 RFE/RL Central Asia Report 6/28/2010 3:47:11 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 . |
 Torture In Uzbekistan Described On Capitol Hill "Yusuf is going to die." That’s how Gulnora Juma, the wife of jailed Uzbek poet and political activist Yusuf Juma, summarized Juma’s plight at a recent discussion on Capitol Hill jointly sponsored by Freedom House and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. More  OSCE Praises Kyrgyz Referendum, As Russia Warns Of Risks The OSCE has praised Kyrgyzstan's referendum on a new constitution as largely transparent, but Russia has warned against the risk of extremist groups exploiting the new political system to take power. Voters on June 27 approved the new constitution that paves the way for the first parliamentary democracy in Central Asia. More Two weeks after ethnic clashes rocked southern Kyrgyzstan, the government says it will adopt a new constitution after people across the country voted in a referendum. More  Kyrgyzstan Prepares For Referendum Amid Ongoing Instability The people of Kyrgyzstan prepare to vote in a referendum that interim President Roza Otunbaeva says is the only means of ending the kind of ethnic clashes that killed hundreds and perhaps thousands this month. But with hundreds of thousands of people displaced, there's serious doubt about whether the vote will be seen as legitimate. More  Uzbek Exclave In Kyrgyzstan Opens Borders An exclave of Uzbekistan surrounded by Kyrgyzstan's southern Batken Oblast has been opened for transit of Kyrgyz vehicles and citizens. More  Bakiev's Nephew Accused In Unrest Kyrgyz security forces have detained a nephew of ousted President Kurmanbek Bakiev whom they accuse of playing a key role in recent ethnic unrest. More  Kyrgyzstan Ends Curfew Amid UN Warning Of Risk Of Violence Kyrgyzstan has lifted a state of emergency imposed in the wake of ethnic violence in its south, amid UN concerns about the risk of fresh tensions in the area. More  A Wish From Suleyman's Hill I came to Osh for the first time in 1992 and fell in love with Kyrgyzstan's second city. Everyone lives here -- Kyrgyz, Uzbeks, Tajiks, Kazakhs, Turkmen, as well as Arabs, Turks, Uyghurs, Slavic peoples, and many others. For me, it is the most Central Asian of Central Asia's cities. I've been here many times since 1992, and people have told me repeatedly that if I climb Suleyman Tau and make a wish, it will come true. More  Kyrgyzstan: Russia Silent On Base A Kyrgyz interim government official says Russian authorities have not discussed with the new government the possibility of opening a military base in the southern Osh region. More  Bakiev Family Accused In Clashes The head of Kyrgyzstan's State Security Service has accused relatives of ousted President Kurmanbek Bakiev of planning and instigating recent ethnic clashes along with the Taliban and other regional Islamic militant groups. More  As Kyrgyzstan Prepares For Referendum, Government Faces Predictions Of Collapse Kyrgyzstan's new leaders are pinning their hopes on a referendum to legitimize their rule. But amid rising animosities, conspiracy theories, and speculation over the government's imminent collapse, it's far from clear what will happen. More  Kazakh Opposition Leader Sentenced To Four Years In Jail Yermek Narymbaev was one of the organizers of the campaign "Nazarbaev Ket!" (Nazarbaev, Go Away!) and a hunger strike against President Nursultan Nazarbaev on May 1. He was sentenced to 15 days in jail on May 2 for holding an unsanctioned demonstration. More  Kyrgyz In Almaty Plan Rally In Support Of Referendum Kyrgyz residents of the Kazakh city of Almaty are planning to rally on June 24 in support of Kyrgyzstan's upcoming referendum on a new constitution. More  EU: Kyrgyz Instability Could Spread The EU Special Representative for Central Asia has warned that recent instability in southern Kyrgyzstan could spill over into other countries along the Ferghana Valley. Pierre Morel, who visited Kyrgyzstan last week, told the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee in Brussels that the EU wants the referendum on Kyrgyzstan's new constitution to go ahead as planned on June 27. More Jalaliddin Salakhuddinov, a former Kyrgyz parliament deputy, told RFE/RL that the reported discovery of ammunition in his Osh office during security operations that began on June 21 is a provocation by law-enforcement officers. More  Kyrgyz Unrest 'Organizers' Detained Officials in Kyrgyzstan's southern Jalal-Abad Oblast say they have detained 12 suspected organizers of the ethnic clashes between local Uzbeks and Kyrgyz. More  Kyrgyzstan: The Story Of One Life Upturned By Ethnic Violence This month's ethnic violence in southern Kyrgyzstan forced some 400,000 people from their homes and left more than 250 dead. RFE/RL correspondents Farangis Najibullah and Bruce Pannier hear the story of one woman caught up in the turmoil in Osh. More  Thousands Of Refugees Return As Kyrgyzstan Prepares For Referendum Kyrgyz officials say more than half of the ethnic Uzbeks who fled southern Kyrgyzstan amid this month's clashes have returned from refugee camps in neighboring Uzbekistan. But tensions remain high in south Kyrgyzstan as the country's interim government prepares for a referendum on constitutional reform to be held later this week. More  Kyrgyz: Foreigners Among 'Snipers' Kyrgyz State Security Service chief Keneshbek Duishebaev made the announcement while telling journalists on June 22 that the suspects were captured in special operations by security forces in Kyrgyzstan's Jalal-Abad and Osh regions. 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