Fashionable Dushanbe
Just wanted to show the other side of Tajikistan, other than energy crisis, illiteracy, malnutrition and other flaws… Someone would say that these boutiques are our flaw, but that is the other issue. To be honest, I have never entered them just like many other Tajiks.
United Colors of Benetton
Pierre Cardin
RBK and Schevchenko
ADIDAS and Beckham
on October 18th, 2007 at 4:26 pm
This comment was moderated. TAJIK BOY, be careful with your comments!
on October 18th, 2007 at 5:54 pm
I’m just wondering how much does it cost to rent a building in this area?
on October 19th, 2007 at 8:49 am
VADIM, BE CAREFUL!
I don’t think there was anything to be moderated in my comment.
on October 19th, 2007 at 12:59 pm
Haloo
Could you maybe introduce me some Tajik-iranian sites.
on October 19th, 2007 at 1:26 pm
You know about the new amendments and criminalization of online media. I’m based in Tajikistan and many people know that I’m coordinating the Tajik Neweurasia Blog and I don’t want to have problems with the government yet. Please be careful with your comments and if you have to say something against the government (or anyone else) you should have a strong evidence but I think it will also not help.
on October 19th, 2007 at 3:45 pm
I think this comment might get you in trouble. Boogey man is on his way
on October 21st, 2007 at 1:21 am
” Please be careful with your comments and if you have to say something against the government (or anyone else) you should have a strong evidence but I think it will also not help.”
What’s going on here? Censorship in the blogosphere? Not allowed to write things against the government without good evidence? Did I miss something?
I say, if this site is going to play along with all the other self-censoring, ingratiating, and, frankly, gutless main stream mass media of Central Asia, then its time to go to a site where one can speak truth to power.
on October 21st, 2007 at 10:43 pm
“Not allowed to write things against the government without good evidence? Did I miss something?”
I think blogosphere is free from hard edit zone, but sometimes it’s nessesary - for Tajikistan more then to other coutries.
Three month ago our parlament pass the law about slander in the internet. And now if artical or comments have a slander our police can arrest editor of that site or blog where it’s wrote.
Because all of it I agree with Vadim. It’s (editing) just securit our (tajik autors) freedom and lifes.
on October 23rd, 2007 at 5:23 am
ANDREW, have I ever moderated your comments?
on October 23rd, 2007 at 12:08 pm
No, not that I can remember (though maybe you’d like to :>) )
Could you please clarify what’s going on here? What specifically are you moderating? Obscenity? Graphic language? Offensive slurs? I think it’s important to know what boundaries are being set.
on October 23rd, 2007 at 12:27 pm
Andrew, I’m not setting boundaries.
on October 23rd, 2007 at 1:07 pm
None of that really (which is why it is ridiculous!). This is the problem. my comment was: these chains are said to belong to someone powerful in the country. THAT’S IT!
Let’s see if this comment gets deleted, hehe.
on October 23rd, 2007 at 1:50 pm
Tajik Boy, you forgot to say that you mentioned the person and his relatives. But you also know that this kind of business is never registered on the name of a person who owns it. That’s the problem. It means you are disseminating a false information which is a subject to punishment.
If you have to say something about this particular issue, then go ahead and write a new post. You have an account. Then you are free to accept all the comments. No one will moderate you writing.
Andrew, if you also have something to say, then let me know and I’ll open an account for you and you can do the same.
This post is written by me and I’m the person responsible for everything that is written here.
on October 23rd, 2007 at 7:43 pm
Uh, it was my understanding that this web-site was founded, and funded, in partnership with TOL (Transitions On Line), which in turn is funded by the National Endowment for Democracy, the Soros Open Society Institute, The Ford Foundation, and the Eurasia Foundation, all of which are deeply committed to freedom of speech.
The subject of corruption and organized crime, which seems to be what Tajik Boy was trying to post, is very very important to the evolution of civic society in eurasia. That probably doesn’t need to be said, but only to argue that bringing up names and rumors is part of that dialogue. Adam from Almaty Kazakstan frequently, and with good cause, posts on the relationship between corruption, the government, and organized crime. That shouldn’t be a taboo subject.
The point isn’t that we should go get our own sites if we don’t like being moderated by you. My point is that this web-site is funded by institutions and foundations with an agenda - free speech and the healthy evolution of a public dialogue and debate. So, if you’re moderating comments, let’s know your criteria (and, your sense of what is true or not isn’t a good criteria) for moderating.
on October 24th, 2007 at 5:54 am
Andrew I’m again repeating myself - I’M NOT SETTING BOUNDARIES, and I didn’t say that you need to have your own website, please read carefully my previous post. I’m inviting your to be an author on this website, as you have too much to say about Tajikistan and the whole region.
on October 24th, 2007 at 12:18 pm
Alright, this is my last word on what has turned into a ridiculous arguement. You are setting boundaries. You moderated Tajik Boy’s post. That is setting a boundary.
And as for “you have too much to say about Tajikistan and the whole region”. Huh? My posts are too long? You don’t want critical commentary on your posts?
If that is the case, well, then, Vadim, these will be the last lines from me on your articles.
on October 24th, 2007 at 1:01 pm
Come on Andrew!!! As for “you have too much to say about Tajikistan and the whole region” - it’s not an offense. It means that you’re well aware about the situation in the region and you always have something to say on this or that issue.
on October 24th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
Hey guys, what all of thees mean?
If anyone would like to see Tajik_boy’s comments to this post just write to Vadim’s mail and hi will send you all of them. I got them and understood why Vadim did it (moderate).
I know and agree that blogosphere need to be free from modarate zone… But - if comments has a nacionalism or xenophob themes they absulyutly need to edit - i think all authors have a same position.
I am one of the authors in this blog (Russian version) and i hope that xenophobia not will find in our topics
on October 24th, 2007 at 11:31 pm
This whole censorship is hard to explain (at least logically).
Did you deliberately save them before he deleted them? Could you do me a favor and copy me in those emails? I am not sure your version would be quite the same as original.
I’d be very careful with these strong words. Try to understand the diversity of opinions and evaluate different perspectives before labelling them. Remember that the world is not always black and white. Those who see it as such are the most disturbing/unfortunate.
on October 25th, 2007 at 12:51 am
Oh, I see, Vadim. Just so you know, if you say “you have too much to say”, that means, you have, well, too much to say. As in, I’m tired of hearing what you have to say, or, you don’t know what you’re talking about and have said too much already. It’s somewhat offensive. But I understand your point now.
In any case, an interesting, and obviously contreversial topic. We know that journalists in the mass media operating in the Central Asian republics must constantly balance what they write with their safety and economic well-being. Could it be that this same concern has spread to the blogosphere?
on October 25th, 2007 at 6:49 am
Andrew, the Tajik blogosphere is not that big yet that could attract the attention of intelligence people. But, you never know how the government can react to what we say here. There is no difference for them between traditional journalism and blogging - everything is related to mass-media which is regulated by law. These people see no difference between this website and let’s say Fergana.ru or AsiaPlus or any other news website. The only difference is that it allows comments. It is one of the few websites in Tajikistan which allows instant comments.
I have a chance to talk to journalists in Tajikistan and they admit that websites with comments are really dangerous because you never know what kind of comment is going to be posted on the website. It is dangerous because not the author of the comment but the author of the article will be punished. It is easier to find the author.
I don’t know whether you’ve heard about the new amendments to the Law on media but everything that is published on the Internet about Tajikistan is regulated by this law. It is a strange decision of the parliament but that is how things work in this country. Using this law they can punish anyone who disseminates obscenity, graphic language, offensive slurs, false information and all other negative factors.
Why do you think we do not have that much authors on our blog as on Kygyz or Kazakh neweurasia blog? People just do not want to have problems. I don’t know, maybe Rrrr or Tajik boy have another opinion but that is how I see it from my perspective.
on October 25th, 2007 at 2:44 pm
Vadim,
I don’t know to what degree what I said could be classified as “disseminating false information” since I did not present anything I said as a fact (at least from my reading of English). When people say “it is said to belong” it means it is nothing less but a rumor, i.e. the author does not have anything else to prove his point. Nor did I make any assertions as to what is said is indeed factual. I remember reading an article (in Russian) about the presidents of CIS, where such information was mentioned. here is the link: http://compromat.ru/main/ne_rossiya/deti.htm
Boy I do have a good memory (since I read the article 5 years ago or so).
Getting anyone in trouble is the least I want to do here especially considering your great contributions to Tajik blogosphere. I guess I have been out of the country for too long to realize that we still could have some absurd laws (talk about Absurdistan).
Be well.