Featured stories about Central Asia & Caucasus
Stories about Central Asia & Caucasus
18 March 2019
#FreeSerikjan and the long shadow of Xinjiang's camps in neighbouring Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan's government is nervous about what Seikjan Bilash does, as well as what he might do if allowed to grow more popular.
17 March 2019
Hopeful Armenian students make video about studying abroad
The students speak about their lives in a foreign land and their expectations for the future, when they return to Armenia.
15 March 2019
Afghan women send a message to government, Taliban: We want in
"Peace does not just mean an end to the war. No country can be successful in its national programs without the participation of women."
7 March 2019
Queer women in Russia’s North Caucasus ‘face sexual violence, forced marriage, and murder’
Out of the 21 women interviewed by QWNC, eight knew someone among their friends, relatives, or neighbours killed by their male family members for behaviour that "humiliated the family."
4 March 2019
Meet the heroes helping Afghanistan's suicide bomb victims rediscover hope
“Everyone there was telling Shukria that she would not able to walk, but I was telling her that she had to walk.”
27 February 2019
Sexual violence in the family. A taboo topic in Armenia
Cultural taboos and victim-shaming means women subjected to sexual violence at home often do not come forward.
What diapers taught me about Europe
"With unrestricted access to information, my critical consciousness was awakened, and I began to reconsider binaries like “developed” and “backward” and re-analyze politics both in Turkmenistan and West."
20 February 2019
To change the system from within or without: the dilemma for feminists in ‘New Armenia’
Most feminists concede that the new government is not quite educated on what women’s movements are about. But many have been forgiving, at least for now.
19 February 2019
‘Man returns to his native Xinjiang and disappears’ — a story too common for the headlines
Nurbolat Shalayit is one of hundreds of thousands of Xinjiang minorities whose current whereabouts are uncertain.
Azerbaijan leader gives first TV interview after 15 years in office. He could use more practice.
"My conclusion: the government is very worried!"
17 February 2019
Dapper former eye surgeon retrains sights on Afghanistan’s presidency
Few give 2014's runner-up Abdullah Abdullah a hope of winning and his entry into the race has given many a feeling of deja vu.
10 February 2019
‘Serene and committed.’ This legendary Afghan educator's legacy will burn brightly through generations
"This is a huge loss for Afghanistan, a country too poor when it comes to such figures."
9 February 2019
‘I won't stop': Kazakh man seeks justice for family caught in China's Xinjiang crackdown
UN experts say over a million people may be interned in Chinese "re-education" camps. But how many have died inside the facilities?
31 January 2019
Dota 2 stormed Kyrgyzstan's state opera house and left a trail of destruction in its wake
A theatre boss looked to a cybersport tournament to generate much-needed revenue and got sacked for his troubles.
29 January 2019
Larisa Pak is the last Korean standing at Tajikistan's hardscrabble border with Afghanistan
Up to 200,000 ethnic Koreans were deported to Central Asia from the Russian Far East by Soviet authorities during the 1930s.
28 January 2019
Why are Armenian displaced persons still living in a hotel, 30 years after fleeing Azerbaijan?
"Every year we are told that a house will be provided for us next year."
23 January 2019
Kazakh leader's grandson complains he is passportless after stint in ‘private Russian jail’
Aisultan Nazarbayev has a history of surprising compatriots with sensational social media posts.
22 January 2019
Azerbaijani prosecutors drop controversial charges against political prisoner
Activists cheered the concession as a victory of people power.
17 January 2019
Has Kyrgyzstan's new fine for spitting violated the country's ‘social contract'?
"If you don't touch us, we won't touch you."
About our Central Asia & Caucasus coverage
Chris Rickleton is the Central Asia editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.
