Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

RFE/RL Central Asia Report 23.07.2012 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 .

 

"At Chabysh" Festival Showcases Kyrgyz Nomadic Culture "At Chabysh" is a popular festival that celebrates Kyrgyz culture. It takes place several times a year in Kyrgyzstan and its surrounding regions. Still a popular means of transportation in remote mountain areas, the horse is the hallmark of the Kyrgyz nomadic lifestyle. These photos were taken in Murghab, Tajikistan, an area heavily populated by ethnic Kyrgyz, where traditional "At Chabysh" horse games, horse races, poetry readings, and exhibitions of handicrafts attract crowds of tourists every year. (Photos by RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service Jambulat Chytyrbaev). More   Kazakh Army Officer Detained Over Shooting Officials in Kazakhstan say they are investigating a shooting by an army officer that injured two other soliders. More   Kyrgyz Gold Workers Suffer Food Poisoning Officials of Kyrgyzstan's major gold producer, Kumtor Operating Company, have said that more than 100 of its workers have been stricken with food poisoning. More   2 Held Over Tajik KGB Officer's Murder fficials at Tajikistan's Prosecutor-General's office say two suspects have been arrested in connection with the murder of a top officer of the State Committee for National Security. More   Olympic Medalists Set To Cash In At London 2012 The International Olympic Committee has never given cash prizes to medalists. But many countries are now promising lucrative bonus awards to their athletes who win Olympic medals at London 2012. More   Tajik Oppositionist Stabbed To Death RFE/RL’s Tajik service reports that a prominent Tajik opposition figure and security official has been assassinated. More   Kazakh Photographer Takes The Plunge Maybe I'm the only one, but I was slightly surprised to discover that it was a Kazakh photographer behind an eye-catching series of underwater shots featured recently by "The Telegraph." More   Kyrgyzstan's Brightest Olympic Medal Hope Clears Legal Hurdle Over Fight A serious criminal charge threatened to pin the Olympic hopes of Kyrgyzstan's female wrestler Aisuluu Tynybekova even before she reached the mat. More   Voice Of Dissent Flees Uzbekistan Already deprived of dissenting voices, Uzbekistan is now even quieter after the outspoken opposition leader and democracy advocate, Nigora Hidoyatova, fled the country. More   Kyrgyz Prime Minister Sacks Senior Staff At State Drug Control Service Kyrgyz Prime Minister has sacked the leadership of the State Drug Control Service for their "inefficient performance." More   Sweden Fingers Tashkent For Cleric Attack Sweden's Chief Public Prosecutor Krister Petersson says Uzbekistan's secret services must have been behind the attempted assassination of a prominent Uzbek religious cleric in Sweden. More   Turkmenistan's Tourism Dream Stands Empty For Now The resort city of Awaza is the crown jewel of Turkmenistan's tourism dreams. But while the former dacha retreat has been transformed into a glitzy resort town in lightning speed, Awaza has a long way to go to become a real tourist destination. More   True Life: I Was A Turkmenbashi Flower Girl In Turkmenistan, every citizen is expected to be an adoring fan of the head of state, but only a select few get to actually be deployed as official admirers. More   Millions Of Uzbek Customers Left Without Mobile-Phone Service Uzbekistan's suspension of the country's largest mobile-phone provider has left millions of people with no service. What's behind the move is less clear. More   2 Dead In Kyrgyz-Uzbek Border Shooting More   Photo Gallery: Kazakh Captures Exotic Life Under The Sea Kazakh photographer Nadya Kulagina gained international attention with her underwater scenes of a massive and dizzying sardine run off the island of Cebu, in the Philippines. We dove deeper for lots more of Kulagina's photos of sea life around the world. (Text by Andy Heil) More   Tajikistan Denies Russian Base Claims Tajikistan's Foreign Ministry has denied a Russian general's statement that Dushanbe has agreed to accept Moscow's conditions to extend Russia's rights to use a military base on Tajik territory for a further 49 years. More   Kyrgyz Grand Mufti Tenders Resignation Kyrgyzstan's grand mufti, facing opposition over alleged corruption, says he has filed a resignation letter with the Central Asian country's Council of Islamic Clerics. More   Silly Dictator Story #8: The Turkmen President Just Can't Take A Day Off Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov is a busy man, even on vacation. More   Kazakhs Investigate Syria Consulate Fire Police in Almaty say a probe has been launched into suspected arson after a fire devastated the Syrian consulate in Kazakhstan's biggest city. More   New Film Sheds Light On Andijon Violence These days, Uzbekistan is in the news more for its shared border with Afghanistan than its human rights abuses. A new documentary by Danish journalist Michael Andersen aims to change that. More   'No Tajik Talks' With U.S. On Base Tajik Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi has told journalists in Dushanbe that no talks are being held with Washington on a possible military base on Tajik territory. More   Olympics: Uzbek Judo Fighter Barred The medal-winning Uzbek judo fighter Abdulla Tangriev has been barred from participating in the London Olympics after traces of cannabis were found in his blood. More   Relatives Of Zhanaozen Protesters Challenge PM Dozens of residents in Kazakhstan's restive western city of Zhanaozen have staged a protest during a visit to the city by the country's prime minister, Karim Masimov. More