Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

RFE/RL Central Asia Report 23.09.2013 A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about the five countries of Central Asia. RFE/RL WEEKLY QUIZ : As Armenia recently marked its Independence Day, check out how much you know about the Caucasus country For more stories on Central Asia, please visit and bookmark our Central Asia page .

 

RSF Worried Over Uzbek Journalist An independent journalist known for his critical reporting on Uzbekistan's use of forced labor during the annual cotton harvest has gone missing in western Uzbekistan. More   Another Kazakh Newspaper Closed A court in Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, has suspended the operations of an independent newspaper for three months. More   Uzbek Boy, 6, Dies In Cotton Harvest A 6-year-old boy has died during cotton picking in Uzbekistan's southwestern province of Bukhara. More   Kazakh Opposition Leader Exits Politics The chairman of the Azat (Free) party, Bolat Abilov, wrote on his Facebook account on September 19 that he has made the "difficult" decision to stop his political activities. More   Uzbek Cotton Monitoring A Boll Of Yarns? Amid international pressure, Uzbekistan has granted access to international monitoring teams to observe the cotton harvest. But with the observer mission due in Uzbekistan within days, concerns are arising that they might not get the whole truth. More   One Dead In Uzbek Stabbing Incident During Cotton-Picking A student at a teacher-training university in southern Uzbekistan has been accused of stabbing four fellow students, killing one and injuring the other three. More   Turkmen Cotton Picking In Lebap Province Şu günler Lebap welaýatynyň pagta meýdanlarynyň ählisinde diýen ýaly pagta ýygyp ýören adamlara duşsa bolýar. More   Gazprom, Tajiks Discuss Cooperation The operations of Russia's energy giant Gazprom in Tajikistan were discussed at talks between Gazprom chief Aleksei Miller and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon in Dushanbe. More   Tajik Request To Extend Russian Base The president of Tajikistan has asked lawmakers to ratify a deal extending the stay of 7,000 Russian troops at the 201st Division in Tajikisan. More   Tajik Election Campaign Starts Registration for Tajikistan's mid-November presidential election has officially started. More   'White Gold' And Central Asia's Harvest Of Repression It's that time of year again, when the harvest rolls around and authoritarian governments in Central Asia force adults and children to pick cotton despite an international outcry. More   CASA-1000 Energy Ministers Meet Ministers from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan have gathered in Islamabad for talks on the CASA-1000 energy-sharing project. More   Ex-Ombudsman On Kyrgyz Hunger Strike Former Kyrgyz Ombudsman Tursunbek Akun has started a hunger strike to demand the resignation of top officials allegedly involved in the early release from prison of a reputed crime boss. More