RFE/RL CENTRAL ASIA REPORT
03.06.2013
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 . |
 Questioning The Environmental Cost Of Kyrgyzstan's Kumtor Gold Mine Kyrgyz officials have declared a state of emergency in the district surrounding the Canadian-owned Kumtor gold mine, which has been the target of massive protests by locals claiming the mine has poisoned their drinking water. The government itself has accused the mine of environmental violations and has used the issue to demand a new contract with the owners, Centerra Gold. But what's really known about the environmental impact of the mine? More  Scores Hurt As Kyrgyz Protesters Clash With Police A state of emergency is declared in the distsrict around the Kumtor gold mine after clashes that broke out between police and local residents in the village of Barskoon, leaving dozens injured.More  Kyrgyz Crime Boss's Cushy Prison Life Prompts Calls For Government Purge The Kyrgyz parliament is calling for the ouster of nearly a dozen high-ranking officials who they say orchestrated the release of a Chechen criminal boss from jail. Aziz Batukaev was freed from Naryn prison and flown to Chechnya in April after Kyrgyz officials ruled he was suffering from leukemia and required urgent medical treatment. But Kyrgyz lawmakers now say Batukaev's illness was a ruse, and have presented pictures of the crime boss smoking and enjoying a sumptuous meal while in prison. More  One Year Later, Doubts Swirl Around Kazakh Border-Guard Murders It was one year ago that Kazakh authorities announced a mass murder at a distant outpost on the Kazakh-Chinese border. Since then, the sole surviving border guard has been convicted and jailed, but many questions remain unanswered. More  Turkmenistan Keeps Lid On All Things Islam Turkmenistan shows little tolerance for Islamists as it tries to guard against the extremism that bedevils other Central Asian states. But will its tough approach sow the seeds for future problems?More  Kyrgyz PM Meets With Gold-Mine Protesters Kyrgyzstan’s Prime Minister Zhantoro Satybaldiyev has visited the northern district that has been in a state of emergency since protesters and police clashed near the country’s biggest gold mine, Kumtor. More  Kyrgyzstan To Join Russian-Led Bloc Officials at a meeting of the governing board of a Russian-led Eurasian customs union say Kyrgyzstan will join the grouping and Ukraine will be granted observer status. More  Turkmen Capital Named World's 'White-Marble' City Ashgabat, the capital of energy-rich Turkmenistan, has been recognized by Guinness World Records as having the world's highest density of structures made from white marble, with 543 buildings covering a total area of 4.5 million square meters. More |
