Bruce Pannier is a Central Asia analyst and appears regularly on the Majlis podcast for RFE/RL.
Four years ago in the Kyrgyz town of Aksy, a demonstration in support of a jailed politician turned violent and police killed at least five protesters. The incident sparked widespread protests and eventually led to the downfall of Prime Minister Kurmanbek Bakiev's government.
International human rights organizations are expressing concern over last week's arrest of two RFE/RL correspondents in Turkmenistan. There has been no information about Meret Khommadov and Jumadurdy Ovezov since Turkmen police took them on March 7.
The whereabouts of two RFE/RL correspondents remain unclear following their arrests by authorities in Turkmenistan and a subsequent lack of any contact with the men. The Turkmen government has been widely criticized for its failure to respect freedom of speech and human rights. The lack of an independent media in the country leaves those who try to report developments in a way that differs from the official version of events particularly vulnerable. So the absence of any news since police led the RFE/RL correspondents away earlier this week has journalists' rights groups concerned.
There are questions about how effective the international community has been in encouraging fairness for ethnic Uzbeks, Kazakhs, Russians, and others.
Kyrgyz parliament speaker Marat Sultanov on 2 March (RFE/RL) The Kyrgyz parliament elected Murat Sultanov to be its new speaker today. The selection ends the scandal that surrounded the previous speaker, Omurbek Tekebaev, who made inflammatory statements about President Kurmanbek Bakiev in a televised interview in late January. Sultanov's statements after his election to head the legislature suggest he is less likely to employ the confrontational language of his predecessor.
Turkmenistan marked Flag Day on 19 February, but more importantly for the country's citizens, it was also Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov's birthday.
Kyrgyz President Bakiev hopes to get a massive rent increase from the American military (file photo) (AFP) The future of the two foreign military bases in Kyrgyzstan became clearer this week. During a visit by a Russian delegation, a military official said the Russian base at Kant will be there "forever." Meanwhile, Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev was quoted by a Russian newspaper on 15 February as saying the U.S.-led coalition can remain at the Manas base as long as there are still security problems in Afghanistan, and as long as the United States agrees to pay 100 times more than it has been asked to previously.
The speaker of the Kyrgyz parliament, Omurbek Tekebaev, has brought the clash between the legislature and executive to a head by resigning.
A tense political situation has emerged in Kyrgyzstan as the country's Security Council discusses security issues amid calls for parliament speaker Omurbek Tekebaev to resign.
Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev (file photo) (RFE/RL) Kyrgyzstan's president, Kurmanbek Bakiev, appeared in parliament today for a surprise address to castigate lawmakers for their collective performance. Bakiev assured legislators that he has no desire to dissolve the parliament, but he demanded that they shape up and get back to the business of governing. It is just the latest of many political rifts in Kyrgyzstan that are sparking international concern over the country's stability. RFE/RL looks at the public feud between the president and the parliament, and the international community's hand-wringing over Central Asia.
Kyrgyzstan overhauls its law enforcement agencies. RFE/RL looks at who is in, and who is out.
Imomali Rakhmonov has dismissed more than 20 top officials from regional and national government, including a high-profile deputy foreign minister and several district leaders.
PRAGUE, 28 January 2006 -- From Inner Mongolia to Afghanistan nature was making life difficult for the people of inner Asia. Freezing temperatures, heavy snow, and earthquakes have damaged buildings, blocked roads and killed several people.
Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov returned from Moscow recently and fell into a familiar habit – dismissing officials who, he claimed, were found to be engaging in corrupt practices.
Prime Minister Feliks Kulov (file photo) (RFE/RL) Lawmakers in Kyrgyzstan have adopted a resolution calling on the country's chief of national security to step down over doubts about his ability to counter organized crime and corruption. The crisis of confidence was sparked on 25 January when Prime Minister Feliks Kulov warned that lawlessness is undermining stability and tarnishing Kyrgyzstan's international reputation. Kulov blamed organized crime and corrupt officials, and urged sweeping reforms to clean up the judiciary and law enforcement. He now has a political fight on his hands.
Kyrgyz authorities have presented new terms to the United States for continued use of the air base outside Bishkek, asking for a substantial increase in rent and compensation for environmental damage caused by aircraft.
The embattled governor of a southern Kyrgyz province has emerged declaring victory after a meeting with the president. But Jalal-Abad Governor Jusupbek Jeenbekov does not appear to out of the political woods yet.
A new political bloc has been founded in Kyrgyzstan with the declared goal of overhauling the country's political system.
Central Asia's leaders have been called many things: strongmen, despots, enemies of the press, human rights abusers. But every now and then, they unclench their iron fists, take up a pen, and write poems and books for their countrymen.
RFE/RL looks at what the countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus are doing to prevent avian flu crossing their borders.
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