 RFE/RL Central Asia Report 5/17/2010 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 . |
 Kyrgyz Civilian Patrols Expand Security Role Kyrgyz citizens, claiming that police were unable to protect them during the recent political unrest, have organized their own neighborhood-watch groups to defend themselves and their property. Thousands of people have joined "druzhinniki" -- civilian patrols that now guard not only their own houses, but also the parliament building, schools, bazaars, banks, and shopping centers alongside the police. More  Constitutional Crunch Time In Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan has not yet calmed down since last month's violence chased yet another president from office. But the lack of stability has not stopped work on a new constitution for the country, something the interim government has been promising from its first days in power. More  Sources Claim Shutdown At Powerful Uzbek Conglomerate Sources close to the strategic conglomerate Zeromax claim the company's operations are being wound down by the Uzbek government. More  Kazakh Activist Faces New Charges A jailed Kazakh opposition activist is facing new charges for violently resisting police. More  Turkmen Leader Calls For Second Party Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov says he has ordered parliament to draft a law on political parties. More  Why Lukashenka Will Not Surrender Bakiev Alyaksandr Lukashenka is taking quite a big risk by championing Bakiev -- but his game is not totally devoid of logic. He might even end up winning it. More  Kyrgyz Politicians Arrested Over Unrest The former chief of staff of ousted Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev and the leader of the country's Communist Party have been arrested in Bishkek. More  One Dead As Clashes Erupt In Southern Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan's interim government said it had reasserted control over southern provinces where sympathizers of ousted President Kurmanbek Bakiev occupied several government buildings. At least one person was killed in the violence. More  Iran Offers Tajik-Uzbek Mediation Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said in Dushanbe today that Iran is ready to try to alleviate tensions between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan at their request. More  Reading Langston Hughes In Turkmenistan Some fine storytelling in the "Literary Traveler." A Peace Corps volunteer hears a Turkmen boy reading a Langston Hughes poem and wonders why. More  Tajik President Puts State Body In Charge Of Religious Affairs Tajik President Emomali Rahmon has reinstated the State Committee on Religious Affairs to oversee the country's religious organizations, RFE/RL's Tajik Service reports. More  Explosion On Uzbek Bus Kills Six At least six people were killed and several others injured when a bus exploded in Tashkent on May 11. More  Bakiev Supporters Take Over Government Building In Osh Kyrgyzstan's interim government faces its most serious challenge since taking power last month, with supporters of ousted Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev occupying regional government buildings in all three southern provinces, forcing provincial governors to flee. More  Closing In On Maksim Bakiev It seems they’re finally closing in on him. After more than a month of speculation as to the whereabouts of Maksim Bakiev, the son of Kyrgyz ex-President Kurmanbek Bakiev, Kyrgyz authorities on May 10 asked the Latvian government to detain him. More  Kazakhstan 'Breaks Border Pledge' The Kyrgyz-Kazakh border remains closed despite what Bishkek says was an agreement between the two countries' leaders to reopen it. More  Protesters Demand Bakiev Extradition Some 2,000 protesters gathered today on Bishkek's central square demanding that ousted Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev be put on trial, one of several demonstrations in the capital. More  When It Comes To Andijon, Don't Ask -- And Certainly Don't Tell Even discussing the brutal crackdown that took place in eastern Uzbekistan in 2005 remains taboo under the hard-line rule of President Islam Karimov, and Andijon remains cloaked in fear and suspicion. More  Nazarbaev Now 'Leader Of Nation' Kazakhstan's parliament approves legislation on making President Nursultan Nazarbaev "leader of the nation," granting him the right to have final approval on all policy moves in the country, both domestic and foreign, even if he leaves office. More The Tajik Foreign Ministry has dismissed a statement by a Russian government official claiming that Russian children are barred from leaving Tajikistan. More  Five Years After Andijon Events, Key Questions Remain Unanswered What is now widely known as the "Andijon massacre" transpired when government forces opened fire on crowds of protesters who had been staging peaceful antigovernment demonstrations in the eastern Uzbek city for several days. Five years later, little is known about what ignited the violence, or even how many victims there were. More  Kyrgyzstan Warns Border Closures Could Lead To 'Economic Catastrophe' Kyrgyzstan's acting deputy prime minister has warned that the continued closure of borders by the country's neighbors could lead to "economic catastrophe" in Kyrgyzstan. More |
