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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Websites blocked after videos by Tajik commander now fighting for IS |
| 2015-06-22 |
| [RFE/RL] Social networks including Facebook, YouTube, and Odnoklassniki are no longer accessible in Tajikistan following the release of a second video showing a former commander of Tajik special police forces who has defected to the Islamic State. Interior Ministry forces (OMON) commander Gulmurod Halimov's disappearance in April to join IS has been a major embarrassment for Tajikistan. Tajik media reported that Internet users were not able to open the websites from midday on June 18, hours after a video in which Halimov issues threats to "infidels," Russia, and the United States was posted online. In the clip, Halimov and other armed men sitting in front of an IS-style flag attempt to dispel rumors that he has gone to Syria on a mission to kill a high-profile Tajik militant, Nusrat Nazarov. Nazarov, who goes by several other aliases, including Abu Kholidi Kulobi and Furqon Falastin, is a Tajik man who has appeared in several IS videos claiming to be the leader of Tajik fighters in Raqqa. Tajik media reported that Nazarov was killed recently in Syria. In the video, Halimov does not mention Nazarov's death but says he "will remain a brother to Furqon forever." Halimov says he uses his weapon only to kill infidels, "If my own older brother or younger brother became an infidel, I would cut off his head. I would kill him if he fought against us." In his first IS video, Halimov claimed he joined the militants to protest Tajik government restrictions on religious observance, such as its crackdown on Islamic garb and limitations on mosque prayers. Wielding a gun, Halimov also threatened to bring holy war to Russia and the United States. Popular social networks were blocked for days in Tajikistan after that first video appeared. Asomuddin Atoev, the chairman of Tajikistan's Association of Internet Service Providers, said that access to the sites had been blocked by some ISPs based on verbal instructions from the State Communications Service. He said the order was based on coverage of the Halimov defection. |
| Posted by:ryuge |