Tajikistan Blocks Access To Facebook

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A popular social networking website Facebook is now blocked in Tajikistan. On Sunday evening, all 8 internet providers in Tajikistan blocked access to the website, while users started experiencing problems with using Facebook on Saturday. People in Tajikistan now use proxy services or anonymizers, trying to avoid restrictions. Due to the Eid al-Adha (or Kurban Bayram) religious holiday celebrations in Tajikistan, officials are not commenting on the situation. Local experts argue that the website could have been blocked after a call to join the demonstration against the Tajik government on October 10, earlier published on Facebook. From June, users in Tajikistan are denied access to the popular video sharing website Youtube. Access to Facebook has already been restricted in the country twice this year, in June and in July. The authorities in the Central Asian republic have attracted international criticism in recent years for repeatedly blocking and unblocking access to foreign social networking sites, including Facebook, Vkontakte and Twitter.

Sad tale of Nigerian footballers in Tajikistan

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When Jinaid left his home in Nigeria for Tajikistan last year, he thought he was traveling to Central Asia to pursue a career in professional soccer.

But the 21-year-old’s adventure didn’t turn out quite as planned. After spending hundreds of dollars to fulfill his dream, Jinaid is now stranded in Dushanbe with no job and no money.

“Now, I’m struggling without doing anything,” Jinaid says. “I’m hungry, my visa has expired. Nothing to do.”

Jinaid is among a group of at least 10 Nigerians who have traveled to Tajikistan in the past three years, seeking to join soccer clubs and make a decent living. Some of them did play for Tajik teams, but they complain that what they got fell far short of expectations.

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