Stories about Kazakhstan from March, 2013
‘Foreign Ideas’ as Extremism in Central Asia
[I]n former Soviet Central Asia there is little debate that the root problem [of extremist beliefs] is “foreign ideas,” defined so broadly as to become a target of opportunity for both every political purpose and every local policeman or official’s ambition. Any sign of dissent from state policies or ideology <...> can be enough to bring the wrath of the state, sometimes with great violence.
Kazakhstan's ‘Moribund Opposition’
For anybody that has ever wondered whether Kazakhstan even has a political opposition, the answer is that it does, but not a very useful one.
The State of Torture in the World in 2013
On January 23, 2013, an excerpt from the annual report of l'ACAT-France, A World of Torture 2013, makes a fresh assessment of the state of torture in the world [fr]:...
Harlem Shake Rocks Central Asia
With this cultural virus we clearly see that if people want to have fun, nothing will stop them. Fighting with Western influence or restrictions on YouTube will not help the authorities.
