"He could have pushed me into his car and taken me away": Maryam Tillayeva said she was attacked by a stranger

“He could have forced me into his car and taken me away”: Maryam Tillayeva says she was attacked by a stranger

Maryam Tillayeva, the 27-year-old granddaughter of Uzbekistan’s first president Islam Karimov, is currently preparing for her wedding to Arno Kosyan. Maryam, a contestant on the second season of the Russian reality show “Stavka na lyubov” (“Pledge of Love”), told VOICE that she is not interested in dating men, but that some men have flirted with her.

“Recently, I was going to a restaurant for dinner, and I had high heels on. As I was walking down the street without a bodyguard, a man got out of his car and said, “Good girl, I want to meet you.” I replied, “I don’t want to meet you.” He started to drive his car in reverse. The farther I went, the further he went. Then he got out of his car and said, “Good girl, good girl!” "He started to say. I said, 'You don't understand me, I don't want to meet you.'" Then he grabbed my hand," says Tillayeva.

Maryam shouted at the stranger and demanded that he let go of her hand.

"I was very scared. My whole body was shaking. I arrived at the restaurant, but I couldn't come to my senses and sat there shaking for a long time. I didn't know what would happen next. He could have dragged me into his car and taken me somewhere," says the instablogger.

She said she was stunned and stressed that the next time such a situation happens, she will definitely call the police.

"I grew up in America, where even a simple compliment to a woman can be considered a violation of personal boundaries. Here, a man got out of the car and ran after me."

Maryam recalled another similar incident.

“I was in a taxi in the United States, arguing with my boyfriend on the phone. The driver tried to calm me down by putting his hand on my knee. I screamed and demanded that he take me to my boyfriend. When I told my boyfriend about the incident, he advised me to file a complaint against the driver. So I did. The support service took it seriously, apologized several times, gave me credit for the trips, and fired the driver. I was about 18 at the time,” Tillayeva said.

She added that the incident made her think about how important it is for women to talk about personal boundaries.

“I think men need educational programs that help them better understand what behavior is inappropriate and can intimidate a woman. It’s also important for girls not to be afraid to speak up about it,” Maryam concluded.

Earlier, Maryam Tillayeva announced that she was postponing her wedding to Arno Kosyan. She explained that this was due to mutual disagreements, noting that she and her boyfriend had not given up on the idea of getting married — they just needed more time to organize the ceremony.

Videos of the instablogger singing at weddings in Tashkent also went viral.