Yevgeny Zhovtis is among Central Asia's most prominent human rights advocates. On November 9, 1999, a fire destroyed the human rights bureau's offices in Almaty. [For background see "A Fire With Human Rights Implications."] Investigators have confirmed that the blaze was an act of arson.
Whilst the theme elaborated by Aitmatov seemed fairly innocuous his hopes for greater cooperation among Central Asian states in the 21st century the interview touched on some very sensitive issues that dominated Kyrgyz politics in 1999. The dispute has intensified with the approach of Kyrgyzstan parliamentary elections on February 20.
Chinggis Aitmatov is probably the best known living Kyrgyz citizen, and is widely respected in his native land for his work as a writer during the Soviet era. An interview given by the ageing author in late November last year sparked a furious dispute touching on the geopolitical future of Kyrgyzstan.
Since the outbreak of civil war in 1992 and subsequent economic collapse, the government of Tajikistan has faced the challenge of combating a robust and growing illegal narcotics trade. The UN Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention reports that during 1997about 4,500 kilograms of raw opium, heroin, and hashish were seized in Tajikistan alone.
At least one westerner living in Dushanbe reports that she is routinely searched at border crossings and that on at least one occasions a customs official searched her sexual organs, although there was no cause for suspicion of any illegal activity.
One of the human rights that has seen significant improvement since the fall of the Soviet Union is the right to free speech. Today, all but two CIS states --Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan -- have abolished state censorship. (Azerbaijan joined those ranks only last year, as a precondition for accession to the Council of Europe.)
On February 3, unknown assailants slashed the door at "Edil-Zhayiq" and ransacked its offices, destroying equipment and removing private documents. Political corruption makes it unlikely that a police investigation will uncover government involvement, if it existed.
Central Asia has always been a place where schedules constantly change, and procedures are negotiable. These days traveling in the region is arguably more complicated than at any point during the post-Soviet era.
