Stories about Central Asia & Caucasus from March, 2011
Azerbaijan: Facebook inaccessible via Bakcell
Mobile subscribers in Baku, Azerbaijan, report on Twitter that Facebook is inaccessible from Bakcell, one of three cellular operators in the country, for the coming week ahead of protests planned...
Azerbaijan: Support Bakhtiyar! site launched
A site in English in support of Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, the Harvard graduate youth activist arrested last week in Azerbaijan ahead of protests planned for 11-12 March, has been launched at...
Tajikistan: Supreme Court frees convicts accused of terrorism
In an unexpected move, Tajikistan’s Supreme Court has commuted the sentences of 29 convicts originally sentenced on terrorism charges — and the decision, one of only two of its kind...
Turkmenistan: Singers jailed for breache of morale
Annasoltan writes that the Turkmen authorities have sentenced two popular young singers to imprisonment and says that apparently the singers have run afoul of official ideology and the government’s vision...
Uzbekistan: Turkish Business Unwanted
Avicenna reports that another Turkish shopping and entertainment mall has fallen in Uzbekistan in result of something similar to special operation by the police. He also provides background for the...
Kyrgyzstan: Uzbek families ponder fleeing the country
Amidst continuing and simmering difficulties in southern Kyrgyzstan, many Uzbek families are deliberating whether to stay or flee the country for Russia and the West. neweurasia’s Mary Pole recounts the...
Turkmenistan: Hidden islamists on the Internet
The presence of radical Islamism in Turkmenistan is almost a legend, as the government is adamant that the threat is practically non-existent and under thorough control. neweurasia’s Annasoltan goes online...
Turkmenistan: Ashgabat joins TAPI pipeline project
Christya Riedel says that the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India pipeline for Turkmen natural gas line is going to be one of the largest pipelines in the world upon its completion in 2014.
Azerbaijan: Dirty deeds and cover ups
Flying Carpets and Broken Pipelines, one of the moderators of a Facebook group calling for pro-democracy protests in Azerbaijan on 11 March comments on the arrest of Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, one...
Azerbaijan: Facebook activism or military service?
Democracy Now! comments on the case of Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, the Harvard educated activist detained in Azerbaijan last week. As one of seven moderators for a Facebook group calling for Egypt-style...
Armenia: Eurovision not with a bang, but a whimper
Unzipped: Gay Armenia comments on the song to be entered into this year's annual Eurovision Song Contest and says it is disappointed by the choice. Moreover, the blog reluctantly says,...
Azerbaijan: Activist Bakhtiyar Hajiyev arrested
SEMIÇKA – OLUBDUR, OLUR, OLACAQ… (Now Democracy Now!) comments on the arrest today of Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, a youth activist responsible for a Facebook page calling for pro-democracy actions in Azerbaijan...
Azerbaijan: Facebook activism under pressure
Likely the most evolved country in the region in terms of online activism, Global Voices Advocacy posts details of new concerns about moves taken against alternative voices in Azerbaijan as...
Kazakhstan: Little Enthusiasm for No Choice Elections
The recent announcement of an early presidential election in Kazakhstan has brought little excitement - the opposition will boycott the vote, other candidates are weak, and the incumbent president is sure to secure another term after more than 20 years in office.
Caucasus: The Revolting Index
Aaron in Azerbaijan comments on attempts by some international media outlets to predict which country might be next after popular uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, and Libya. However, the blog...
Azerbaijan: Social media for 11 March
While Flying Carpets & Broken Pipelines [EN] explains the purpose and introduces the group behind a Facebook group launched for 11 March, the date scheduled for pro-democracy protests in Azerbaijan,...
Azerbaijan: Internet outages reported ahead of 11 March protests
SEMIÇKA – OLUBDUR, OLUR, OLACAQ… reports that residents of Sabirabad, an area which recently had protests dispersed by police, say that Internet connections have been restricted ahead of 11 March....
Azerbaijan: Discrediting Facebook?
Global Voices’ Caucasus editor posts a translation of an article naming prominent alternative voices in Azerbaijan who have Facebook friends in Armenia. The reaction from many in the country still...
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