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Tajik Journalist Rukhshona Khakimova Faces Treason Charges Amid Controversy

Tajik authorities have charged journalist Rukhshona Khakimova, the niece of Shokirjon Khakimov, first deputy chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Tajikistan, with high treason under Article 305 of the Criminal Code. The charges are part of a larger investigation into an alleged coup attempt, according to sources cited by Radio Ozodi. The case, initiated in July, took a significant turn on November 22 when the indictment against Rukhshona and Shokirjon Khakimov was formally presented in court. The trial, held behind closed doors, has limited access to details, leaving the public and media in the dark. The Allegations Sources suggest that Rukhshona Khakimova’s charges stem from her involvement in conducting a politically sensitive poll about China’s influence in Tajikistan. The survey reportedly included interviews with Saidjafar Usmonzoda, a political figure stripped of parliamentary immunity and later arrested, and her uncle, Shokirjon Khakimov, who is also implicated in the case. It remains unclear how this survey forms the basis of a high treason charge. The secrecy surrounding the trial further obscures the connection. Background on Khakimova Rukhshona Khakimova, 31, is a graduate of the National University of Tajikistan with a career that spans investigative journalism for prominent outlets, including Youth of Tajikistan and several international publications. She is also a mother of two young children, the youngest being just five months old. Due to her family situation, Khakimova is under house arrest. Both her domestic and foreign passports have been confiscated, restricting her movements. She and her lawyer have declined to comment on the case, adhering to its classified nature. A Broader Context The trial, which began on November 14, involves multiple defendants, including well-known politicians and public figures accused of conspiring against the government. Held in a detention facility in Dushanbe, the closed proceedings exclude the participation of family members and the press, fueling speculation and concern among observers. As the case unfolds, it raises critical questions about press freedom, political dissent, and judicial transparency in Tajikistan.

Prosecutor Mass Media Crime Politics Russia

Chechen Leader Kadyrov Denies Involvement in Attack on Allamjonov

On October 26 Uzbek media reported an attack on the former head of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's information department, Komil Allamjonov. At around 1:40a.m., near his home in Tashkent’s Kibray district, two unidentified individuals fired several shots at the car he was in before fleeing. Fortunately, no one was injured. The weapon type remains unknown. Authorities have opened an attempted murder case and are searching for the suspects. However, the General Prosecutor’s Office has not confirmed whether Allamjonov was specifically targeted in the incident. Some opposition media have suggested a “Chechen connection” implicating Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov in the attack on Allamjonov. In response, Kadyrov denied involvement, stating that the media attributed the incident to him. “I don’t want to respond to this provocative leak. Moreover, work in all spheres, including information and law enforcement, is excellently organized in Uzbekistan thanks to the wise policy of the respected President Shavkat Miromonovich Mirziyoyev. I will only add that if I had really planned something, I would have completed it and with a 100% result,” he stated. Kadyrov emphasized the close ties between Chechens and Uzbeks, describing them as “brotherly peoples with a common historical past.” He added: “I regard this information leak as a tool of political play by some third parties and a clear attempt to sow discord between our countries. I am sure that other publications in the style of Western fakes will follow. Be that as it may, my dear brothers in Uzbekistan and I will definitely find out who is behind this provocative information leak.” The General Prosecutor’s Office stated that the investigation is ongoing, and promised further updates.

Mass Media Media Freedom Justice Court Cases Press Freedom

“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,...

Mass Media Court Cases Justice Crime

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.”

Media Freedom Mass Media

A Greater Role for Kazakhstan’s Media

On June 27, in the lead-up to Mass Media Workers' Day, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev took to the stage to address a gathering of journalists and media professionals. His engagement underscored the government’s response to the public’s increasing attention to a more liberalized media landscape. Western observers, having taken a renewed interest in former Soviet states amidst Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, are pushing these countries for progress, particularly on press freedoms. The European Center for Press Freedoms criticized the passage of Georgia’s foreign agent law that drove of tens of thousands of citizens to protest in the streets. Amnesty International condemned raids of journalists’ offices and homes in Kyrgyzstan. Reporters Without Borders downgraded Uzbekistan’s position in its State of Press Freedom Index to “very serious”. Kazakhstan has also received its fair share of Western criticism about freedom of the country’s media. Human Rights Watch reports that “although Kazakhstan’s new mass media law has some amendments that should improve the status quo, its ambiguity and the restrictive nature of other provisions threaten to create obstacles to the work of local and foreign journalists”. Government attitudes towards the media vary widely along the periphery of Russia and the former Soviet Union. In Kazakhstan, despite ongoing challenges and shortcomings, it is increasingly seen as the fourth estate, providing citizens with the information they need to check the government’s power. Increasing media influence on society and elected officials Indeed, Tokayev referred to the media as the “fourth estate” in his address, expanding on its growing roles and responsibilities in building “a just and fair Kazakhstan”. He acknowledged the media provides a “pluralism of opinion (which) is exactly what we strived for from the beginning, (and) is our fundamental achievement,” noting that it can “criticize the activities of the authorities”. He called it the “voice of the people, the messenger of the nation, and the spiritual support of society,” adding that it can “shape the legal culture”. A recent example of the media’s influence in the legal realm in Kazakhstan can be seen in the aftermath of Saltanat Nukenova’s murder by her husband, who is a former Minister of the Economy. This tragic story garnered an enormous reaction in Kazakhstani media and resulted in calls for legislation to protect women against domestic violence. Consequently, in April 2024, the President signed what became known as “Saltanat’s Law”, and the former minister was sentenced to 24 years in prison. A burgeoning media space, but some challenges remain According to the TCA’s count, over a hundred independent media outlets operate in Kazakhstan through sites and social media channels. They express a wide range of opinions, including criticizing government activities. On the other hand, the government maintains the right to revoke their license to operate inside Kazakhstan. In the last year, for instance, the Ministry of Culture and Information has blocked digital currency platform, Coinbase.com, as well as an LGBTQ+ site for children called Selftanu.kz, and the Russian news portal Sputnik24. In this environment, the June 27 ceremony did...

Russia Mass Media

Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry Accuses David Cameron of “Misinformation”

The Russian prankster duo Vovan and Lexus (real names Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexei Stolyarov) have published an audio recording of them in conversation with the British foreign minister, David Cameron. In the call to Cameron they introduced themselves as the former president of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko. The hoax call made reference to the Kazakh foreign minister, Murat Nurtleu. Kuznetsov and Stolyarov claimed to Cameron that Nurtleu had spoken to 'Poroshenko' about the sacrifices that the Ukrainian people are making for Kazakhstan by fighting to contain Russia. There is a theory that were Russia to win its war against Ukraine, its next target would be the territories of northern Kazakhstan, which border the Russian Federation. Cameron appears not to have realized that he was being hoaxed. During the conversation he said that he didn't not think that the current Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy should complain about Ukraine not being able to join NATO. Cameron also said that he did not know how US presidential candidate Donald Trump would handle the situation in Ukraine if he returned to power in America's November elections. The Kazakh foreign ministry has dismissed Cameron's alleged part in the conversation as "misinformation". Its spokesperson Aibek Smadiyarov commented: "There was no such conversation; the British minister bears all responsibility for misinformation."