Author: Gulnara Arslonova

The YouTuber, whose videos focus on various social and economic issues, was charged with taking money from managers of a shopping centre by threatening to write an article exposing safety breaches at the facility. The regional police department said that he had been caught red-handed while taking a bribe from the victims. Uzbekistan refers to both bloggers and citizen journalists as bloggers. Mr Haydarov faces a jail term of up to 10 years if found guilty. And he is not the only blogger being held. Abduqodir Mominov was detained on 8 February, also charged with extortion. He was convicted on…

Kevin Spacey is opening up about a health scare he had during a recent visit to Uzbekistan. Spacey, who was staying in the city of Samarkand for the Tashkent International Film Festival, revealed during the festival’s closing ceremony Tuesday that he was rushed to a local medical facility. “As I was looking at the unique patterns of the Gur-Emir Mausoleum in Samarkand, my left arm failed. I was taken to a modern medical facility in the historic city,” Spacey said, according to his remarks shared on the festival’s official website. “There I was quickly treated and fortunately, nothing serious happened.” While Spacey didn’t go…

As if arbitrarily jailing the outspoken Karakalpak blogger and lawyer Dauletmurat Tazhimuratov on a 16-year prison sentence on January 31 for his alleged role in the July 2022 Karakalpakstan protests wasn’t enough for the Uzbek authorities, now they are isolating and punishing him further. On September 19, Tazhimuratov’s lawyer Sergey Mayorov released a video statement describing his client’s prison conditions after meeting with him the day before. In the video, Mayorov noted how prison officials have been failing to provide Tazhimuratov adequate health care or food and are limiting his right to receive information from the outside world. Tazhimuratov doesn’t have access to a…

Uzbekistan’s foreign trade turnover reached $40 billion in the first half of 2023. Analysts from the Center for Economic Research and Reforms under the Administration of the President (CERR) have revealed data on Uzbekistan’s top-earning sectors, Azernews reports, citing Kabar. The share of exports in Uzbekistan’s trade turnover amounted to $16.4 billion, showing a 27.8% increase compared to the same period in 2022. Uzbekistan exported goods worth $13 billion and services worth $3.4 billion. Among these, Uzbekistan’s trade with CIS countries accounted for the largest volume at $13 billion. Import also increased during the eight months, with Uzbekistan importing goods worth $22…

RIYADH: Uzbekistan, which is set to host the 25th General Assembly of the UN World Tourism Organization, has announced that it will be chartering a flight directly from Madrid to Samarkand, where the meeting will be held.  More than 100 countries, headed by their respective ministers, have confirmed their attendance for the meeting, which will take place from Oct. 16 – 20. This was announced by Aziz Abduhakimov, Uzbekistan’s tourism and cultural heritage minister, during his presence at the World Tourism Day 2023 celebrations in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh. Abduhakimov said: “Tourism today needs new products and skills, new approaches,…

ASTANA – President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized the importance of further enhancing multifaceted collaboration with Kazakhstan to strengthen the strategic partnership and alliance, as he received Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu in Tashkent on Aug. 17, reported the Kazakh Foreign Ministry. President Mirziyoyev commended the significant progress the two countries have achieved in bilateral cooperation over the past few years. Nurtleu, who was on an official visit to Uzbekistan, conveyed warm greetings and best wishes from Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to Mirziyoyev, briefing him on the implementation of agreements reached at the highest levels in…

Copenhagen, Berlin (11/8 – 42) The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) highlighted severe restrictions imposed by the Tajikistani government on religious freedom during a virtual hearing on July 20, 2023. The commission expressed grave concern over the intensified persecution targeting the Pamiri Ismaili Muslim population of Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO). Source: https://www.uscirf.gov/events/hearings/religious-freedom-tajikistan-policy-options-country-particular-concern A Pattern of Repression Since 2009, Tajikistan has enacted a complex web of laws to monitor, control, and restrict religious practices. Not only are women and children under 18 prohibited from attending public religious services, but unregistered religious communities are also denied the right to…

Uzbekistan’s commodity and raw materials exchange has put up the first batch of gas-to-liquid (GTL) liquefied gas for auction, totaling 161 tons, with a starting price of 3.1 million Uzbekistani soms ($270) per ton, Trend reports. As Uzbekneftegaz JSC, a state-owned holding company of Uzbekistan’s oil and gas industry, reported, the fuel will be supplied to the Shurtan Gas Chemical Complex under agreed delivery terms. In terms of economics and the environment, LPG holds an advantage over gasoline and diesel fuels, making it widely used in industries and automobile manufacturing. When used as a transportation fuel, liquefied gas emits 10-12 percent less…

Today, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi spoke with President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev. President Mirziyoyev extended his greetings to President El-Sisi on the occasion of Eid Al Adha, wishing Egypt’s people and government progress and prosperity. President El-Sisi expressed gratitude for President Mirziyoyev’s kind gesture, wishing Uzbekistan, its people, and the entire Muslim nation welfare and blessings. Source: African Business

A memorandum on the launch of the Better Work Program in Uzbekistan was signed as part of Tashkent Textile Week. This has opened an opportunity for local companies to cooperate with global brands. Fibre2Fashion was the knowledge partner for the event. Tashkent hosts one of the major textile industry events in the CIS. Twice a year, the textile industry’s experts come together in Uzbekistan for textile week to showcase the most recent innovations and address topical issues for the sector’s further growth. Throughout the week, there were seminars on business management and textile trends as well as the 6th International Textile…