people and our ancestors, who became victims of the bloody regime.” Qodirov continued that calls for Uzbekistan‘s reincorporation into some sort of a resurrected USSR “should be considered a crime against the constitutional order of the country.” The Milli Tiklanish leader said such thinking was a “betrayal of our people and our ancestors, who became victims of the bloody regime.” Qodirov has expressed his opinion on the Soviet Union before. When Uzbekistan marked May Day on May 1, 2021, the Soviet flag was raised during a concert of “Songs of Victory” in Tashkent. Posting on Telegram, Qodirov called the incident “an insult and a provocation… to the Uzbek people to raise the flag of the Soviet occupying state in the very center of the capital, which is soaked in the blood of… our ancestors.” Russian chauvinism has been rising since the Kremlin launched its full-scale war on Ukraine, and so have irredentist remarks from people on Russian television and officials in the State Duma. Kazakhstan, which shares a 7,800-kilometer border with Russia, is usually the target, but in the last year, Uzbekistan has been mentioned. On December 20, 2023, Russian writer, nationalist, and co-chairman of the A Just Russia – For the Truth party, Zakhar Prilepin spoke about migrant laborers at press conference in Moscow. The majority of migrant laborers in Russia are from Central Asia and Prilepin said, “These territories, from where migrant workers come to us, should simply be annexed entirely.” Prilepin specifically mentioned Uzbekistan, as more than half the Central Asian migrant laborers in Russia come from there. “Uzbekistan, for example… since two million of your citizens are on our territory, we claim your territory,” Prilepin told a press conference, and added, “Who will forbid us to do anything useful on the territory of the Eurasian territory after the parade in Kyiv? No one.” Less than one month later, on January 22, 2024, Russia’s NTV television station showed an interview with a person identified as Mikhail Smolin, a historian. Smolin absurdly claimed the Uzbek nation never existed until after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. Smolin said the same about Kazakhs and Azerbaijanis....

History

Turkmenistan Tries to Eradicate Soviet Imagery

A campaign to fight symbols of the former Soviet Union, such as the hammer and sickle and the Soviet flag, has been launched in Turkmenistan's Balkan region. Authorities have involved national security and internal affairs officers, actively cracking down on clothing and accessories with Soviet symbols. According to residents, law enforcement agencies interrogate entrepreneurs selling such goods and even those wearing them. These operations take place in the markets and stores of Balkanabad and Turkmenbashi. “At Kenar market, I saw police seizing t-shirts, caps, notebooks, and other items with communist symbols while questioning sellers about the origin of these goods,” a resident of the region said. The active fight against Soviet symbols reportedly began in September, coinciding with preparations to celebrate the 33rd anniversary of Turkmenistan's independence. The country gained independence in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Although Turkmenistan did not openly discuss the Soviet legacy for a long time, the process of decommunization did take place — many towns and villages named after Soviet figures were renamed. Turkmen authorities continue to create a national ideology, emphasizing the country's independence and identity within a new historical identity. The Balkan region added: “In western Turkmenistan, at various events and gatherings, people in their 50s have increasingly started to start conversations and praise the Soviet era. They say that during the Soviet times, one ruble could buy many things: a box of matches for 1 kopeck, 10 rubles could buy a 50-kilogram sack of flour, and now we can't buy meat or candy for months. There are more and more such people. They say that soon the USSR will be restored, and the communists will rule the world again.” The Times of Central Asia has written about a 74-year-old resident of Uzbekistan, Ergashkul Hasanov, who was convicted for spreading "propaganda" for the restoration of the USSR.

Legislation

Kyrgyzstan’s First President Akayev Wants to Restore His “Former President” Status

Kyrgyzstan's first president, Askar Akayev, has sent a letter to the country's parliament (Jogurku Kenesh) asking for his status as a former leader of the republic to be restored. Having served as president from 1991 until 2005, this title was removed from Akayev in 2010. According to law, the status of former president gives a citizen several social and legal guarantees. The ex-president is granted state protection on the republic's territory, a state dacha for life, and a monthly allowance equal to three-quarters of the Kyrgyz president's salary. The head of the country's parliamentary committee on constitutional legislation, Cholpon Sultanbekova, has said that Akayev's appeal had already sparked discussions in society. According to Sultanbekova, Akayev wrote a letter on July 30 to the speaker of the Jogorku Kenesh, but only now has the letter been sent to the deputies for consideration. “The issue will not be immediately put on the agenda. First, it will be considered by the factions and deputies. It will be put on the agenda only after that,” Sultanbekova said. On March 24, 2005, after the coup d'état (Tulip Revolution), Akayev fled to Moscow, fearing for his life. In 2010, after the April Revolution, when Kyrgyzstan's second president, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, was overthrown, Akayev was stripped of his presidential status by a decree of the interim government. Edil Baisalov, deputy head of Kyrgyzstan's cabinet of ministers, has commented that Akayev has ex-presidential status from a legal standpoint. “There is no doubt that Askar Akayev continues to possess the title of ex-president of the Kyrgyz Republic. If anyone wants to deprive him of this status, there should be a full impeachment procedure, which so far has only taken place against Atambayev in 2019 (the third President of Kyrgyzstan),” Baisalov wrote. Kyrgyzstan's current president, Sadyr Japarov, also spoke out about the matter. He noted that he had not discussed the issue with Akayev. “This is a matter for the parliament. How the Jogorku Kenesh will decide whether it will or will not give its consent is the legal right of the parliament. Whether to deprive the status of 'ex' or to restore it is also decided by parliament. Of course, there were many negatives during Akayev's rule. But along with that, there were positive moments in the years when the country gained independence,” the president said. Japarov said Askar Akayev could make such a request to parliament, unlike other fugitive presidents, Bakeev and Atambayev, who have criminal cases pending in Kyrgyzstan. “There were human casualties in the cases of Atambayev and Bakiyev. Therefore, I think it is wrong if the parliament restores them to the status of ex-president,” Japarov said.

Legislation

Uzbek Politician Calls for Ban on Soviet Symbols

Alisher Qodirov, the deputy speaker of the legislative chamber of Uzbekistan's Parliament (Oliy Majlis) and leader of the Milliy Tiklanish (National Revival) Party, has proposed an initiative to ban the promotion of Soviet ideology and symbols in the country. The idea emerged after the high-profile case of a Samarkand pensioner who expressed a desire to restore the Soviet Union, for which he was sentenced to three years of restricted freedom under an article on encroachment on Uzbekistan's constitutional order. Qodirov supported the court's decision, noting that he considered Soviet ideology harmful and hostile to national values. In his statement, he emphasized that the Soviet regime had harmed not only Uzbekistan but the whole world, undermining the cultural and spiritual foundations of the people. He recalled the discrimination suffered by the Uzbek people during the Soviet period and emphasized the need to analyze this period. He stands firmly against its justification and promotion. “The Uzbek people were discriminated against and humiliated by the Soviet authorities and are still healing the wounds of the past. The Soviet ideology, which rejected nations, values, and faith, harmed not only our people but also the entire humanity, and these phenomena continue to be a misfortune,” Qodirov said. The politician also called the promotion of Soviet ideas a crime against the constitutional order and a betrayal of the people and ancestors who were victims of the regime. Qodirov has repeatedly spoken out against symbols relating to the USSR. In May 2021, he called the raising of the red flag at a concert in Tashkent a provocation and an insult to the people, explaining that the symbol of the Soviet occupier state was soaked in the blood of Uzbek intellectuals who had been repressed by the regime.