Tashkent changing...for the worse?

[Christian77]

I have been surprised in the past by the transformations in street safety/harassment/crime in certain cities in the region. Bishkek is light years better than it was a decade ago in terms of street crime targeting foreigners, and Dushanbe's centre is now a very safe place mostly free from harassment (in a police-watch-everything sort of way). But it seems that Tashkent may be going in an opposite direction for foreign guests.

The demise of the former Uzbek regime brought in many reforms and changes, some of which made it much easier for tourists to enter/exit, travel, take photos in previously restricted places, etc... But the new president now feels insecure, and he's trying to appeal to the worst in society to boost his support (in some versions given by local journalists/analysts). He' s following the Russian script from a decade ago: gays wants to molest your children, men will start having sex with each other and abandon their families, and it is all a foreign plot to destroy society. The results were seen in the last 48 hours: a mob formed in Tashkent and stormed around Amir Timur park chanting "Allahu Akbar!", and threatened all who are "against them." Mysteriously, the security forces who usually round up protestors in record time where nowhere to be seen. Foreigners who got involved (e.g., a European journalist who showed up at the hospital to visit a local activist who had been severely beaten) are being harassed by security forces. Local online trolls (using their real identification) are now attacking foreign journalists, activists and expats.

So what? "I'm a tourist and not involved"? Based on my decade on the ground in the region, and the decade before studying it, I feel that this will translate to emboldened and worsening treatment of foreigners. The government narrative of hate and anger towards foreigners who want to do harm translates in many countries into worsening treatment for those associated with that target, from Russian to America to India to....Jakarta, etc. I already had a very bad experience in Tashkent with a group of young Uzbek men deciding to target the Iranian woman I was with (for some quite extreme insults and threats), and when I met up with a local female friend I could definitely make out the 'hate-stares'.

Right now, there are just not enough accounts to say that Tashkent is a danger, but already two years ago I felt that every single other place in Uzbekistan felt friendlier and safer than Tashkent (based on my experience).

Based on my experience in the region, I suggest making Tashkent a rather short stay, and take extra precautions if you are non-European/white (especially if Indian, Middle Eastern, black or Chinese) or you 'look' gay (e.g., woman with short, colored hair). For white males, maybe don't have Tashkent on a list of places to visit for Tinder dates, and as always, avoid talking politics or moral values. This may blow over, or it may get worse. I expect that the more insecure the leadership feels, the more they will resort to nationalist and xenophobic sentiments to boost their support.

[steven]

As I understand it, the mob was organised, or at least condoned, by high-level political figures because there is a push to decriminalise gay sex as Uzbekistan starts its review of its criminal code, and they want to make their opinion clear. A bit more background here:

https://www.codastory.com/disinformatio ... tq-rights/
twitter.com/jmurtazashvili/status/1376321411359371264

Uzbekistan has been homophobic for a long time, so that doesn't surprise me much, tbh.

I personally haven't encountered any negativity towards me when speaking to local women. I could definitely imagine that in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, so I guess I shouldn't be that surprised, but it's the first time I read something like that about Uzbekistan. I'll keep an eye out for that.

I will admit that Tashkent has a macho-vibe that the rest of Uzbekistan lacks. I personally only encountered it in the nightlife. After midnight, I did get the feeling there were some men ready to explode at any moment.