Ex-Soviet Tajikistan appeared to unblock several popular websites and Google services during European Council President Donald Tusk's visit to the country as part of a regional tour Thursday. Tusk was holding talks with veteran Tajik leader Emomali Rakhmon Thursday ahead of visits to two other ex-Soviet Central Asian countries - Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
Internet users had previously reported problems using a number of popular news websites, Facebook, YouTube and Google services. Google services became inaccessible shortly after a prison riot this month that left 35 people dead including 19 prisoners that authorities claimed were members of the Islamic State group. Facebook and YouTube had been inaccessible throughout the month prior to Tusk's arrival according to Tajik users, who regularly have to resort to circumvention tools to use the two websites.