Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

RFE/RL Central Asia Report 29.10.2012 A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about the five countries of Central Asia. HOW CLOSELY HAVE YOU BEEN FOLLOWING EVENTS? FIND OUT BY TAKING OUR WEEKLY NEWS QUIZ! For more stories on Afghanistan, please visit and bookmark our Afghanistan page .

 

Kyrgyzstan Detains Alleged Extremists Kyrgyzstan's National Committee for State Security says an alleged member of the banned Hizb ut-Tahrir group has been detained in the northern Issyk-Kul region. More   Tajik, Uzbek Leaders Hold Rare Phone Talk Tajikistan's presidential press service says President Emomali Rahmon called his Uzbek counterpart, Islam Karimov, on October 29 to mark the 20th anniversary of Tajik-Uzbek diplomatic ties. More   Turn On The Heat, Or The Sheep Gets It The Kazakh city of Almaty depends on a Soviet-era central heating system that pipes hot water and steam to residents' homes. This year, the city government has delayed turning on the central heat, leaving many thousands shivering. To call attention to the issue, activist Murat Telibekov decided to turn up the heat on city hall. More   Kama Sutra Chocolate Causes Concern In Kazakhstan A Kazakh company has caused a scandal by selling bars of chocolate showing explicit illustrations from the Kama Sutra. More   Muslims Celebrate Their Feast Of Sacrifice October 26 marks the annual Islamic Eid al-Adha festival, which is also known as the "Feast of Sacrifice" in English. More   Eid al-Adha -- The Muslim 'Festival Of Sacrifice' October 26 marks the Islamic Eid al-Adha festival, which is also known as the "Feast of Sacrifice" in English. Over the course of this holiday period, Muslims across the globe have been slaughtering their best halal animals as a symbolic homage to the willingness of the prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his first son as an act of supplication to God. More   HRW Slams Tajikistan's Decision To Shut Down Rights Group Human Rights Watch is criticizing the Tajik authorities for shutting down the Amparo rights group in Tajikistan's northern city of Khujand. More   Kyrgyzstan Reopens Saipov Murder Case Kyrgyz Deputy Interior Minister Melis Turganbaev tells RFE/RL that a new investigation has been launched into the high-profile murder of an independent ethnic Uzbek journalist. More   Prominent Uzbek Artist Banned From Travel Uzbek authorities have told a prominent artist that he is prohibited from traveling abroad or leaving the Tashkent region where he lives. More   Tajik Court Shuts Down Rights Group A court in Tajikistan's northern city of Khujand has shut down a human rights group, saying it operated without a proper license. More   Oil Field Discovered In Afghanistan A spokesman for Afghanistan's Mining Ministry says that Canadian company Terraseis has located a large oil field in the northwestern part of the country. More   Turkmen Council Of Elders Elects Unknown Farmer As Vice President An unknown farmer from Turkmenistan's northern Dashoghuz Province has been elected vice president of the country's Council of Elders. More   Operations Halted At Kyrgyz Gold Mine After Mass Scuffles Fights between Chinese and Kyrgyz workers have forced the suspension of construction at the Altynken gold mine in Kyrgyzstan's northern Kemin district. More   Protesting Kazakh Inmate Hospitalized Local rights activists in Kazakhstan’s northern Pavlodar region say a female inmate protesting alleged sexual harassment has been hospitalized. More   Turkmen President Issues Amnesty Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov has reportedly signed an amnesty decree for 2,000 prisoners. More   Official Autopsy Results Say Tajik Inmate Committed Suicide, Relatives Protest Relatives of a Tajik prison inmate who died in mid-September are questioning the official autopsy results. More   Pakistan Latest To Chase 'Largest Flag' Record In the latest in a series of records set in the last few years, 24,200 young Pakistanis crowded into Lahore's National Hockey Stadium to hold up colored placards forming the Pakistani flag. More   Looking For Trouble In Shymkent? Earlier this year, Italian singer Son Pascal released his parody video of the Sting song "Englishman in New York," "Englishman in Shymkent," a pop tribute to life in the southern Kazakh city. More   Tajik Embassy Blasts Russian Manual Tajikistan's embassy in Moscow is harshly criticizing the publishers of a controversial manual on labor migrants to Russia, calling the document a "provocation." More   U.S. Tajik Envoy Downplays Russia Pact The new U.S. ambassador to Tajikistan says the recent agreement between Dushanbe and Moscow to extend the presence of a Russian military base will not affect Washington's ties with Tajikistan. More   Kyrgyz Protests Target Chinese Gold Mine More than 200 people have rallied in Kyrgyzstan's northern Kemin district to demand the closure of a Chinese gold-mining company's operations in the region. More