 RFE/RL Central Asia Report 2/25/2010 4:50:00 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 . |
 Anti-AIDS Campaigner Serving 7-Year Sentence In Uzbekistan Evidence has emerged that an anti-AIDS campaigner in Uzbekistan was sentenced to seven years in prison after authorities deemed his brochure incompatible with local traditions. More  No Fanfare For Turkmenistan's Greatest Musical Son Nury Halmamedov, who died in 1983, would have been 70 years old today. But he remains alive in the hearts and music of the Turkmen people. More  Kyrgyz Confirm Iran Intercepted Plane Kyrgyzstan has confirmed that Iran forced one of its planes to land and arrested two of the passengers, apparently confirming Tehran's claim that it seized a top Sunni militant on a flight to the Central Asian country. More  Hearing Begins In Suit Against Tajik Papers A Tajik court has begun hearing a lawsuit against three independent publications, in a case international rights activists say is part of a crackdown on press freedom ahead of upcoming elections. More  Former Kyrgyz Minister To Appeal Former Kyrgyz Defense Minister Ismail Isakov, who was found guilty of corruption and sentenced to eight years in prison last month, will appeal his case to the Constitutional Court. More  Russian-Kyrgyz Relations Encounter A Chill Relations between longtime allies Russia and Kyrgyzstan seemed as close as ever when Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev announced that the U.S.-run, Manas air base outside Bishkek would be closed. But a year later, the two are in open disagreement. More  Tajik Pop Star Jailed For Helping Fiance Tajik pop singer Farzona Khurshed was sentenced today to two years in prison for helping her fiance escape from a courthouse last month. More  Tajik Islamic Party Puts Face-Lift To A Test Following considerable effort to transform its image, Tajikistan's Islamic Renaissance Party enters the gate for upcoming elections determined to change the status quo. More  Holbrooke: Tajikistan Key To Afghanistan U.S. envoy Richard Holbrooke said in Dushanbe today that Tajikistan was "a country of immense importance if one wants to have a peaceful outcome in Afghanistan." More  Will Turkmen President's Surprise Appeal Produce 'Real' Opposition Parties? Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov surprised his country on February 18 by calling for the creation of opposition political parties, in a country that hasn't had one in over 18 years since independence. More  Silent Extinction: Language Loss Reaches Crisis Levels Of the more than 6,700 languages spoken in the world, half are in danger of disappearing before the century ends. But what is lost when a language dies and why does the process occur? More  Saving A Central Asian Steppe Landscape A new project has been launched to protect an important steppe landscape in Central Asia, home to the saiga antelope and other unique species. More  Updating The Personality Cult, Turkmen-Style When Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov came to power three years ago, many Turkmens expected the new leader would put an end to the excessive personality cult of his eccentric predecessor, Saparmurat Niyazov. More |
