· June, 2011

Stories about Central Asia & Caucasus from June, 2011

Azerbaijan: Doubts reportedly linger about Eurovision 2012

  30 June 2011

The Oikotimes, a major Eurovision blog, says that it is still uncertain whether the European Broadcast Union (EBU) is convinced Azerbaijan can host next year's competition. The blog says that it takes more than the oil-rich former Soviet republic spending €100m to do so.

Azerbaijan: Freedom of Eurovision, including for Armenians

  29 June 2011

Unzipped: Gay Armenia comments on news from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) that it expects Azerbaijan to allow all accredited individuals and ticket holders for next year's Eurovision Song Contest in Baku unfettered entry into the country with firm guarantees for their security. The blog notes that yesterday, for example,...

Russia / Afghanistan: Photos From A School in Kabul

Photoblogger zyalt publishes [ru] pictures from a school in Kabul, Afghanistan. Schools have neither electricity nor water. Students are forced to get into classrooms after breaks by class monitors. Despite all this, comprehensive education would be unimaginable in Afghanistan just ten years ago, blogger writes.

Azerbaijan: Photojournalist detained, deported

  28 June 2011

whatwaswritten, the blog of Global Voices author Leyla Najafli, translates a story from RFE's Azeri service reporting that Diana Markosyan, a photojournalist from Bloomberg, was detained at Baku airport earlier today. The American-Russian dual citizen of Armenian origin attempted to enter Azerbaijan without a visa as CIS citizens can. However,...

Kyrgyzstan: Political news website banned

  28 June 2011

Abulfazal reports that the Kyrgyz parliament passed a bill that bans the Ferghana Information Agency’s web site (better known as Ferghana.ru) in Kyrgyzstan for “subjective coverage of the June 2010 clashes” in Southern Kyrgyzstan.

Tajikistan: A BBC journalist arrested

  28 June 2011

Tomyris says that Urinboy Usmonov, longtime local journalist for BBC Central Asian Service, was arrested in Tajikistan for suspicion membership in the Islamic Movement Hizb ut-Tahrir.

Azerbaijan: Bakhtiyar Hajiyev Video Campaign

  27 June 2011

Supporters of Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, the Harvard graduate, parliamentary candidate, Facebook activist and Amnesty International prisoner of conscience recently sentenced to two years in prison on what human rights groups consider to be politically motivated charges, have launched a video campaign calling for his release. Details of how to participate in the...

Azerbaijan: A military show of strength or rhetoric for domestic consumption?

  27 June 2011

Etiraz comments on this weekend's annual Army day in Azerbaijan, questioning its country's massive expenditure on military hardware. With a defense budget at least equal to, or reportedly greater than, Armenia's entire state expenditure, the Azerbaijani blog says that the conflict with its neighbor over the disputed territory is more about retaining...

Armenia: Rapping controversy

  23 June 2011

Ianyan says that a photoshoot for an Armenian singer is drawing controversy in Armenia. Featuring photographs of Sako Balasanyan (Super Sako) in a “series of photographs featuring violent, misogynistic imagery of a faceless woman and him in various settings,” it also includes a picture of the singer in front of...

Kazakhstan: Fighting Internet Piracy

  20 June 2011

Kazakhstan is undergoing a new scandalous development with regards the Internet – this time about regulation of copyright online. On 29 April, 2011, a special roundtable that brought together lawyers, industry representatives and state bodies took place, where the “three strikes method” of fighting piracy was presented.

Georgia: Government 2.0

  20 June 2011

With 621,640 Facebook users in the country, Georgia boasts the largest penetration for the social networking site in the region. Naturally, government agencies and officials are now starting to reach out to citizens online.

Azerbaijan: Jailed activist's mother detained

  17 June 2011

whatwaswritten translates a RFE/RL Azeri Service report saying that mother of Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, an imprisoned youth activist responsible for a Facebook page calling for pro-democracy protests in Azerbaijan, was detained earlier today after placing her ruling party membership card on the grave of late president Heydar Aliyev in protest. The...

About our Central Asia & Caucasus coverage

Nurbek Bekmurzaev
Nurbek Bekmurzaev is the Central Asia editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.

Arzu Geybullayeva
Arzu Geybullayeva is the South Caucasus editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.