 RFE/RL Central Asia Report 10/30/2009 6:11:48 PM A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about the five countries of Central Asia.For more stories on Central Asia, please visit and bookmark our Central Asia page . |
 Kazakh Communist Party Resents Lenin Statue Removal The Communist Party is protesting the dismantling of a monument to Vladimir Lenin in the southeastern Kazakh city of Taldy-Qorghan, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports. More  Kyrgyz President Appoints Son To Government Position Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev has appointed his son as the head of the central agency for development, investment, and innovations, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports. More  Pakistani Troops Capture Town Used By Uzbek Militants Pakistani troops have surrounded Kaniguram, a key base for Uzbek Islamic militants in Pakistan's South Waziristan region, RFE/RL's Uzbek Service reports. More Kyrgyzstan To Pay Gas Debt To Uzbekistan Kyrgyzstan plans to pay its debt for Uzbek natural gas by December 1, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports. Deputy Prime Minister Akylbek Japarov told RFE/RL that the gas debt will be discussed by the Kyrgyz parliament on October 30. More  Another Uzbek Student Dies During Cotton Harvest A 10th young person has died in Uzbekistan while involved in compulsory work on the cotton harvest, RFE/RL's Uzbek Service reports. More  Turkmen Environmental Activist Given Five-Year Jail Term Prominent Turkmen environmental activist Andrei Zatoka has been sentenced to five years in prison for hooliganism, RFE/RL's Turkmen Service reports. More  Kazakh Rights Activist Sent To Remote Labor Camp Leading Kazakh human rights activist Yevgeny Zhovtis has been transferred from Almaty to a labor camp in northeastern Kazakhstan, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports. More  EU Learning Curve Heralds Beginning Of End Of Sanctions The European Union's curious history of applying punitive sanctions on non-member states is likely to prove short-lived. After EU foreign ministers decided on October 27 to remove all remaining restrictions on Uzbekistan, which has one of the world's most repressive regimes, the end of the whole idea of sanctions cannot be far away. More  Jailed KazAtomProm Chief Requests Hospitalization The former president of Kazakhstan's Uranium-producing giant KazAtomProm says he needs to be hospitalized, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports. More  Has EU Learned Lessons From Uzbek Process? The EU has decided to lift the last of the sanctions imposed on Uzbekistan after the 2005 Andijon massacre. In dropping a largely symbolic arms embargo, the EU said that relations with Uzbekistan have acquired a "new scope and quality" over the past two years. But looking at the lessons learned over the course of the two-pronged sanctions regime, observers and rights activists have a markedly different assessment of the measures' effectiveness. More  Kyrgyz Police Seeking Second Suspect In Journalist's Killing Kyrgyzstan's Interior Ministry says that a second suspect is being sought in the 2007 murder of independent journalist Alisher Saipov, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports. More  The Best Place In The World To Live? You Might Be Surprised What's your idea of the best place in which to live? Many people would probably answer that palm trees and a gleaming beach would be a good start to their idea of earthly paradise. But in real life, the country which scores best on a whole range of economic and quality-of-life issues is a good deal colder. More  Uzbekistan Stumbles On Courting Tourists Promoting itself as a hospitable tourist stop along the ancient Silk Road, Uzbekistan is seeking to boost its tourism industry and attract more foreign travelers. But the authoritarian regime in Tashkent maintains a strict visa procedure that all but discourages outside visitors. More  Turkmenistan Joins The Haute Couture Fun The current Volvo Fashion Week in Moscow is big news in Turkmenistan. For the first time, Turkmen designers are showcasing their creations at a prestigious international exhibition. More  CPJ Demands Results Of Probe Of Kyrgyz Journalist's Killing The New-York based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on the Kyrgyz authorities to make public the findings of their investigation into the 2007 murder of an independent journalist in Osh, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports. More |
