CIVIL SOCIETY
Human rights, environmental, and cultural issues

Tajikistan: Government Shakes Down Population Amid Deepening Economic Dysfunction
Channeling the spirit of Joseph Stalin, officials in Tajikistan, Central Asia’s poorest state, have asked residents in the capital Dushanbe to give up part of their salaries "voluntarily" to help finance construction of a hydropower plant. The fear of government reprisals is compelling many Tajiks to comply.

Azerbaijan: State Media Embroiled in Gay Bashing Controversy
BY MINA MURADOVA
Controversy is enveloping state-controlled media outlets in Azerbaijan after the broadcast of a television program that alleges Ali Karimli, one of the government’s most vocal critics, is a homosexual. Karimli supporters maintain that the broadcast is designed to discredit him as a potential presidential candidate in the autumn election.

Georgia: Opposition Politicians Complain About International Election Monitors
BY MOLLY CORSO
With two weeks to go before Georgia’s parliamentary elections, there are growing signs that opposition groups have lost confidence in the international community’s ability to encourage a free-and-fair vote.

Iran: Tehran Comes Under Pressure to Halt Support for Militias Operating in Iraq
BY KAMAL NAZER YASIN
A high-level Iraqi delegation was in Iran on May 1 for talks aimed at curtailing Tehran’s support for Sh’ia militias operating in Iraq. The Iraqi officials were said to possess hard evidence that elements of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards are supplying tactical and logistical support to militant groups in Iraq.