Central Asia: A Week in Review

Orda has put together a brief synopsis of Central Asia's past week.

Askar Akayev saw his efforts to restore his status as a former president of the Kyrgyz Republic fall short. The former president appealed to do so on September 5, 2024:

This was a very important issue. We all saw the difficulties our country faced during the years of independence. There was more bad than good. Askar Akayev as the first president is to blame for this. Including the Aksy events. Voters from Aksy followed this issue with deep concern. I think that the parliament made the right decision. History and the people will give their assessment of this, The speaker of the Kyrgyz Parliament, Nurlanbek Shakiyev, commented on the decision.

Akayev refused to comment, though the current Kyrgyz President, Sadyr Japarov, did not shy away from listing Askar Akayev's mistakes as a leader in an interview with the state news agency "Kabar."

Two days later, Japarov also voiced his opinion about the situation surrounding the 11 journalists facing 6 years in prison. They have been charged over alleged calls for active disobedience to the legal demands of government officials and for mass riots and violence against citizens" (Part 3 of Article 278 of the Criminal Code of the Kyrgyz Republic). Japorov claimed only 2 are journalists, alluding to the rest being paid to spread false information on social media and call for riots. 

The journalists' defense has urged the court to consider the inconsistency in the evidence used and the questionable experts who compiled it. All these events have occurred against the Kyrgyz Ministry of Culture's push for a draft bill. Liability for defamation, insult, and dissemination of false information would be introduced if the bill were approved.

Media experts have criticized the bill, stating that it will bring about persecution of activists and critics of the authorities. Despite seeing no need to recall the bill, Japarov did speak against the fines provided for in the proposed legislation. 

Bishkek has also sought to increase oversight over religious matters. Officials have claimed it necessary to combat extremism and ensure public safety, though opponents believe authorities would gain excessive control of spiritual aspects of life. Decisions on attire worn in schools have also spurred discussion in neighboring Kazakhstan.

Last Thursday, Kazakhstan's Supreme Court issued a statement clarifying its position regarding the high-profile dispute over wearing headscarves in schools. Initial reports claimed the Supreme Court had overturned a regional court's decision on the matter. 

However, the judicial body later announced that the authority to approve the requirements for mandatory school uniforms remains with the relevant ministry. The relevant mandate issued has not been recognized as illegal or revoked. 

On September 25, Uzbekistan also experienced controversy concerning an incident in a Tashkent school. During a Russian language lesson, a teacher physically assaulted a pupil, purportedly because the student requested to conduct the lesson in Russian. Responding, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed there was a "request for official clarification from the Uzbek side."

Alisher Qodirov, Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis and the Milliy Tiklanish party leader did not hesitate to answer. He stated measures would be taken per Uzbekistan's laws and advised Russian authorities to concern themselves with "their own problems." On 27 September, the head of the Uzbek Foreign Ministry, Bakhtiyor Saidov, spoke about the relations with the Russian Federation at a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Coincidence or not, Saidov highlighted the importance of non-interference in each other's internal affairs following the meeting. 

Prior to this back-and-forth, Uzbekistan's parliament moved forward with amendments to a law banning "undesirable foreigners" from entering the country for five years last Monday. Criteria for recognizing foreigners as such include statements and actions that threaten the sovereignty, integrity, and security of the country, incite hostility, and humiliate the honor, dignity, or history of the people.

At the same time, Uzbekistan's gas imports and exports are on the rise, while gas and oil production continues to decline. Tashkent has been importing gas from Russia via Kazakhstan since October 2023. As reported in February 2024, plans are set to significantly bolster the initial Russian gas import amount to 32 million cubic meters daily. During cold snaps, Uzbekistan faced energy issues in January 2023, further exposing an energy sector crisis. 

Meanwhile, Tajikistan announced restrictions on the electricity supply that will be implemented if necessary. The announcement came amid concerns about seasonal electricity shortage projections and low water levels at hydropower plants.

Ashgabat's hopes of sending its gas to Europe via a swap deal with Türkiye may have been dashed. Ankara chose a deal with France's TotalEnergies involving importing 1.6 billion cubic meters of LNG from the United States per year. Turkmenistan has long depended on China for gas supplies and has sought new outlets. 

The Kazakh President's visit to the Turkestan region this past week also had a moment that caught everyone's attention. News on discovering a weapon's cache during Qasym-Jomart Toqayev's visit to the Turkestan region would emerge on 27 September.

While checking the route of the Head of State's motorcade in the Turkestan region, employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Security Committee, and the State Security Service discovered a cache of small arms. A criminal case has been opened on this fact. Currently, a range of necessary operational-search and investigative measures are being carried out to establish all the circumstances and detain the suspects.Other information will not be disclosed in the interests of the investigation,The Ministry of Internal Affairs Telegram channel wrote. 

On the same day, Azattyq reported that Astana did not respond to Ukraine's inquiry about the investigation into the killing of opposition Kazakh journalist Aidos Sadykov in Kyiv. The Office of the Ukrainian Prosecutor General informed Azattyq that Astana officially declined to extradite one suspect, Altay Zhakanbayev. 

On June 22, 2024, Kazakhstan's Prosecutor General's Office reported that Zhakanbayev came to the country's internal affairs bodies on his own. Kazakhstan's authorities later stated that they would not extradite Zhakanbayev, assuring that the country's investigative bodies would investigate the high-profile case.

Kyiv law enforcement claims to be awaiting answers about the investigation. They are reportedly unaware of its progress or Zhakanbayev's statements during questioning. The whereabouts of the second suspect, Meiram Karatayev, remain unknown.

After the attempt on Sadykov's life, Qasym-Jomart Toqayev instructed diplomats and law enforcement officials to send inquiries to Kyiv. He also stated that Kazakh government agencies were ready to "join the investigation to assist in establishing the truth."