Latest posts by Adil Nurmakov from March, 2011
Tajikistan: President’s Son Will Tackle Customs Crime
TajikVoice reports that the Tajik President’s son Rustam Emomali, 23, was appointed to a newly created government post within the Customs Agency to tackle contraband and customs violations.
Uzbekistan: Authorities intensify control over mobile operators
Abdulfazal informs his readers that Uzbekistan – in clear response to events in the Middle East and Northern Africa – is seizing control over cellular companies in the country. Mobile operators were instructed to report on any suspicious actions by their customers, including any kind of massive SMS distributions.
Uzbekistan: Govt Shuts Down Human Rights Watch
The Uzbekistan's Justice Ministry shut down Human Rights Watch office in Tashkent after the organization's 15 year presence in the country, reports Christya Riedel.
Turkmenistan: Crackdown on youth
As revolutionary tremors continue to be felt throughout the Middle East, Turkmenistan is rolling out its usual assortment of repressive tactics, but with new robustness and an extra anti-youth edge, reports neweurasia’s Annasoltan.
Kyrgyzstan: Political Games and Investment Climate
Murzaki provides a detailed coverage of the controversy around one of the largest cellular operators in Kyrgyzstan, which had undergone nationalization last year. However, nationalization without led to the situation when all interested parties are trying to get a piece of the pie, he says.
Afghanistan: Civilian deaths rise, most attributed to Taliban
Civilian deaths in Afghanistan rose by 15 per cent in 2010 to 2,777 killed, of which 2,080 (75 per cent) were attributed to insurgents, reports Nick Fielding.
Afghanistan: Stinging critique of development aid
Nick Fielding reviews a former World Bank and French development agency director's stinging critique of international donors’ mistakes in Afghanistan between 2002 and 2010, emphasizing the lack of a coherent strategy and clear goals.
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 in the last five years, is very fishy, reports neweurasia’s Alpharabius. “But whatever the intention, the decision reeks of hypocrisy,”...
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 of morality.
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 continuing conflict between the authorities and the Turkish businesses.
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 thoughts of one such family in Aravan.
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 to discover the truth, and what she finds is something very unpleasant.
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.
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.