Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

RFE/RL Central Asia Report 28.05.2012 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 .

 

Toddler Tragedy Galvanizes Kazakh City The tragic death of a 2-year-old Kazakh boy who fell through an open manhole has struck a chord with locals and people across the country. More   Five Police Jailed Over Kazakh Unrest A Kazakh court has sentenced five police officials to jail terms of between five and seven years for their roles in the deadly unrest last December in the oil town of Zhanaozen. More   Tony Blair's Kazakh Links Under Greater Scrutiny Eyebrows have previously been raised about former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair's dealings in Kazakhstan, but journalist Nick Cohen has upped the ante with a piece in "The Observer" saying that Blair's "moral decline and fall is now complete." More   Kazakh Ex-Mayor Goes On Trial The former mayor of Kazakhstan’s southwestern town of Zhanaozen, Oraq Sarbopeev, has gone on trial in the regional capital, Aqtau. More   Report: Kazakhstan Blocks Launches Kazakhstan is reportedly blocking upcoming Russian satellite launches because of a dispute with Russian space authorities over the drop zone for rocket debris. More   Turkmen Political Monopoly Challenged Turkmenistan state-run media say business leaders are setting up a political party to challenge the one-party system that has controlled that Central Asian state since its independence two decades ago. More   Tajikistan Approves Visa-Free Travel The lower chamber of Tajikistan's parliament has approved a bill that would permit visa-free visits by U.S. and European Union citizens, as well as nationals of some countries in Southeast Asia. More   In Annual Rights Report, U.S. Warns Of 'Instability' Following Arab Spring In a new report, the U.S. State Department calls last year’s uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa “inspirational," with citizens in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, Yemen, and Syria standing up and demanding their universal rights, greater economic opportunity, and participation in their countries’ political future. More   Islam Karimov Lightens Up There are few places in Central Asia where moviegoers can watch "The Dictator," Sacha Baron Cohen's new comedy about a fictional autocratic ruler. But surprisingly, in authoritarian Uzbekistan, the movie is being shown -- albeit in heavily censored form. More   Hurdles Remain For TAPI Gas Project The signing of a gas sale-purchase agreement brings the construction of the TAPI natural-gas pipeline project closer to reality. But while the deal has revived hopes for the much-delayed project that would supply Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan with Turkmen gas, many obstacles remain. More   Central-South Asian Pipeline Deal Signed Representatives of Turkmenistan, Pakistan, and India have signed an agreement aimed at the construction of a pipeline that would cross Afghanistan to bring Turkmen gas to India and Pakistan. More   Spacecraft Or Forage: What's Killing The Saiga Antelope? Hundreds of carcasses of the critically endangered saiga antelope were found this week in northern Kazakhstan, prompting suggestions that the animals may have been poisoned by chemicals left behind by Russian spacecraft. Authorities and scientists, however, remain cautious. More   The Sad Story Of The Saiga Hundreds of rare saiga antelopes have been killed in Kazakhstan’s northern Qostanai Oblast. At least 508 females, four males, and 31 fawns have been found dead. On May 21, about 120 saiga were found dead near the village of Sorsha. Preliminary investigations suggest the animals may have been poisoned by chemicals left behind by the landing of a Soyuz spacecraft in the same area in April. The saiga is critically endangered. Some estimates say only around 50,000 saiga survive, after years of unrestricted hunting following the Soviet collapse. More   Verdicts Pronounced In Kazakh Riot Case A court in Aqtau -- the capital of the Manghystau region in western Kazakhstan -- has sentenced four local men from the small town of Shetpe to four, five, and seven years in jail for their alleged roles in a deadly protest action on December 17. More   The Birthrate Of A Nation: Karimov Comments Censored Back Home They were comments apparently too hot even for his own country's state-controlled media to handle. During a visit to Moscow last week, Uzbek President Islam Karimov met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which the topic of population growth and family planning came up. More   Monument To Slain Reporter Vanishes A bronze monument to the late Kyrgyz opposition journalist Gennady Pavlyuk, who died two years ago after he was bound and thrown from a building, has been stolen. More   Kazakhs Jail Wife Of Unrest Suspect The wife of an oil worker charged in connection with the deadly unrest in the Kazakh town of Zhanaozen has been given a suspended prison sentence of two years for illegally distributing leaflets and obstruction of justice. More   Tajikistan Gives Thumbs-Down To 'Dictator' The head of Tajikistan's leading film-distribution company says "The Dictator," the new satire from comedian and actor Sacha Baron Cohen, won't be shown in Tajik cinemas. More