Articles
The European Commission announced the upcoming 11th package of anti-Russian sanctions, which will be now not against Russia, but against third countries supplying sanctioned goods to the Russian Federation. Central Asian states fell under suspicion because they boosted their exports to Russia in 2022. In March, the EU Special Representative made an ‘inspection’ visit to Kyrgyzstan, and similar meetings will be held in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan at the end of April. (more…)
Since 2011, religious associations in Kazakhstan have been forced to choose: either register or stop existing. Representatives of the authorities believe that registration will stop radical ideas from spreading. But human rights defenders see it as an excessive control by the state over law-abiding citizens. (more…)
Detentions and years of imprisonment for reporters and bloggers in Tajikistan have turned journalism into a dangerous profession. Tajikistan’s authorities continue to increase pressure on journalists. (more…)
Kazakhstan summarised the results of extraordinary elections to the lower house of parliament (Mazhilis) and local governments (maslikhat). The voting process was a part of the political reform declared by President Tokayev after the January protests one year ago. However, these elections showed the lowest voter turnout in recent years, while independent observers reported many violations. (more…)
Residents of border areas of Kyrgyzstan, whose houses were damaged during the conflict in the border of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in September 2022, are still waiting for housing promised to them.
The authorities of Kyrgyzstan want to introduce another mechanism of control over non-commercial organisations. According to the draft resolution, organisers must get permission from the ministry of culture to demonstrate audio-visual materials during festivals, conferences, trainings and other events. Human rights defenders consider it a direct violation of the Constitution and ask to withdraw the document. (more…)
Some Central Asian states speak about decolonisation of the region more often. Local communities try to rethink their links to the Soviet history and culture, and also call for breaking free from the influence of Russia. Moreover, almost every country has unsolved issues that can hamper decolonisation processes.
Back 2017, Nursultan Nazarbayev endorsed the order on transition of the Kazakh language from the Cyrillic alphabet to the Latin alphabet until 2025. The key reason was the desire to extend the boundaries of the Kazakh language in the world, where information flows are built around the Latin language. The next president, Kasym-Zhomart Tokayev, supported the idea, but postponed the transition until 2031. See the material of CABAR.asia about the relation between the change in the script and the decolonisation. (more…)
On March 19, 2023, it will be four years to the landmark moment in the history of Kazakhstan, when the first and seemingly eternal president of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, announced his resignation. What has crucially changed in the political structure of the country after the resignation of the Yelbasy – the leader of the nation? (more…)
Kyrgyzstan has over 200 thousand persons with disabilities, according to the National Statistical Committee. There is no official statistics on how many of them are able to work and how many of them have jobs or are self-employed. The law provides for a five per cent quota for persons with special needs upon employment, but it is actually not met. Even a diploma does not guarantee employment by profession.