RFE/RL Central Asia Report
1/30/2012 8:26:40 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 . |
Russian Reporter 'Missing' In Syria
Russian journalist Aleksandr Rybin, who was reporting from Syria for the Tajik weekly “Business and Politics” reportedly went missing ten days ago. More 
Kazakh Opposition Holds Vote Protest
Just hours later, three officials from the opposition All-National Social Democratic Party (OSDP) were handed jail sentences, while one was fined, for organizing the rally. More 
Kyrgyz Prisoners End Hunger Strike
Kyrgyz officials say almost all prisoners have ended a hunger strike against jail conditions that saw 1,200 inmates sew their lips together in protest. More 
3 Kyrgyz 'Rescued From Kazakh Slavery'
Kyrgyzstan's Foreign Ministry says three Kyrgyz citizens have been rescued from de-facto 10-year slavery in neighboring Kazakhstan. More 
Curfew To End In Restive Kazakh Town
Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbaev says he does not plan to prolong the curfew in the restive town of Zhanaozen beyond its scheduled end at the end of January. More 
Workers Strike In West Kazakhstan
Workers for a construction company involved in renovating the U.S.-Kazakh Tengizchevroil Oil Company factory in the western Kazakhstan city of Atyrau have gone on strike, demanding a salary raise. More 
Central Asia Bottom Of Environment Index
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Iraq -- countries that have long occupied the lower rungs on corruption and freedoms rankings -- now have another disappointing evaluation to add to this list: they're positioned at the very bottom of the 2012 Environmental Performance Index (EPI). More 
Uzbek Opposition Leader's Brother Sentenced To Five More Years
The mystery over why the brother of a prominent Uzbek opposition figure was not released from prison as scheduled has been solved -- he is serving an additional five-year term. More 
U.S. Labels IMU Members Terrorists
The United States has slapped terrorist designations on two members of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) and one member of Uzbekistan's Islamic Jihad Union (IJU). More 
Fourth Kazakh Officer Charged Over Deaths
Authorities in Kazakhstan have added another police officer to a list of reportedly senior police being charged for using excessive force against striking oil workers in the western city of Zhanaozen. More 
Kazakh Security Provision 'Ominous'
U.S. Congressman Christopher Smith said Kazakhstan is heading into abyss of dictatorship. More 
Kazakh Unrest Charges Unveiled
Authorities in Kazakhstan announce charges against government critics and police in connection with deadly violence that reverberated through the country last month, but international rights watchdogs accuse them of politically motivated prosecutions. More 
More Join Kyrgyz Mouth-Sewing Protest
The number of Kyrgyz inmates, who have sewn their mouths shut protesting the authorities’ decision to feed the inmates on hunger strike by force, has reached 1,300. More 
Kazakh Politician Flees Country
The former leader of a Kazakh political party that was barred from taking part in parliamentary elections earlier this month has left his country for London, fearing possible pressure and arrest by Kazakh authorities. More 
Kazakhstan's Fleeting Flame
The eternal flame in Victory Park in the northeastern Kazakh city of Semey -- built to remember the fallen of the country's civil war and World War II -- is flickering no more. More 
Kazakh Opposition Protests Arrests
Kazakhstan's opposition has issued a new call for the country’s leadership to halt “political repression.” More 
Kyrgyz Inmates Sew Mouths Shut
Kyrgyzstan's state penitentiary service says that more than 1,000 inmates who were on a hunger strike over prison conditions sewed their mouths shut overnight after authorities decided to force-feed them. More 
Rights Group Says Dictators Cracking Down, In Fear Of 'Arab Spring' Redux
The U.S.-based rights watchdog Human Rights Watch (HRW) says fears that pro-democracy uprisings across the Arab world might spread to Central Asia fueled a crackdown on dissent in that region last year. More 
Tajik Officials Charged With Drug Smuggling
Tajikistan has arrested several high-ranking antidrug officials for their alleged involvement in narcotics trafficking. More 
Kyrgyz Inmates To Be Force-Fed
RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports that State Penitentiary Service officials announced that the "forced feeding" means a transfusion of glucose solution via an intravenous system to protesting inmates whose health is in immediate danger. More 
Tajik Problem With Underage Brides
Tajik lawmaker Saodat Amirshoeva told RFE/RL's Tajik Service that some parents forge the documents of their daughters in order to make it appear that the girls are 18 years old and eligible for marriage. More 
Kazakh Police Raid Party Office
Kazakh security services have searched the Almaty office of the unregistered Algha (Forward) party, as well as the homes of the opposition party's leader and several activists. More |
