Latest posts by Adil Nurmakov from February, 2011
Uzbekistan: Exit visa requires a no-whore plea
Beginning this year, female Uzbekistan nationals must pledge that they shall not become prostitutes outside of the country in order to receive their exit visa, reports neweurasia’s Abulfazal.
Kyrgyzstan: Interim president won't seek re-election
Incumbent president of Kyrgyzstan Rosa Otunbaeva announced that she would not be taking part in the upcoming presidential elections, Malika reports.
Tajikistan: Egyptian echo makes the government mull constitutional reform
Alpharabius reports on the plethora of new laws curtailing Islamic religious practice and the slew of house demolitions that all seem to point toward a government that’s simultaneously nervous and ambitious amidst rumored constitutional reform.
Kyrgyzstan: Central Asia's largest market affected by Customs Union
Rahat reports that “Dordoi” – the largest market of Central Asia near Bishkek, the capital city of Kyrgyzstan, is experiencing a fall in sales with the establishment of the Customs Union by Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia.
Kyrgyzstan: Parliament names mountain after the Russia's strongman
Kyrgyzstani parliamentarians voted in support of Kyrgyz Prime Minister's proposal to name a peak in the country’s northern Tian Shan range after his counterpart Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to “cement friendly ties between Kyrgyzstan and Russia”, Christya Riedel writes.
Uzbekistan: Unauthorized use of energy
Elina Galperin reports that Uzbekistan is systematically sneaking electricity from Kazakhstan’s power grid beyond amounts agreed between the two parties, according to the claims by the Kazakhstan Electricity Grid Operating Company (KEGOC).
Afghanistan: The price paid by children for the conflict
A UN report testifies that children in Afghanistan have been used both by anti-government elements for suicide bombings and planting explosives, and by the Afghan National Security Forces. It also covers facts of sexual violence committed by armed groups against boys and girls, Nick Fielding says.
Afghanistan: EU police training mission risks failure
Nick Fielding reviews the report from the UK House of Lords, noting that the EU's mission to train local police in Afghanistan risks failure, as only about 285 experts had been sent by member states to train the Afghan police – well short of the 400 requested.
Uzbekistan: US official visits Tashkent
Marat Sartpaev reports that U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert O. Blake, Jr. traveled to Uzbekistan as relations between two countries started turning less tense over the last couple years.
Afghanistan: Taliban and al-Qaeda ‘distinct groups with different goals’
Nick Fielding reviews new book by the Centre on International Cooperation, which says that the Taliban and al-Qaeda remain distinct groups with different goals, ideologies and sources of recruits. The authors insist that understanding this is a key to success in Afghanistan.
Kyrgyzstan: The ghost of state-level racketeering returns
Kamilla reports on a clash between the Kyrgyz authorities and Russian investors over the status of MegaCom, one of Kyrgyzstan’s leading mobile operators – while the government claims that the company’s stock has been nationalized, the Russians claim that their share (51%) is in the government’s hands for safekeeping.
Turkmenistan: Fake concert as a sign of longing for more freedom
A fake Hip Hop concert announcement on the Internet reveals something about the character of Turkmenistan’s young generation, and the complexity of hope, fantasy, and reality, reports neweurasia’s Annasoltan.
Tajikistan: Dead insurgent lives forever online
Nathan Hamm writes that one of the most notorious Tajik opposition commanders Ali Bedaki, who was reportedly killed in combat operations, as been noticed on a YouTube video that shows him being interrogated in the back of a vehicle. The Tajikistan government claims the video is a fake, but the...
Tajikistan: Opposition Member Severely Beaten
Christya Riedel reports that Hikmatullo Saifullozoda, a 60 year old editor of the opposition newspaper Najot and a prominent member of the Tajikistan opposition, was brutally beaten by unidentified perpetrators near his home in the capital city Dushanbe.
Afghanistan: Planning failure puts billions at risk
Nick Fielding reports that, according to an audit by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), $11.4 billion is at risk due to inadequate planning for the construction of nearly 900 Afghanistan National Security Forces (ANSF) facilities.
Uzbekistan: Contemplating life after Karimov
In the wake of Uzbek president visit to Brussels, the European Union seemed impotent in the face of one of the world’s most brutal dictatorships, because the EU isn’t engaging Uzbekistan’s other players, argues neweurasia’s Schwartz.
Kyrgyzstan: Threat of radical islamists
Rahat informs his readers that police is on a patrol in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan's capital city, after the shootings between police and armed terrorists, who were identified by the officials as radical Islamic militants.
Kazakhstan: Referendum Cancelled, Elections Announced
A group of citizens initiated a drive for signatures in support of a referendum to extend the incumbent president's authority until 2020 without elections, a move that was widely believed to be orchestrated from presidential administration. They collected more than 5 million signatures in less than three weeks during Christmas and New Years holidays
