The Central Asian Crisis: Opposition Movements in Region on Defensive

These are the times that try the will of Central Asian opposition movements to resist government pressure. In three Central Asian states – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan – opposition movements are buckling as those countries' leaders take action to stamp out domestic criticism. In all three cases, a lack of cooperation among various opposition movements has hampered their ability to counter the crackdowns.

In Turkmenistan, President Saparmurat Niyazov has succeeded in smashing his domestic opposition, carrying out a massive security sweep following a failed assassination attempt last November. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Opposition movements remain viable in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Nevertheless, in recent weeks government critics in both countries have been thrown on the defensive.

In Kazakhstan, the prosecution of journalist Sergei Duvanov has come to symbolize the opposition's current plight. On March 11, an Almaty regional court upheld Duvanov's rape conviction. The decision indicates that Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev remains unwilling to seek accommodation with his political opponents, and instead intends to pursue a confrontational course. [For additional information see the Eurasia Insight archive].

The appellate ruling, like Duvanov's original conviction in January, quickly drew international criticism. "Based on the recent history of persecution of opposition activists and journalists, and in particular of Duvanov,