Sep 2009
Good intentions and child labor
29.09.2009. Category:Uzbekistan
Economic sanctions may be a noble way to show solidarity of some players of international community but those are rarely successful. It may seem obvious but yet it is exactly what is missing in the debates on the issue of child labor in Uzbekistan.More ...
Turkmen President's Interview: "We are Criminals" he said.
25.09.2009. Category:Turkmenistan
(AP) — ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan - Energy-rich Turkmenistan has signed a deal with independent Russian gas producer Itera to jointly develop an offshore field in the Caspian Sea, Turkmen state media reported Monday.
In a signing ceremony overseen by the presidents of Russia and Turkmenistan on Sunday, the sides agreed to begin work next year on developing the field, which is estimated to hold 160 million tons of recoverable oil and 60 billion cubic meters of natural gas.More ...
In a signing ceremony overseen by the presidents of Russia and Turkmenistan on Sunday, the sides agreed to begin work next year on developing the field, which is estimated to hold 160 million tons of recoverable oil and 60 billion cubic meters of natural gas.More ...
Uzbek Appeals Court Upholds Sentence on Journalist
25.09.2009. Category:Uzbekistan
Human rights activists and media experts have expressed disappointment at an appeals court’s decision to uphold a 12-year sentence handed down to journalist Dilmurod Sayid a month-and-a-half earlier.
The decision was made on September 11, when the Samarkand provincial court reviewed Sayid’s appeal.More ...
The decision was made on September 11, when the Samarkand provincial court reviewed Sayid’s appeal.More ...
Surkhandarya students pick cotton, ones in Ferghana continue their studies
25.09.2009. Category:Uzbekistan
The Human Rights Society Ezgulik (Mercy) reported classes suspended at approximately 600 schools out of 840 in the Surkhandarja region of Uzbekistan on the order from the regional administration's Directorate of Education.More ...
Uzbekistan cuts natural gas supply to the south of Kyrgyzstan due to debts
25.09.2009. Category:Uzbekistan
In the night of September 24 of 2009 Uzbekistan shut natural gas supply to the southern region of Kyrgyzstan, 24.kg information agency reports. This happened due to the debt of the consumers in the city of Osh.More ...
Rakhat Aliyev, the former son-in-law of Nazarbayev, got married
25.09.2009. Category:Kazakhstan
Rakhat Aliyev, the former highly ranked official of Kazakhstan, got officially married second time and took the family name of his wife, Svoboda slova Kazakh newspaper reports.More ...
German election could unlock Caspian
24.09.2009. Category:Central Asia
While Western Europe seems bored by the German election, it is being closely watched in the Caspian region. For the countries sitting on the massive energy potential of the Caspian Sea, Sunday's outcome is of vital importance.
More ...
More ...Speech by Turkmen President at UNGA
24.09.2009. Category:Turkmenistan
The speech by Turkmen President Berdymukhamedov at the UNGA.
Uzbeks issue posters of suspects
23.09.2009. Category:Uzbekistan
Posters of 23 wanted men have gone up in the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, where officials say they are moving against Islamists threatening the state.
The Uzbek authorities say these men are alleged extremistsMore ...
The Uzbek authorities say these men are alleged extremistsMore ...
The army of cotton growers started the battle for harvest
23.09.2009. Category:Uzbekistan
The cropping of raw-cotton is launched in the Khoresm Oblast of Uzbekistan. It is traditionally driven by the populations and dozens of thousands of students of secondary and higher education institutions. The decision to send the youth to the fields was made by local authorities prior to Ramadan holiday – the end of sacred month of Muslim fast (this year it was September 21).
The cotton growers, getting into busesMore ...
The cotton growers, getting into busesMore ...
Are reforms back on the shelf?
23.09.2009. Category:Turkmenistan
Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedov is making a trip to the United States this week which includes a speech at the annual session of the United Nations General Assembly and meetings with top US officials. It will be difficult for him to present himself as the hoped for reformer who is willing to take Turkmenistan out of present isolationist course.More ...
Cash crunch causing retail gridlock in Uzbekistan
23.09.2009. Category:Uzbekistan
In most of the villages of Uzbekistan, people haven’t seen cash for ages as they get paid with oil or grain instead of money. In the remote valley, state-affiliated banks are now making payments in coins, not notes, according to local media reports. This is creating havoc for shoppers and shop owners alike.More ...
Senior OSCE official visits Kazakh rights defender in detention, stresses importance of fair appeals process
21.09.2009. Category:Kazakhstan
Following a meeting today with Kazakh human rights defender Yevgeny Zhovtis in the detention centre where he is held outside Almaty, the first deputy director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Douglas Wake, stressed the importance of full respect for fair trial standards in the consideration of Zhovtis' appeal.More ...
Perspectives of the Nabucco Pipeline: Interview (In Russian)
21.09.2009. Category:Turkmenistan
Редакция сайта Объединенной евразийской экспертной сети ( JEEN ) провела экспертный опрос по проблеме перспектив реализации проекта Nabucco. В опросе приняли участие эксперты из России и стран СНГ. На основе опроса сформирован аналитический обзор, который будет опубликован в ближайшее время на сайте Сети JEEN ( j - een . com ). Предваряя презентацию отчета, редакция сайта публикует эксклюзивное интервью с Виталием Куликом, директором Центра исследований проблем гражданского общества (Украина) по указанной проблеме.More ...
Muslim and Christian worship attacked
21.09.2009. Category:Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan continues to take action against peaceful meetings for worship, Forum 18 News Service has learned. Children in Namangan Region are banned from attending night prayers in mosques during Ramadan, the Deputy Hokim telling Forum 18 that "children of school age should not attend religious meetings at all." In Bukhara region, an imam confirmed to Forum 18 that women are banned from attending Friday prayers in mosques, claiming that "women are not to attend mosques according to Hanafi teachings". Raids continue on Protestant worship, with prosecutions of some congregation members and church leaders. After one such raid, police claimed that they had confiscated Muslim and Jehovah's Witness literature, but the Protestants maintain to Forum 18 that police invented this claim. Senior Lieutenant Farrukh Abduganiyev, Inspector of Crime Prevention in Almalyk, and Major Shavkat Aminov, Chief of the Criminal Investigation Department, were among 18 officers who took part in this raid. Six of the Church's members are due to be tried for unregistered religious activity tomorrow (18 September).More ...
Pentagon plans for deployment of special force to states outside Afghanistan
18.09.2009. Category:Central Asia
The US military is preparing for a worst-case scenario in Central Asia. The Pentagon is presently developing plans covering the potential deployment of elite Special Forces to Central Asian states other than Afghanistan.More ...
Is Turkmenistan a reliable partner for the EU? New ETG Analysis
16.09.2009. Category:Turkmenistan
Relations between the European Union (EU) and Turkmenistan are focused on establishing an energy dialogue. Prior to the death of President Niyazov, Turkmenistan was the most isolated country in Central Asia. Ties between Brussels and Ashgabat were poor at best. The emergence of Berdymukhamedov as Niyazov’s successor and his subsequent election to the presidency gave the EU a chance to move bilateral relations with Turkmenistan to a qualitatively new level. The initial rhetoric of the new president was promising. He appeared to identify some changes in foreign and economic policy, namely, a strengthening of the country’s orientation towards the West. This encouraged Brussels to hope for new opportunities with Turkmenistan.More ...
Uzbek human rights “progress” claim
16.09.2009. Category:Uzbekistan
Human rights activists in Uzbekistan say they disagree strongly with claims by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, OSCE, that the human rights situation is improving in the country.More ...
Austrian TV: Interview with Rakhad Aliyev
09.09.2009. Category:Kazakhstan
Vienna-Kazakh "Strudel" (in Russian)
04.09.2009. Category:Kazakhstan
Венско-казахстанский слоеный пирог
Дело Алиева становится внутренней проблемой Австрии
Как известно, австрийские власти не выдали Алиева Казахстану и приостановили уголовное дело в его отношении. А те политики, которые проявили повышенный интерес к вопросу правомочности пребывания Алиева в Австрии, вынуждены отмываться от обвинений в пособничестве казахстанскому КНБ. Казалось бы, это должно было отбить охоту дальше углубляться в проблему «Астана v/s Алиев» для австрийского истеблишмента. Более того, такое впечатление укрепилось после создания в июле при австрийском парламенте временной комиссии по изучению, в числе прочих проблем, связей ряда политиков оппозиционных партий с КНБ Казахстана. Однако произошло неожиданное. Благодаря австрийской прессе в деле Алиева в последние дни оказались «замараны» практически все значимые политические партии Австрии, включая правящую Народную партию. В частности, речь идет о том, что ее политики (а именно эта партия несколько десятков лет держит в своих руках руководство МВД Австрии) обеспечили Алиеву вид на жительство в земле Нижняя Австрия, причем небезвозмездно. Называется имя бывшего министра внутренних дел Эриха Штрассера. Конкретные претензии в коррумпированности Алиевым обнародованы и в отношении видных представителей финансовых кругов Австрии. Приводятся сведения о конкретных схемах, по которым предположительно производилось отмывание денег Алиевым через счета австрийских футбольных клубов, указываются суммы.More ...
Дело Алиева становится внутренней проблемой Австрии
Как известно, австрийские власти не выдали Алиева Казахстану и приостановили уголовное дело в его отношении. А те политики, которые проявили повышенный интерес к вопросу правомочности пребывания Алиева в Австрии, вынуждены отмываться от обвинений в пособничестве казахстанскому КНБ. Казалось бы, это должно было отбить охоту дальше углубляться в проблему «Астана v/s Алиев» для австрийского истеблишмента. Более того, такое впечатление укрепилось после создания в июле при австрийском парламенте временной комиссии по изучению, в числе прочих проблем, связей ряда политиков оппозиционных партий с КНБ Казахстана. Однако произошло неожиданное. Благодаря австрийской прессе в деле Алиева в последние дни оказались «замараны» практически все значимые политические партии Австрии, включая правящую Народную партию. В частности, речь идет о том, что ее политики (а именно эта партия несколько десятков лет держит в своих руках руководство МВД Австрии) обеспечили Алиеву вид на жительство в земле Нижняя Австрия, причем небезвозмездно. Называется имя бывшего министра внутренних дел Эриха Штрассера. Конкретные претензии в коррумпированности Алиевым обнародованы и в отношении видных представителей финансовых кругов Австрии. Приводятся сведения о конкретных схемах, по которым предположительно производилось отмывание денег Алиевым через счета австрийских футбольных клубов, указываются суммы.More ...
Human Rights activist sentenced
04.09.2009. Category:Kazakhstan
Yevgeny Zhovtis, one of Kazakhstan’s leading human rights activists, was found guilty on September 3 of vehicular manslaughter and sentenced to four years in prison. Prior to the reading of the verdict, Zhovtis denounced his two-day trial as a "political setup."More ...
NATO envoy plays down Turkmen base plans
04.09.2009. Category:Turkmenistan
NATO special representative for Central Asia and Caucasus Robert Simmons has downplayed the controversy over Turkmenistan's plan to establish a naval base on its Caspian coast, saying it's natural for littoral states to boost border security to protect against an increasingly active transit route for illegal activities. More ...
Women and Radicalisation in Kyrgyzstan
03.09.2009. Category:Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan’s in creasingly authoritarian government is adopting a counter-productive approach to the country’s growing radicalisation. Instead of tackling the root causes of a phenomenon that has seen increasing numbers, including many women, joining groups such as Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT), it is resorting to heavy-handed police methods that risk pushing yet more Kyrgyz towards radicalism. The authorities view HT, which describes itself as a revolutionary party that aims to restore by peace ful means the caliphate that once ruled the Mus lim world, as a major security threat. But for some men and ever more women, it offers a sense of identity and belonging, solutions to the day-to-day failings of the society they live in, and an alternative to what they widely view as the Western-style social model that prevails in Kyrgyzstan. Without a major effort to tackle endemic corruption and economic failure, radical ranks are likely to swell, while repression may push at least some HT members into violence. This report focuses pri marily on the increasingly important role that women are playing in the movement.More ...
Trial against Human Rights activist opened
03.09.2009. Category:Kazakhstan
One of Kazakhstan’s most prominent human rights activists went on trial September 2, charged with causing death by dangerous driving. The trial has cast a spotlight on Kazakhstan’s judicial system. It is also being viewed as a litmus test of Astana’s commitment to democratic procedures, coming as it does just four months before Kazakhstani officials take over the helm of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).More ...
Statement ETG on press conference of Aliyev's lawyers in Vienna today (in German)
02.09.2009. Category:Kazakhstan
Erklärung der Eurasian Transition Group:
Der Vorstand der Eurasian Transition Group, e.V. gibt zum Pressegespräch der Kanzlei Brandstetter am 02.09.2009 in Wien folgende Erklärung ab:
Die im Pressebriefing der Rechtsanwaltskanzlei Brandstetter im Namen ihres Mandanten Dr. Rakhad Aliyev präsentierten Dokumente, welche beweisen sollen, dass unsere Organisation Teil des kasachischen Geheimdienstes oder der Regierung sei, sind unbegründet und führen in die Sackgasse.More ...
Der Vorstand der Eurasian Transition Group, e.V. gibt zum Pressegespräch der Kanzlei Brandstetter am 02.09.2009 in Wien folgende Erklärung ab:
Die im Pressebriefing der Rechtsanwaltskanzlei Brandstetter im Namen ihres Mandanten Dr. Rakhad Aliyev präsentierten Dokumente, welche beweisen sollen, dass unsere Organisation Teil des kasachischen Geheimdienstes oder der Regierung sei, sind unbegründet und führen in die Sackgasse.More ...
Courting Turkmenistan
02.09.2009. Category:Turkmenistan
Each December, Turkmenistan celebrates "Neutrality Day," an official state holiday commemorating the reclusive country's aspiration to be the Switzerland of Central Asia. But for the first time in nearly a century, Turkmenistan is finally in play. Although the former Soviet republic has languished for decades, EU-Russian energy tensions, the war in Afghanistan, and the power politics of oil and gas have combined to fuel a new "Great Game" in Central Asia. The most coveted prize may be the hermit kingdom of Turkmenistan, which sits atop the world's fourth-largest reserves of natural gas, a huge amount of oil, and a strategic position in the heart of Central Asia. The United States, the European Union, Russia, China, Iran, and Turkey are all vying for influence in Turkmenistan. The only question is, at whose expense will future gains be made?More ...