US Journalist Alleges Sexual Assault by Taxi Driver in Kazakhstan — Police Respond

Police in Shymkent have identified and fined a taxi driver, Orda.kz reports.

Hope Loudon, a journalist from the U.S., shared her experience on social media, saying she was sexually assaulted while traveling in Kazakhstan. 

Her account was published on Facebook by the NeMolchi.kz foundation.

Loudon said she was en route to Tashkent to visit a former classmate but encountered issues with Uzbekistan’s e-visa system and was denied entry. She was removed from the Almaty–Tashkent train and left stranded in Saryagash without cash or cell service.

A local teenager helped her by calling an InDrive taxi and giving her 3,000 tenge.

While the teenager saw me being a foreign woman as a reason to help me, the driver saw my vulnerable status as an opportunity to take advantage of me. I felt unsafe soon after getting in the car, but it was too late to get out, and I didn't have anywhere to go or any way to get another ride. He was also driving at 140 KM per hour, looking at his phone most of the time, and moving all over the road outside the lines. He started with a scam attempt, demanding an extra 5,000 tenge to take me to my destination, complaining the place I wanted to go within the city is far, Loudon wrote.

When we arrived in Shymkent, the driver said he would take me to my destination, but only after taking me somewhere else. I think he intended to take me outside of the city to perpetrate a sexual crime and trap me. I told him to let me off in the city, and he clearly did not want to. Fortunately, we passed a hostel, and I said that was my hostel. I believe I would have been hurt by more men if I couldn't get him to let me out of the car,  she said.

While paying for the ride, Loudon alleges the driver groped her.

She resisted, screamed, and escaped with her belongings.

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are surely mostly full of good people, but it is not uncommon for women to face violence, and trevelers rely on things like cellphone service, ATMs, and local people to protect them while traveling. It is very sad that the teenager who helped me get a ride was so excited to help me, and the driver was so excited to hurt me and take advantage of me, possibly to rape me. I am lucky I got out of the situation with only bad memories, fatigue, and fear, not physical injury, she wrote.

The Shymkent police told Orda.kz they located the driver and issued penalties for minor hooliganism and traffic violations.

Officials said all parties were questioned.

The taxi driver was fined for petty misconduct and traffic violations. The foreign citizen received assistance, including from the migration service. We stress that all incidents involving the safety of citizens and foreign guests are handled with the utmost seriousness,the police department stated.

Original Author: Nikita Drobny