A scandal is brewing in Turkey around judicial proceedings against a group of men accused of murdering Hrant Dink, a prominent Turkish-Armenian journalist. Interior Ministry bureaucrats are being assailed for acting above the law, and the government in general is facing criticism for not doing enough to pursue allegations of official misconduct.
Uzbekistan is still receiving U.S. military aid, despite efforts by the U.S. Congress to impose restrictions due to the human rights situation, according to a report from Open Society Foundations (OSF) by Lora Lumpe. Congress first imposed restrictions on military aid in 2002, and then the State Department cut off aid in 2004 when it could not certify under U.S.
The topic of civilian casualties in military operations in Afghanistan is attracting lots of international attention these days. But a far more serious problem from the Afghan perspective is the matter of avoidable deaths connected to a lack of human security.
President Islam Karimov made a state visit to Turkmenistan October 20-21, extolling the two nations’ common "ancient and glorious history" and similar positions on global issues.
President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov made a state visit to Qatar October 11-12 where he was received by the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who praised the Turkmen leader for his reforms and said how impressed Arab business people were with Turkmenistan's economic achievements.
Elections in Kyrgyzstan on October 10 went surprisingly peacefully, according to international monitors and EurasiaNet correspondents who covered the poll. Ethnic Uzbeks in the Osh region appeared able to cast their ballots, despite fears that they might be intimidated or reluctant to participate after so many unresolved issues following the pogroms in June.
Although still basking in the praise the international community has heaped on him for handling the refugee crisis during the June violence in Kyrgyzstan, at home President Islam Karimov is ruthlessly presiding over a wave of trials of journalists and human rights activists who have criticized his regime's suppression of any form of independent civic activity, whether political, social, or religi
As Kazakhstan prepares to host an OSCE summit in December, it is facing criticism of its record on press freedom. One watchdog group is contending that Astana’s restrictive policies risk undermining the organization’s credibility.
President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov held a telephone conversation with India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last week, the third leader he has spoken to this month among the states participating in the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline. The Turkmen leader had visited India in May, and now has the cooperation of India's leadership in the pipeline project.
The International Crisis Group released a new report August 23, The Pogroms in Kyrgyzstan, on the violence in southern Kyrgyzstan in June, finding much damning evidence that the attacks involved Kyrgyzstan’s security forces, including military, were well-planned and targeted mainly e
