Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

RFE/RL Caucasus Report 5/4/2012 4:42:05 PM A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about the countries of the South Caucasus and Russia's North Caucasus region. For more stories on the Caucasus, please visit and bookmark our Caucasus page .

 

Azerbaijan 'Has Free Media, Doesn't Need World Press Day' A ritual press conference at the UN produced some unexpected hilarity as journalists grilling the Azerbaijani ambassador on press censorship found out he didn't know that it was World Press Freedom Day. More   Azerbaijani Government Awarded Gold-Field Rights To President's Family The contract for the Chovdar gold field in western Azerbaijan, worth an estimated $2.5 billion, was awarded in an opaque process in 2007 to a U.K. consortium, AIMROC, that was hastily created for the project. Newly discovered documents now reveal that AIMROC is actually a shell company controlled by companies tied to President Ilham Aliyev's daughters. More   U.S. Rep 'Alarm' For Azeri Media U.S. Representative Howard Berman has expressed concern over increasing reports of intimidation and violence toward journalists in Azerbaijan. More   Azeri Honored On Press Freedom Day On World Press Freedom Day, UNESCO has awarded its Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize to Azerbaijani journalist Eynulla Fatullayev, who spent four years in prison on charges related to his work. More   New South Ossetian Leader Hits The Ground Running It is still less than two weeks since Leonid Tibilov was sworn in as de facto president of Georgia’s breakaway Republic of South Ossetia [http://cominf.org/node/1166492694]. But he has already set about implementing his most important pre-election promises with regard to raising living standards, cracking down on corruption, and promoting reconciliation in a society polarized and traumatized by two fiercely contested presidential election campaigns. More   Freedom House Survey Says Fewest People In A Decade Enjoying A Free Press A new report by U.S.-based pro-democracy group Freedom House says just one in six people around the world enjoys a free press -- the lowest percentage in more than a decade. More   Critics Of Georgian Game Show Question Thinking Behind 'Women's Logic' A new television game show in Georgia, "Women's Logic," features scantily clad women attempting -- and often failing -- to answer basic trivia questions about history, math, and science. Critics say the show is feeding a toxic stereotype and want broadcaster Imedi to take it off the air. More   Armenian Authorities, Opposition At Odds Over How To Prevent Vote-Rigging Leading opposition politicians in Armenia continue to express skepticism with regard to public measures to ensure the accuracy of voter lists, while the OSCE/ODIHR Election Monitoring Mission has registered violations of the provisions of the Electoral Code governing campaigning for the May 6 parliamentary ballot. More   Will Armenian Parliamentary Election Lead To Radical New Political Configuration? Even before campaigning for the May 6 Armenian parliamentary election began on April 8, it was already shaping up to be the first national ballot since the disputed 1996 presidential election in which the outcome is not a foregone conclusion. More   Armenia 'To Respond' To Border Deaths Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian has condemned the fatal shootings of three Armenian soldiers near the border with Azerbaijan, hinting that the gunfire came from Azerbaijan. More   RFE/RL Reporter Slams Azerbaijani Prosecutors For Releasing Probe Details RFE/RL Azerbaijani Service investigative reporter Khadija Ismayilova, who has been the target of a smear campaign she says is aimed at shutting down her journalism, has lashed out at prosecutors. Ismayilova says the authorities broke the law on April 25 when they released the names and other details of potential witnesses in the case. More   3 Armenia Soldiers Killed On Border Armenian officials say three Armenian servicemen were killed when gunmen shot at a military vehicle along the border with Azerbaijan on April 27. More   Saakashvili Ready To 'Resign' For Separatist Regions Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili says he is willing to resign if Russian troops withdraw from Georgia's two separatist regions. Saakashvili says he is even ready to mutilate himself in return for Abkhazia and South Ossetia. More   Morningstar Named U.S. Azerbaijan Envoy U.S. President Barack Obama is to nominate Richard Morningstar as ambassador to Azerbaijan. More