 RFE/RL Central Asia Report 5/3/2010 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 . |
 $9 Million In Kyrgyz Safe-Deposit Box Kyrgyz authorities say they have found almost $9 million in cash belonging to former Kyrgyz Defense Minister Bakyt Kalyev in a safe-deposit box in a bank in Bishkek. More  May Day Activists On Hunger Strike Four Kazakh opposition activists are on hunger strike to protest police action against their May Day gathering. More  Kyrgyz Offer Bakiev Bounties Authorities in Kyrgyzstan are offering rewards as high as $100,000 for information leading to the capture of ousted President Kurmanbek Bakiev and fugitive relatives and senior aides. More  Prison Term For Repatriated Uzbek A court in the eastern Uzbek city of Andijon has sentenced Dilorom Abduqodirova to 10 years and two months in prison for her alleged role in deadly protests five years ago. More  Turkmen Prez Stunned At Opium Find Turkmenistan has increased its public battle against drugs after opium-poppy fields were discovered during a regional visit by the president. More  Kyrgyz Transform State Broadcaster Kyrgyzstan's interim government has issued a decree turning the state-run National Television and Radio Company (KTR) into a public broadcaster to be overseen by an independent board. More  Bakiev's Chief Of Staff Arrested The former chief of staff of Kyrgyzstan's presidential office has been arrested. More  Websites Of Independent Kazakh Newspapers Inaccessible The websites of two Kazakh opposition newspapers became inaccessible to Internet users in Kazakhstan today. More  My Tajik And American Mothers I have two 61-year-old mothers. My Tajik mother is the woman who give birth to me. My American mother is the woman who hosted me when I lived in the United States. More Dozens of Kyrgyz activists have picketed the Kazakh Embassy in Bishkek to demand an apology from Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev for derisive comments he made about the uprising in Kyrgyzstan. More  Prominent Uzbek Sports Journalist's Trial Opens The trial began today of prominent Uzbek sports journalist Khairulla Khamidov and 14 others charged with activities associated with a banned Islamic group. More  Rise Seen In Religious Persecution A new report from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom warns that religious freedom across the globe is increasingly being threatened and oppressed by governments in human rights "hot spots." More  Tajikistan Asks Russia For Suspects Tajik officials have asked Russia to detain and deport 41 people suspected of belonging to the banned Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU). More  Press Freedom Suffered More Setbacks In 2009, New Report Shows 2009 saw declines in press freedom across the globe, continuing an eight-year slide. That's according to a report by Freedom House, a Washington-based NGO. Last year, the report says, repressive governments continued to stamp out dissent, crimes against journalists went unpunished, and state attempts to control Internet use intensified. More Authorities in Almaty and the Kazakh capital of Astana have refused to allow the People's Power political bloc to hold demonstrations on May 1. More  Is Kyrgyzstan's Revolution Ready For Export? Following the bloody uprising this month that led to the overthrow of the Kyrgyz government, the question arises whether conditions in neighboring Central Asian states could be favorable for similar political turbulence. More  Kyrgyz Gov't To Allow Akaev To Return Kyrgyzstan's interim government said today it will allow Askar Akaev, the country's first president, to return to the country from Russia. More  Leaflets Call For Kyrgyzstan To Split Leaflets and compact discs are being circulated in southern Kyrgyzstan calling on citizens to create a "South Kyrgyzstan Democratic Republic" with ousted President Kurmanbek Bakiev as its leader. More  EU Focusing On Kyrgyzstan's Future As It Meets With Central Asian Ministers Developments in Kyrgyzstan will form the centerpiece of an informal EU-Central Asia meeting in Brussels today. Officials in Brussels say the EU is keen to drum up support in the region for its efforts to help Kyrgyzstan move away from a presidential system. More Tajik Police Arrested In Detainee's Death Two police officers have been arrested in northern Tajikistan in connection with the recent death in police custody of Usman Boboev, RFE/RL's Tajik Service reports. More  CSTO Ends Exercises In Tajikistan Rapid-reaction forces of a regional security grouping have concluded military exercises in northern Tajikistan intended to combat insurgents. More  Bakiev's Female Entourage I was recently in southern Kyrgyzstan, in Jalal-Abad, and nearby Teyit, to watch ousted President Kurmanbek Bakiev's desperate attempt to cling to power. More  Draft Kyrgyz Constitution Would Empower Parliament At Expense Of President The interim Kyrgyz government, brought to power following the ouster of President Kurmanbek Bakiev earlier this month, has introduced a draft constitution that would give more power to parliament while reducing the president's role. More  Singer Recalls Performing In Ukraine After Chornobyl A well-known Tajik singer who was on tour in Ukraine at the time of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant disaster says many of the members of her band have died at young ages. More  Future Kyrgyz Government Faces Traditional North-South Divide The chaotic turn of events that led to the ouster of Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev this month breathed new life into fears that the country could be split in two. Upon fleeing the nation's capital amid Kyrgyzstan's second revolution in five years, Bakiev sought shelter in his native southern region, where he railed against the policies of northerners. More |
