Stories about Central Asia & Caucasus from January, 2011
Video: Sports of the World and Games People Play
Sticks, ducks, carcasses, horses, raiding and dancing all have one thing in common: they are all elements used in some of the world's national sports. Today's videos show us a bit about the sports and games that people play in different parts of the world.
Turkmenistan: Iranian Turkmens Make Contact
Annasoltan investigates the life of ethnic Turkmens in Iran reaching out to their compatriots across the border, covering the historical and political context as well as the current situation.
Uzbekistan: Uzbek president's visit to Brussels condemned by civil society
Uzbekistan’s President Islam Karimov is meeting with European Union officials in Brussels on a visit that human rights are describing as a secretive affair, neweurasia’s Mirsulzhan writes. He also posts an open letter of the civil society activists to the EU.
Afghanistan: Journalist attacked with acid
Nasim Fekrat reports that Afghanistani journalist and novelist Razaq Mamoon was attacked by an unknown assailant who sprayed acid on his face.
Afghanistan: A journalist attacked with acid
Suffering City, an Afghan blogger, writes that Afghan journalist and author Abdul Razaq Mamoon, who wrote a book about Iranian security forces in Afghanistan, was attacked by acid. The blogger adds now the journalist must live with a scar.
Armenia: Not so spiritual remedies abroad
Unzipped comments on news that the spiritual leader of Armenia, Catholicos Garegin II, has undergone medical treatment in the U.S. However, the blog concludes, traveling abroad for a simple procedure might seem more like a damning indictment of the Armenian medical system.
Armenia: A pointless conversation and environmental waste
The Armenian Odar, a Dutch expat blog, recounts a visit to a local supermarket in Yerevan, the Armenian capital, and a pointless conversation with a security guard who refused to allow her to take a canvas bag into the store in order to avoid needlessly using plastic carrier bags.
Azerbaijan: Bloggers remember Hrant Dink four years on
Wednesday marked the fourth anniversary of the murder in Istanbul of Hrant Dink, the Turkish-Armenian journalist, editor, and human rights activist who advocated for reconciliation and friendship between nations, and especially estranged neighbors Armenia and Turkey. This year, however, the anniversary was also unexpectedly marked by many bloggers from Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan: Remembering Hrant Dink
The Önər Blog [AZ] remembers Hrant Dink, the slain Turkish-Armenian journalist, editor and human rights activist who was murdered in Istanbul four years ago today. The post is also available in Armenian. 1+1=3 [AZ], another Azerbaijani blog, also posts an entry in memory of a figure who stood for reconciliation...
Kazakhstan: President consolidates power
KZBlog reports that the Parliament in Kazakhstan approved an amendment to enshrine the incumbent president's status as Leader of the Nation and the right to prolong his authority without elections on a referendum, while Germany, the US and the OSCE express their concerns.
Afghanistan: Reassessing media as a peacebuilding opportunity
Nick Fielding reviews the report by the US Institute for Peace, which says that dreams of a free and independent media sector in Afghanistan still go unrealised.
Tajikistan: The death of a newspaper
Alpharabius draws a bottomline under the last ear's historical multimillion lawsuit that had been brought against three newspapers in the Tajikistan’s Supreme Court. One of the publications has disappeared from the market, while the two others became less brave and more self-censored.
Tajikistan: A sliver of hope for economy
Elina Galperin reports that a sizeable amount of natural gas has been found in Tajikistan, enough to cover the country's needs Tajikistan for 50 years.
Afghanistan: Protest in Kabul against the Iranian government
Afghan protesters demonstrated on Thursday outside the Iranian embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan against the ill treatment of Afghan immigrants and refugees in Iran, and also against Iran's ongoing fuel blockade against Afghanistan.
Armenia: Gay Russia
Unzipped: Gay Armenia reviews a documentary from three years ago on homosexuality in Russia. However, the blog notes, two of the gay men documented in the film are Armenians and concludes that it would be useful to screen the film in Armenia proper.
Christmas in Armenia and Georgia… and on Twitter
While Christmas was observed in the West on 25 December, other countries instead celebrated it earlier this week. In Armenia, however, it even became a trending topic on Twitter .
Georgia: Policeman fired after being identified on Facebook
After the excessive use of force by policemen to break up a demonstration in Tbilisi, Georgia, many Facebook users used the site to identify those responsible.
Armenia: Charity or Mismanagement?
The Truth Must Be Told [AM/EN] posts a two-part examination of the work of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund, a charitable organization which attracts annually appeals for donations from Armenians worldwide. However, the blog says, with senior government figures on its Board of Trustees, the fund's work is overshadowed by allegations...
Kazakhstan: Bloggers discuss religion
Because Kazakhstan does not have a clear religious policy, it has become the norm that everyone is entitled to his or her own perspective on faith. As it was twenty years ago, no one is really bothered by this multitude of views, which is evidenced by the debate on religion...