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Baktygul Chynybaeva

Baktygul Chynybaeva is a correspondent in RFE/RL's Central Newsroom based in Prague. She previously worked for RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service in Bishkek, and has reported on health care, climate change, education, gender equality, and energy security issues.

Also by Baktygul Chynybaeva

January 27, 2024
Breaking Language Barriers, Uzbek Love Songs Conquer Central Asia

Bahrom Azimov writes love songs in Uzbek that are now being translated and enjoyed across Central Asia. Many prominent singers in the region are performing songs composed by this ethnic Uzbek from Kyrgyzstan.
January 24, 2024
Scrambling For Eggs: Russia Asks Kazakhstan To Raise Exports

Russia has been facing a deficit of eggs since last fall and has reached out to Kazakhstan to increase its exports. However, the price of eggs has also risen in the Central Asian country.
January 19, 2024
Migrant Adopts Babies Found In Moscow Trash Container

Mavluda Shakirova, an ethnic Uzbek from Kyrgyzstan, found three abandoned newborn babies in a trash container on the streets of Moscow in 2018. One of them subsequently died but 65-year-old Shakirova officially adopted the two surviving children
January 18, 2024
'I'm Disappointed': Turkmen Activist Halts Criticism Of Repressive Regime After Attacks

An outspoken critic of Turkmenistan's repressive regime has reluctantly ended his activism after facing threats and attacks in Turkey. From Istanbul, Eziz Mammedov would post criticism of the Turkmen government on social media. Despite being abroad, he has been beaten and stabbed.
January 16, 2024
Several Kyrgyz Journalists Detained After Police Search Homes

At least 10 journalists from four independent media organizations in Kyrgyzstan were detained by police after their homes and offices were raided on January 16. They were questioned about alleged involvement in organizing mass unrest.
January 13, 2024
Galloping At The Gender Gap: Kyrgyz Woman Challenges Male-Dominated Sport

A young woman in a Kyrgyz village is breaking stereotypes by playing kok-boru, a Central Asian equestrian sport usually played only by men. Passionate about horses, she dreams of inspiring other young girls.
January 12, 2024
Cash Only! Kazakh Markets Shun Mobile Payments To Avoid Sales Tax

Markets in Kazakhstan have begun to shun popular mobile payments to avoid a 10 percent sales tax. As of January 1, authorities started tracking mobile transactions in an effort to enforce the tax, which vendors are obliged to pay after more than 100 transactions per month.
January 10, 2024
Uzbek Energy Crisis Revives Use Of Ancient 'Sandal' Heating Table

The "sandal," a cozy heating table with a long history in Central Asia, is becoming popular in modern Uzbekistan amid the energy crisis in the country. The sandal is a low wooden table covered with a blanket and has a source of heat underneath, typically from charcoal.
December 30, 2023
What's Driving A Rash Of Suicides In A Remote Kyrgyz Town?

The remote town of Andarak, located in southern Kyrgyzstan near the Tajik border, has seen a disturbing increase in the number of suicides among young, married women. In just one year at least 11 women have attempted suicide, resulting in six deaths.
December 18, 2023
Running For The Release Of Jailed Kazakh Opposition Member

A Kazakh migrant in the United States has launched a running campaign for the release of prominent Kazakh opposition figure and ultramarathon runner Marat Zhylanbaev, who was sentenced to seven years in prison in November. Yerbol Moldazhanov, 30, plans to run every day until Zhylanbaev is freed.
December 14, 2023
Poverty Drives Women In Central Asia To Become Surrogate Mothers

War has caused a shift in the market for surrogate mothers away from Ukraine and Russia, once global centers for the practice, to Central Asia. Currently, hundreds of women from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan are traveling to Georgia to undergo surrogate pregnancies.
December 12, 2023
'No Jewish Girls': Uzbekistan's Shrinking Jewish Community

Bukhara, a historic city in Uzbekistan located in the heart of Central Asia, is home around 200 Jews -- the remnants of a once-thriving community. As their population declines, Bukharan Jews are finding it increasingly difficult to find marriage partners.
December 07, 2023
Kyrgyz DJs Bring Ancient Sounds To A New Generation

Several Kyrgyz artists are now creating new tracks by incorporating traditional Kyrgyz music and national instruments. The adaptation of ancient songs into nightclub music with a Western twist is gaining popularity in the Central Asian nation.
December 05, 2023
Former Kazakh President Admits To Polygamy

n a new memoir, former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev has admitted to fathering two sons with Miss Kazakhstan 1999 outside his official marriage. The book, My Life, went on sale on December 1 and has received public criticism in the Central Asian nation.
November 17, 2023
'Come To Me, My Babies': Caring For Stray Dogs In Rural Uzbekistan

In the rural city of Quvasoy, Uzbekistan, a 50-year-old woman has dedicated her life to taking care of strays. She has built a shelter in her own house where she keeps and treats around 100 injured and abandoned dogs.
November 16, 2023
Wedding Blessings On The Kyrgyz-Tajik Border

A wedding in a divided village on the Kyrgyz-Tajik border has highlighted the challenges caused by an ongoing dispute between the two Central Asian nations. The ceremony was held in Kyrgyzstan but the bride's relatives in Tajikistan did not attend and could only offer blessings from a distance.
November 12, 2023
Kazakhstan Opens Secret KGB Archives Amid Moves Toward Decolonization In Central Asia

Central Asian states are trying to rehabilitate the victims of Stalin’s repression by opening up KGB archives and clearing the names of executed politicians, rebels, and other victims. But the Kremlin is not happy.
November 11, 2023
Kyrgyzstan's Fastest Horse Dominates Ancient Equestrian Race

The Kyrgyz racehorse Karakyz has emerged victorious in multiple Central Asian horse-riding championships, earning legendary status among spectators as the fastest horse in the region. The mighty mare has dominated the At Chabysh race, one of Central Asia's oldest equestrian competitions.
November 03, 2023
'Looking Forward To Jail': The Prison Diary Of Kyrgyz Opposition Writer Oljobai Shakir

"The erosion of a nation's freedom of speech can happen rapidly," writes Oljobai Shakir, a 52-year-old activist and writer who began crafting a prison diary after being detained on August 23.
October 31, 2023
Ambitious China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway Project Faces Major Funding Challenges

The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project is an ambitious undertaking, with its path needing dozens of tunnels and bridges to traverse high altitudes in the challenging mountainous terrain of western China and Kyrgyzstan. But the railroad's biggest obstacle is probably funding.

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