RFE/RL Central Asia Report
4/11/2011 8:14:06 PM
A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about the five countries of Central Asia.
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Kazakhstan Demands Tajik Probe Of Diplomat's Beating
Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry says an investigation has been launched into the beating of a Kazakh diplomat in Tajikistan. More 
Guns Found At Kyrgyz Parliament
Kyrgyz security chief Keneshbek Duishebaev says 11 guns -- including an AK-47 -- were confiscated at the parliament after a scuffle between deputies last week. More 
OSCE Asked To Help Jailed Kyrgyz
Supporters of a Kyrgyz opposition leader jailed on suspicion of trying to overthrow the government have called on the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to help secure his release. More 
Tajik Fatwa Bans SMS-Divorce
Tajikistan's Council of Ulema is set to issue a fatwa banning a so-called SMS-divorce, the state religious committee announced today. More 
Floods Hit Western Kazakhstan
An abrupt rise in the rivers in western Kazakhstan has caused massive floods in the region. More 
Kyrgyzstan Wants Customs Union
Kyrgyzstan will try to join the Belarus-Kazakhstan-Russia Customs Union this year. More 
New Image For Tajik 'Police'
Tajik Interior Minister Abdurahim Qahhorov said a new draft law on the police would officially rename the "militsia" as "police." More 
Tajik Flash Mob Protests Energy Shortages
Internet users in Dushanbe have staged Tajikistan's first-known flash mob in order to protest the state electricity provider's inability to provide uninterrupted power supplies. More 
Talks Defuse Kyrgyz-Tajik Tensions
A fight between Tajiks and Kyrgyz took place near the Kyrgyz village of Kok-Tash on the Tajik-Kyrgyz border. More 
Turkmen Officials Learning English In U.S. Program
A group of 46 Turkmen officials have begun English-language classes in a program sponsored by the U.S. State Department. More 
Kazakh President Flubs Oath
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev made eight grammatical and other mistakes while taking the presidential oath at his inauguration ceremony in Astana on April 8. More 
Tajik Power Woes Blamed On Water
Tajik Energy and Industry Minister Gul Sherali says a lack of water in reservoirs is responsible for the rationing of electricity in Tajikistan. More 
Russia's Star On Rise Again In Kyrgyzstan
In the year since President Kurmanbek Bakiev's overthrow in April 2010, a series of events has provided Russia with opportunities to reassert its presence and keep the Kyrgyz government deeply in the Kremlin's debt. More 
Kazakhstan Eyeing Two-Party System?
Kazakh authorities are apparently no longer happy with their one-party system, and would like to see more political groups entering the parliament -- at least according to the country's high-ranking officials. More
Kyrgyz Media Consultant Beaten, Robbed
A well-known Kyrgyz businesswoman and media consultant has been beaten and robbed in Bishkek. More 
New Dilemma For Turkmen Students Abroad
Some, if not all, of Turkmenistan's young people studying abroad may be prevented from ever leaving again if they return home. The reason probably has to do with the wave of revolution sweeping across the Middle East. More 
Supporters Of Ousted President 'Seek Revenge,' Kyrgyz Prime Minister Warns
Kyrgyzstan is marking one year since the unrest that led to the ousting of former President Kurmanbek Bakiev. On April 7, 2010, nearly 90 people died and hundreds were injured when security forces fired on demonstrators protesting over corruption and the increasingly authoritarian rule of Bakiev. More 
A Year After The Revolution, Kyrgyzstan Has Much To Celebrate
To realize the full significance of Kyrgyzstan's 2010 April Revolution, it's important to remember what the country was like one year and one day ago, on the eve of the uprising. More 
One Year Later, Kyrgyz Revolution Under Threat
Last year, people in the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan overthrew their president and established the first parliamentary democracy in Central Asia. But one year to the day after the start of violence that helped lead to the unrest, Kyrgyzstan's government is struggling to keep the country from falling into chaos. More 
Witnesses Recall The Kyrgyz Uprising
One young man joined public protests to demand change. Another, a policeman, was deployed to defend the presidential palace. A third, a doctor, was on duty when the injured started rolling in. We talk to three Bishkek witnesses to the fateful events of April 7, 2010, that led to the ousting of President Kurmanbek Bakiev and changed their lives forever. More 
Turkmenistan's Failing Political Culture
Despite the purges, humiliations, and threat of prison, there is no end to the queue of sycophants in Turkmenistan eager to try their hand at being a minister or a governor. Meanwhile, the energy-rich country falls further into poverty and decline and moves further along the road to becoming a failed state. More |
