RFE/RL has learned that Sazak Durdymuradov, a contributor to its Turkmen Service, is being held at an infamous psychiatric clinic in eastern Turkmenistan, one week after his arrest and reported beating and torture by police.
It remains unclear why officials have targeted Durdymuradov, a history teacher who is well respected in his local community and known for his moderate views.
One of the most controversial figures in recent Uzbek history and the oldest political prisoner in the country, Ahmadjon Odilov, has been released from jail on the heels of a visit by a senior US official.
dilov, now 83, was once regarded as a potential rival to President Islam Karimov with considerable influence within the opposition.
The honeymoon appears to be over for Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov. After raising gasoline prices in a painful move toward liberalizing the economy, the 50-year-old leader faces an angry public at home, one year into his first term.
A Russian media conglomerate's recent expansion into Central Asia has sparked considerable discussion in the region. Is it just a smart business deal -- or another instance of Moscow's intention, by stealth or by wealth, to reassert hegemony over the lands of its former empire, this time by broadcasting Russian-language soap operas and other fluff rather than news and information?
President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov has promised changes for Turkmenistan, but those changes have so far been barely felt by the people. Elections to Turkmenistan's Halk Maslahaty, or People's Council, the country's highest legislative body, will be held on December 9 and many people are hoping the elections are the start of something new.
The Kazakh media has been caught in the crossfire as mudslinging continues between a former presidential son-in-law and the country's ruling elite.
Four opposition weeklies that planned to republish a recent RFE/RL interview with Rakhat Aliev have been rejected by their publishing houses and did not go to print today, amid veiled official threats.
Kazakhstan, thriving on oil and gas exports, has long boasted one of Eurasia's most dynamic economies. But it seems that not even the towering Altai Mountains can shield Central Asia's economic giant from the turmoil swirling on international credit markets.
Kazakhstan, thriving on oil and gas exports, has long boasted one of Eurasia's most dynamic economies. But it seems that not even the towering Altai Mountains can shield Central Asia's economic giant from the turmoil swirling on international credit markets.
In the former Soviet Union, Turkmenistan was famed for its delicious melons that were sold throughout the USSR. Nowadays, this Central Asian nation is known above all for its vast hydrocarbon resources. But what else is known about the Turkmen economy?
Authorities in Central Asia say membership in the banned Islamic group Hizb ut-Tahrir (the Liberation Party) has been on the rise in recent years despite it being illegal and many of its members prosecuted and jailed.
