Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

RFE/RL Central Asia Report 2/1/2011 8:56:22 AM 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 .

 

Berdymukhamedov Likes The Limelight Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov hasn't entirely followed his predecessor Saparmurat Niyazov's path when it comes to extreme cult of personality, but it seems he does enjoy being at the center of attention after all. More   Kyrgyz Protest Mining Plans Some 300 people picketed the Kyrgyz government building in Bishkek today to protest mining projects planned for the northern Talas region amid concern the projects could damage the environment. More   Nazarbaev Calls Early Presidential Vote Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev has called for early presidential elections, rejecting a proposed referendum that would have extended his stay in office until 2020. More   U.S. 'Concerned' About Kyrgyz Trial The U.S. Embassy in Bishkek says it is concerned about the fairness of an appeal hearing in a murder case related to last year's ethnic violence in the south. More   Asian Winter Games Open In Kazakhstan World-class athletes from 27 countries have gathered in Kazakhstan for the 2011 Asian Winter Games -- the biggest sporting event ever hosted by the rising Central Asian power. More   Kyrgyzstan Requests Irish Extradition The Kyrgyz prosecutor-general has officially requested that Irish authorities extradite former Energy Minister Saparbek Balkybekov. More   Turkmenbashi's Advice For Elbashy The book "Rukhname," which served as a spiritual guide for the people of Turkmenistan, contains a passage that says "no country should have a leader older than 70 years." The purported author of that book was none other than the country's long-serving former president, Saparmurat Niyazov. Is Kazakhstan's Nursultan Nazarbaev listening? More   Kyrgyz-Chinese Border Crossings To Close For A Week Two major checkpoints on the Kyrgyz-Chinese border will be closed from January 31-February 8 for the Chinese New Year holiday. More   Nazarbaev 'Ready To Stay On' Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev says he is ready to stay in power for as long as required. The parliament earlier this month voted to hold a referendum on extending Nazarbaev's presidency till 2020, paving the way for him to skip any presidential elections over the next decade. More   OSCE Kyrgyz Report Ready 'In March' The chairman of the international commission investigating last year's deadly ethnic clashes in southern Kyrgyzstan says his group's report will be issued in March. The clashes led to the deaths of at least 426 people, while tens of thousands were forcibly evicted from their homes. More   Bakiev Nephew Faces Longer Sentence Kyrgyz prosecutors have said they want a longer sentence for a nephew of ousted President Kurmanbek Bakiev who was convicted of involvement in deadly unrest in southern Kyrgyzstan last year. More   Nazarbayev Bio Published In Kazakh A glowing biography of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev by a former British cabinet minister has been published in Kazakh. More   Andijon On Karimov's Mind Andijon is a topic Uzbek President Islam Karimov has attempted to avoid ever since. But on the eve of his visit to Brussels, Karimov brought the subject up at a government meeting. More   Chinese Farmers To Till Tajik Land Kazakhstan first proposed the idea then decided against it. Now Tajikistan has agreed to it. Farmers from China are coming to Tajikistan to grow cotton and rice in a move that has left many in Tajikistan feeling ignored and concerned. More   An Extremist Link Between Tajikistan, Waziristan RFE/RL's Tajik Service has been tracking a shadowy figure who may be a key link between Pakistan's tribal region and Central Asia, and at the same time a person who may prove the evolution of one of Central Asia's most notorious terrorist groups. More   Kyrgyz Arrest Suspected Islamist An alleged member of the banned Hizb ut-Tahrir organization has been arrested in Kyrgyzstan's southern Jalal-Abad region. A Jalal-Abad Oblast official told journalists a 29-year-old resident of Kara-Kol was detained January 26. Police stopped the suspect's car and found dozens of books and leaflets of extremist religious content. More   'Mt. Putin' Sparks Kyrgyz Opposition An opposition party in the Kyrgyz parliament has protested a government proposal to name a mountain peak after Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. More   Central Asia 'Must Diversify' To Leverage Economic Advantages Central Asia's economies have to become more diversified and competitive if they are to attract more foreign investment, says a report by a major global economic group being presented at the World Economic Forum in Davos. More   Tajikistan Complicates Marriages Between Foreigners, Tajik Women The Tajik parliament's lower chamber has approved an amendment to the Family Code that will make it more difficult for foreigners to marry Tajik women. More   EU Moves Step Closer To Turkmenistan The European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee has moved the bloc a step closer to Turkmenistan, giving its approval for a controversial cooperation agreement with the Central Asian country. More   Kazakh Christians Offended By Cartoon Protestant church leaders in central Kazakhstan have issued a joint protest against an article and accompanying cartoon critical of Christianity printed in a newspaper last month. The editorial of the journal in question denied that the cartoon has religious overtones. More   Former Kyrgyz Minister Held In Dublin Kyrgyz Deputy Interior Minister Melis Turganbaev said Saparbek Balkybekov was detained at the house of one of his relatives in Dublin. He is wanted on an international arrest warrant. There was no confirmation from Irish police. More   Salafi Groups Detained In Tajikistan Local authorities in the Qubodiyon district of Tajikistan's southern Khatlon Province have detained two groups of adherents of the banned Salafi strain of Islam. More   Second Kazakh Hunger Striker Ill Another of the six women on hunger strike in a western Kazakh town has been hospitalized. Gulaiym Topaeva was taken to hospital early today with heart problems. The women are demanding that people who have been waiting a long time for state housing be given places to live and that at least one member of their families offered a job at the KazMunaiGaz energy company. More   Aksy Massacre Trial Postponed A hearing into the shooting deaths of six Kyrgyz protesters nearly a decade ago that began on January 20 in a Bishkek military court has been postponed. More   Uzbekistan's Karimov Makes Brussels Visit Amid Rights Concerns Uzbek President Islam Karimov has met European Union and NATO officials during a visit to Brussels that has been criticized by rights groups. More   Illegal Kyrgyz Arms Workshop Found Kyrgyz security forces have found an illegal arms workshop during a special operation in the village of Kara-Suu, near the southern town of Osh. Police say the owner of the workshop and his employees were modifying air rifles for use as assault rifles. They discovered the workshop on January 23. More   HRW Slams West For 'Cowardice' Cowardly. Obsequious. Meaningless. That's how a new report is describing the approach of many Western governments and global institutions toward the world's repressive regimes. More   Tajik Toll Road Critic Sacked Tajik President Emomali Rahmon has sacked the head of the country's Antimonopoly Committee. Rahmon fired Amonullo Ashur on January 21 without giving any reason. He announced that Ashur would now head the state's Privatization Support Committee. Some question whether Ashur's position on a controversial toll road played a role in his sacking. More