Stories from Quick Reads and Media & Journalism
In Azerbaijan authorities remain silent over the murder of a trans woman
In general, for many LGBTQ+ individuals who face discrimination and violence, there is little recourse through the police or any official judicial channels in Azerbaijan.
Lotteries, dressed-up figures, and other peculiar entertainment at the Putin's sham elections
Current regime needs people to come to the polls in order to show the regime's legitimacy inside the country. Authorities find ways of 'entertainment' that would attract people to vote.
Presidential election in Azerbaijan show old habits die hard
This election was business as usual in Azerbaijan with manipulation and violations, including carousel voting, ballot stuffing, and aggressive behavior toward independent observers and journalists throughout the day.
The Baku Connection: Journalists across the world unite to support Azerbaijan's Abzas Media
Some 40 journalists from 15 media outlets have joined the project since its launch as Abzas Media team who started the investigations, await trial in Baku.
Between four walls: The suppressed voices of peace in Azerbaijan
It’s a landscape where the very act of speaking out often comes at a steep cost, both in terms of personal sacrifice and the relentless pressure they face.
Head of Azerbaijan's Presidential Security Service implicated in corruption scandal
Baku's InterContinental hotel has a suspicious history. When the land around the hotel was put up for auction, the details of the land's address and size were purposefully blacked out.
Kyrgyzstan’s parliament approves changing the national flag
The president has provided eyebrow raising explanations for changing the flag.
Police immediately raids LGBTQ+ clubs in Moscow after Russia bans ‘International LGBTQ+ movement’
LGBTQ+ people in Russia say that they are afraid that anyone identifying as LGBTQ+ could now be announced as "extremist" and criminally punished.
At a crucial time for global crises, X (formerly Twitter) dilutes its violent speech policy
X has softened its violent speech policy significantly, decreasing both the scope of its provision on violent speech as well as the consequences imposed when such speech is detected.
How Russians fought Putinism: A documentary
It is incorrect to say that the people in Russia did not resist the emergence of Putinism — they resisted, many times and in many ways, albeit unsuccessfully.
The Other Moldova project portrays small towns outside of Chişinău
Residents of Chişinău or people outside Moldova know little about other cities in the country. Local news outlet explores life outside the capital.
FC Barcelona opens its first academy in Central Asia and commits to build more
The academy in Jalalabad was FC Barcelona's 29th in the world and first in Central Asia.
If adopted, Tajikistan’s draft law on bloggers will do more harm than good
In the last few years, the country has recorded significant backsliding with regards to freedom of expression as well as overall political freedoms.
A podcast in Kazakhstan is under controversy for inviting a friend of the Boston Marathon bomber
Critics viewed the episode as an attempt to whitewash a criminal by providing him with a platform and not asking tough questions.
About 47,000 Russian soldiers died during the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine
In just 15 months of fighting in Ukraine, three times more Russian soldiers have died than Soviet troops did over 10 years in Afghanistan.
Kyrgyzstan's YouTube sensation, D Billions, kicks off its global concert tour
D Billions, which stands for billion smiles, has already reached its ambitious goals of putting a smile on billion people's faces through their YouTube videos.
‘Telman was here': the story of an Azerbaijani man searching for a better life
At 50, Telman spends his days walking the streets of Baku going through every trash box he finds, collecting recyclable items, food, and dreaming of a better life.
Twitter and Facebook have suspended accounts affiliated with the Cuban government
For the first time in Cuba, Twitter has also marked some accounts as "government-affiliated"
Lives, interrupted: The human cost of resistance in Belarus
Hanna Liubakova, an associated member of the Atlantic Council, journalist and media trainer, posted a Twitter thread about the most recent and most shocking cases of political prisoners in Belarus
‘Call them by their names’: Stories of Russian anti-war political prisoners
In March 2022 the Russian parliament passed amendments to the Russian Criminal Code allowing for real prison terms for an anti-war stance. Some people now face up to 10 years in prison.
Georgia's ruling party is committed to silencing independent media
The ruling Georgian Dream party said the ad was negatively representing the party, affecting its electoral future.