Gulnara Karimova, whose account vanished last weekend, is back on Twitter.
On October 7, RFE/RL provided a Twitter retrospective on the daughter of Uzbekistan's long-serving president, Islam Karimov.
Journalists and activists expressed mock sadness but, on October 9, her account reappeared (she now uses @Gulnara_uz as her handle).
Karimova says her account was hacked.
The 41-year-old, who was called "the single most hated person in the country," in a leaked U.S. State Department cable, also showed she is still willing to engage Western critics in her own unique style. She immediately took on Andrew Stroehlein, European media director at Human Rights Watch.
After a Twitter back-and-forth last year, Karimova had failed to deliver on a promise to respond in writing to questions by the rights advocate about abuses by the Uzbek government.
Rights defenders have accused the regime of Karimov, who has ruled since 1989, of jailing and torturing dissidents, using forced child labor during cotton-picking season, and sanctioning the massacre of hundreds during unrest in the city of Andijon in 2005.
In May, an investigation by a Swedish television program -- shared with RFE/RL's Uzbek Service -- implicated Karimova in an alleged scheme to demand over $300 million in bribes from TeliaSonera, a Swedish telecom giant.
-- Glenn Kates
On October 7, RFE/RL provided a Twitter retrospective on the daughter of Uzbekistan's long-serving president, Islam Karimov.
Journalists and activists expressed mock sadness but, on October 9, her account reappeared (she now uses @Gulnara_uz as her handle).
Karimova says her account was hacked.
ВНИМАНИЕ! ЭТОТ АККАУНТ БЫЛ ВЗЛОМАН!!! ОЖИДАЙТЕ НОВЫЙ АККАУНТ!!!
— Gulnara (@Gulnara_uz) October 5, 2013
The 41-year-old, who was called "the single most hated person in the country," in a leaked U.S. State Department cable, also showed she is still willing to engage Western critics in her own unique style. She immediately took on Andrew Stroehlein, European media director at Human Rights Watch.
@Ziya_Meral @astroehlein Surpriiiiiiiiiise 🙋😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃
— Gulnara (@Gulnara_uz) October 9, 2013
@astroehlein I have patience for2:)Ushouldn't worry!Especially as u pick onlytweets which r ordered for u to c👆Strange zt u don't c ze rest🙈
— Gulnara (@Gulnara_uz) October 9, 2013
After a Twitter back-and-forth last year, Karimova had failed to deliver on a promise to respond in writing to questions by the rights advocate about abuses by the Uzbek government.
Rights defenders have accused the regime of Karimov, who has ruled since 1989, of jailing and torturing dissidents, using forced child labor during cotton-picking season, and sanctioning the massacre of hundreds during unrest in the city of Andijon in 2005.
In May, an investigation by a Swedish television program -- shared with RFE/RL's Uzbek Service -- implicated Karimova in an alleged scheme to demand over $300 million in bribes from TeliaSonera, a Swedish telecom giant.
-- Glenn Kates