 RFE/RL Central Asia Report 4/6/2010 6:27:57 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 . |
 Chinese Man Jailed For Attack On Kazakh Newspaper A Chinese man has been sentenced by a Kazakh court to five days in jail for attacking the office of an independent newspaper. More  Kyrgyz Opposition Leader Beaten A leader of the opposition Ata-Meken (Fatherland) party in the southern city of Osh remains in serious condition after being severely beaten. More  UN Chief Urges Central Asians To Resolve Water Issues UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has arrived in Tajikistan after a visit to Uzbekistan -- two Central Asian countries at the heart of a long-running dispute over water that affects the entire region. More  Kyrgyz Police Storm Government Building Held By Protesters Kyrgyz police are reported to have stormed a building that was seized by protesters and freed the regional governor being held there. More  Ban Urges Restraint In Asia Water Dispute UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged restraint in a growing dispute between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan over the building of a massive Tajik hydroelectric dam. More  Ban Presses Uzbekistan On Rights Record UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on Uzbekistan to improve its human rights record during a visit to the Central Asian country. More  State Islam, Outsiders Compete For Influence In Central Asia In Central Asia, officially sanctioned Islam and outside sects are engaged in a struggle for influence, with believers and clerics caught in the middle. More  UN's Ban To Meet Uzbek President UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is scheduled today to meet with Uzbek President Islam Karimov, who has ruled the country since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. More  UN's Ban Calls Aral Sea 'Disaster' UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, on a tour of Central Asia, says the depletion of the Aral Sea is one of the planet's most shocking disasters. More  Chinese-Central Asian Relationship Requires Delicate Balancing Act China is making huge inroads in Central Asia, essentially building the region’s energy infrastructure with an emphasis on export routes that lead to China. So far, the relationship looks great -- all parties are receiving what they want. But a look back at Central Asia's recent history suggests this relatively new and flourishing relationship can expect to go through some rough patches. More  Tajik Law Opens Window For Young Afghan Drug Smugglers The prospect of harsh punishments for adults involved in the Afghan-Tajik drug trade has led some traffickers to look to Afghan youth to do their dirty work. As Tajik law does not children under 14 to be punished as adults, impoverished young people are increasingly being recruited as drug mules. More  Kyrgyz Opposition Rallies As UN Chief Visits On a tour of Central Asia focusing on human rights, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is in Kyrgyzstan as a leading media rights group there has condemned a recent crackdown on independent media. More  Drugs Seized In Kyrgyzstan The Kyrgyz Interior Ministry says it has seized a large quantity of illegal drugs in the southern city of Osh. More  Kyrgyz Media Outlet Says Will Operate Despite Pressure Directors of the Bishkek-based Stan-TV media organization say the decision by Kyrgyz officials to suspend its activities is politically motivated. More Alleged Hizb ut-Tahrir Members Detained In Kyrgyzstan Three alleged members of the banned Hizb-ut Tahrir party have been detained by Kyrgyz security forces in the southern city of Jalalabad. More  New Criminal Code In Force In Tajikistan A new Criminal Procedure Code has come into effect in Tajikistan. More  Kyrgyz Pop Star Found Dead In Bishkek Prominent Kyrgyz pop singer Mirlan Doutov has been found stabbed to death in his apartment. More UN's Ban Ki-Moon Visits Turkmenistan United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has arrived in Turkmenistan's capital, Ashgabat, on the first stop of a tour of five Central Asian countries. More Another Opposition Newspaper Shut Down In Kyrgyzstan A Kyrgyz opposition newspaper said it has been ordered by a Bishkek district court today to cease publication. More  Kyrgyz Activist's Daughter Abducted Police in southern Kyrgyzstan say the daughter of an opposition leader was abducted on March 31 for several hours, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports. More  Russian, Turkmen Officials Allegedly Pampered By Daimler The German automaker Daimler AG has agreed to pay a $185 million fine to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over allegations that bribes were paid to secure business in a number of countries, including Russia, Turkmenistan, Romania, Bulgaria, and Latvia. More  HRW: Ban Must Push Rights In C. Asia Rights advocates hope UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will put human rights issues high on the agenda on his first trip to Central Asia. More  Turkmen Farmers Caught Between Collectivization, Privatization Agriculture is a key part of Turkmenistan's economy, employing half the nation's workforce. But the country's farmers find themselves caught between two systems -- the communist collective farming system and promises of future privatization -- without being able to enjoy the fruits of either. More  Akaev: Kyrgyzstan Now 'Island Of Criminals,' Not Democracy Kyrgyzstan marks the five-year anniversary of the "Tulip" or "People's" Revolution, in which widespread protests over rigged parliamentary elections culminated in the ouster of the country's president, Askar Akaev. RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service asked Akaev his opinion of the country he was forced to leave. More |
