Tag Archives: Uzbekistan

Authorities detain Uzbek security officers

JULY 2 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – More reports have surfaced from Uzbekistan of mass arrests in the Uzbek security services.

Last month, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported that police detained roughly 100 people in Ukraine’s customs service on various accounts of corruption now, it appears, 40 members of the security services have been arrested.

Sources told RFE/RL that Colonel Javdat Sharifhojaev, a powerful member of the security services, was among those arrested.

It’s unclear if the latest arrests are linked to the very public row between the daughter of Uzbek president Islam Karimov and the security services or, instead, if these various detentions are the result of a genuine anti-corruption drive that it appears to have launched.

It could also be a turf war between the various, and powerful, departments of the security services.

Uzmetronom.com, a website linked to the Uzbek authorities, said that the Uzbek authorities had decided to increase penalties against officials for taking bribes.

The Uzbek authorities, apparently, declined to confirm the detention of the various officials.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 192, published on July 9 2014)

MTS to restart work in Uzbekistan in 2014

JULY 2 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Uzbekistan has given a green light for Russian mobile operator MTS to re-start work in the country after it withdrew following a row in 2012, various local media reported quoting security forces. Media said that MTS would resume operations in Uzbekistan by the end of 2012.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 192, published on July 9 2014)

Russian cement in Uzbekistan

JULY 8 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Eurocement, a Russian company linked to oligarch Filaret Galchev, will build a factory near Tashkent, media reported. The $128m plant will take two years to build. The announcement is an indicator that Russian business is interested in Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan and Russia have had strained relations.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 192, published on July 9 2014)

Farmers talk of drought in Uzbekistan

JUNE 24 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Media in Uzbekistan reported that a drought in the south of the country means that crop expectations are low.

The uznews.net opposition website said that harvest would be 50% lower than normal on rain-fed crops.

“It did not rain this April and we expect smaller harvests,” uznews.net quoted a farmer as saying.

Officials have not commented although signs of drought are important for policymakers. Droughts and a lack of income can trigger social discontent. Throughout the year, reports have surfaced from Uzbekistan of rising prices.

Uzbekistan is particularly prone to drought. Much of its agriculture is under-resourced and lacking in investment and the land is generally arid. A government report in 2012 said that 76% of the population was living in areas at risk of drought.

And the timing of the uznews.net report is pertinent. The state’s Committee for Natural Protection organised a roundtable on June 29 specifically to discuss desertification and drought in Uzbekistan. The World Bank and the Asian Development all provide various forms of financial assistance aimed at reducing drought in Uzbekistan.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 190, published on July 2 2014)

Uzbek court fines critical reporter

JUNE 28 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – A court in Uzbekistan fined Said Abdurakhimov, a local journalist who reports critical stories, roughly $4,000 for supposedly spreading panic and working without the correct accreditation. The police detained Mr Abdurakhimov after he reported on the demolition of homes to build a new motorway.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 190, published on July 2 2014)

Daewoo investing in Uzbek textile

JULY 1 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – South Korea’s Daewoo will invest $22m upgrading and expanding production at two Uzbek textile factories, media reported. South Korea has been looking to expand its business links with Uzbekistan which has also wanted to boost its important textile industry.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 190, published on July 2 2014)

Uzbek customs officials arrested

JUNE 27 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Uzbek police have arrested 100 people working at the state customs committee on corruption charges, media reported. The mass arrests are likely to be linked with a grab for power in Uzbekistan rather than a genuine anti- corruption drive.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 190, published on July 2 2014)

Uzbekistan doubles uranium export

JUNE 24 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Uzbekistan will almost double the amount of uranium it sends to South Korea, media reported after a trip by South Korean President Park Geun-hye. Ms Geun-hye has been on a tour of Central Asia, building relations and making business deals.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 190, published on June 25 2014)

Uzbek plumbers strike gold

JUNE 20 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Plumbers working in the city of Qoqan, east Uzbekistan, have found a gold bar weighing 13kg, media reported. The gold bar, found in one of the city’s sewers, has an estimated value of $800,000. It is unclear where the gold bar came from although it is thought to date from before the Soviet Union.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 190, published on June 25 2014)

Unrest brew in Uzbek autonomous republic

JUNE 24 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Reports on the internet have surfaced which suggest that unrest may be brewing in Karakalpakstan, the remote western region of Uzbekistan. Karakalpakstan is officially an autonomous republic although in practice this mean little. Reports said protesters demonstrating at job cuts at a gas processing plant had been arrested.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 190, published on June 25 2014)