Tajikistan
Attack in Tajikistan highlights fears of militancy
07.09.2010.
A car rigged with explosives rammed into a police station in northern Tajikistan on Friday, wounding at least 25 people in an apparent suicide attack, Tajik police officials said.More ...
HIV and Drug Traffic in Central Asia
25.03.2010.
A very good and intense documentary on drug traffic and HIV infection throughout Central Asia, filmed by Michael Andersen for Aljazeera.
Despite certain positive steps, Tajikistan's parliamentary elections failed to meet many key OSCE commitments
01.03.2010.
DUSHANBE, 1 March 2010 - Yesterday's parliamentary elections took place peacefully, but despite certain small positive steps failed to meet many key OSCE commitments, the international election observation mission concluded in a preliminary statement issued today.More ...
Interim Report No. 2 of the Election Monitoring Tajikistan
24.02.2010.
INTERIM REPORT No. 2, 29 January – 13 February 2010, ODIHR
22 February 2010
I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
• The process of candidate registration, which was inclusive overall, concluded on 8 February. Seventy-three candidates were registered from eight party lists to compete in the single nationwide constituency and 153 candidates were registered to compete in 41 single-mandate constituencies. Six political parties as well as 70 self-nominated candidates are represented in the single-mandate constituency contests.More ...
22 February 2010
I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
• The process of candidate registration, which was inclusive overall, concluded on 8 February. Seventy-three candidates were registered from eight party lists to compete in the single nationwide constituency and 153 candidates were registered to compete in 41 single-mandate constituencies. Six political parties as well as 70 self-nominated candidates are represented in the single-mandate constituency contests.More ...
US urges Tajikistan to consider the opinion of neighboring countries in the construction of Rogun
17.02.2010.
"We realize the importance of energy security for Tajikistan and support the efforts of Tajik government to ensure the access of its citizens, enterprises and agencies to adequate and reliable energy source. We urge Tajikistan to consider the opinion of neighboring countries in the implementation of such hydropower projects as Rogun" Robert O. Black, the Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, shared in the interview to Tajik Asia-plus newspaper after the round of Tajik-American political consultations.More ...
Journalists under pressure as parliamentary elections approach
08.02.2010.
With parliamentary elections fast approaching, print journalists in Tajikistan are coming under increasing pressure, media watchdogs say.More ...
OSCE media freedom representative criticizes 'misuse' of libel laws to muzzle the press in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Hungary
08.02.2010.
Miklos Haraszti, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, condemned today as "dangerous attempts at censorship" lawsuits initiated by high-ranking government officials in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Hungary against domestic media outlets for reporting on critical statements made by other public figures.More ...
In the fight of judges versus journalists, both sides face hard choices
03.02.2010.
The first hearing on the lawsuit by three judges against three independent newspapers in Tajikistan was held yesterday (Tuesday, 2 February). It showed that there will be serious battles ahead between the two sides precisely because so much is at stake. Will the government choose power over justice? Will the media choose safety over truth?More ...
Tajikistan may stop water flow as Uzbekistan pulls plug on powe
01.12.2009.
For more than a decade Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have had a rocky relationship. But now, following an announcement by Tashkent that it is withdrawing from the Central Asian electricity grid, bilateral ties may take a dangerous nosedive.More ...
Terrorist Threat on rise in Ferghana
08.05.2009.
The threat posed by Islamic militant groups in Central Asia, especially in the Kyrgyz and Tajik portions of the Ferghana Valley, appears to be growing, according to the US State Department’s recently released annual report on terrorism.More ...
Fears of social unrest in Tajikistan
26.03.2009.
A piece in Slate last week took a snapshot of village life in Tajikistan and what could happen if "upward of 1 million young, restless, broke, and mostly male Tajiks" returned home from Russia "to a nation without electricity and bereft of jobs, impoverished and misgoverned, where half the population is under the age of 18."More ...
The French military remains a welcome presence in Dushanbe
19.03.2009.
For seven years, passengers arriving at the Dushanbe Airport may have noticed several western military planes and temporary hangers at the far end of the tarmac. On occasion, they could see twin-prop C-160 transport aircraft; at other times sleek Mirage fighter jets.More ...
Pentagon looks to become engine for economic stabilization
19.03.2009.
A Pentagon-funded aid program to Tajikistan will aim to promote economic development in some of the most neglected parts of the country over the next three years, in an attempt to "prevent the rise of another Afghanistan."
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German NGO banned by Tajik authorities
16.02.2009.
A Dushanbe court has banned the activities of a German NGO operating in Tajikistan, RFE/RL's Tajik Service reports.More ...
New ICG Report: On the road to failure
13.02.2009.
Far from being a bulwark against the spread of extremism and violence from Afghanistan, Tajikistan is looking increasingly like its southern neighbour – a weak state that is suffering from a failure of leadership. Energy infrastructure is near total breakdown for the second winter running, and it is likely migrant labourer remittances, the driver of the country’s economy in recent years, will fall dramatically as a result of the world economic crisis.More ...
If Obama and Khamenei want to get along, they should start watching TV
15.01.2009.
At five minutes to five yesterday afternoon, Tehran time, Iranian television viewers finally got the channel they have been asking for. It delivered both national and international news in a snappy, professional style. The first item was about Gaza. The channel also reported the results of a specially commissioned opinion poll which suggests that 94% of Iranians believe their country is entitled to develop civil nuclear power but only 50% are comfortable with the idea of the Islamic Republic having nuclear weapons. Then there was an interactive programme called Your Turn, with people from inside and outside the country ringing and texting in to discuss Iranians' perceptions of themselves and the world's view of Iran.More ...
Freedom House: Human Rights Erosion in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan continued in 2008
14.01.2009.
According to US-based Freedom House recent Freedom In The World 2009 (FITW) annual report, based on analysis of the events from January 1 to December 31 of 2009, none of Central Asia states had positively changed the situation with human right.
More ...HRW calls on the new US President to reverse the damage of the Bush years
14.01.2009.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has used its annual report to urge the incoming Obama administration to make the protection and defense of human rights the central tenant of its policy decisions on foreign and national affairs.More ...
Ashkhabad turns off the switch to Tajikistan
09.01.2009.
Turkmenistan has suspended electricity exports to Tajikistan because Dushanbe has failed to sign a transit agreement with Uzbekistan that would see Tashkent levy a 10 percent transit fee on its impoverished neighbor.More ...