Author: Gulshara Kubanychbek

The waiting, worrying, and wondering are finally over for four Karakalpak activists who were detained in Kazakhstan some two years ago, and faced possible extradition back to Uzbekistan. Zhangeldi Zhaksimbetov, Tleubike Yuldasheva, Raisa Khudaybergenova, and Ziuar Mirmanbetova received word on October 15 that they had been granted asylum in the United States. It ended more than two years of uncertainty that started with the unrest in Karakalpakstan on July 1, 2022. Karakalpakstan is part of Uzbekistan, but has a special status as a sovereign republic with its own parliament and constitution that allows the region to hold a referendum on seceding from…

Russia is talking to Kazakhstan and other “friendly countries” about the possibility of foreign airlines flying domestic routes inside Russia, according to Russian state news agency Tass. The report comes as Russia’s civil aviation industry struggles under the impact of Western sanctions that were implemented after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. Russian Transport Minister Roman Starovoit did not mention the sanctions in comments that were reported by Tass this week, but he referred generally to a global shortage of aircraft. “We are negotiating with friendly countries,” Starovoit said to journalists at a forum in Yekaterinburg, Russia. “For example, we…

Washington/Vienna/Berlin (10/8 – 45.45)After a tip-off by U.S. intelligence officials and only a few hours left Austrian police made swift arrests. The plot seems too bizarre not to be true. Abul Baraa, aka Ahmad Armih, the German based hate-preacher in Berlin radicalized via Tik-tok or Istagram a 19-year Beran A. to swear the oath of alliance to the Islamic State. After a tip-off by U.S. intelligence officials and only a few hours left Austrian police made swift arrests. The plot seems too bizarre not to be true. Abul Baraa, aka Ahmad Armih, the German based hate-preacher in Berlin radicalized via…

Paris/Jakarta (24/7 – 28.57). “Coffee is the common man’s gold, and like gold, it brings to every person the feeling of luxury and nobility.” – Sheik-Abd-al-Kadir A friend recently opened a coffee shop is called after its owner, Muteeya. Though modest, it embodies the burgeoning coffee culture found in Paris, London, the US, and now Jakarta. The coffee is steaming hot, and soft tunes fill the air. Outside, rain pounds against the window, streaking down and forming small puddles on the street. As I gaze through the glass blurred by water, I take a sip of my warm coffee,…

All men in Russia are required to do a year-long military service, or equivalent training during higher education, from the age of 18. Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree setting out the routine spring conscription campaign, calling up 150,000 citizens for statutory military service, a document posted on the Kremlin’s website showed on Sunday (31 March). All men in Russia are required to do a year-long military service, or equivalent training during higher education, from the age of 18. In July Russia’s lower house of parliament voted to raise the maximum age at which men can be conscripted to 30…

Kyrgyzstan intends to utilize the southern part of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR or Middle Corridor) for both road and rail freight transportation from Kyrgyzstan and China to European countries, Georgia, and Azerbaijan, Trend reports. President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Zhaparov made the remark during the UN Special Program for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) summit in Baku. He also highlighted the significant importance of the “China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan” railway construction project for Kyrgyzstan and other countries in the region. “Implementing this mega-project expeditiously will lift our region out of transportation bottlenecks, connecting approximately 4 billion people. It will expand the geography of…

Responding to the news that the Kyrgyzstani authorities have filed a lawsuit to shut down Kloop Media Public Foundation, a not-for-profit independent media organization, Maisy Weicherding, Researcher for Eastern Europe and Central Asia at Amnesty International, said: “Kloop Media is a respected independent voice that strives to provide reporting about the human rights situation in Kyrgyzstan backed by fact. This attempt by the Kyrgyz authorities to shut it down is the latest move in a regression on freedom of expression and the exercising of human rights for citizens of Kyrgyzstan. The lawsuit, filed by the Bishkek city Prosecutor’s Office, points…

Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan have expressed desire to further strengthen bilateral relations in diverse sectors including trade industry and healthcare sectors. Speaking at a reception Dr Zhumaliev, Member Kyrgyz Republic Parliament and Chairman Kyrgyzstan Trade House Meher Kashif Younis said the promotion of trade and industry between the two countries holds significant potential. Mehar Kashif in his remarks said by identifying areas of common interest and fostering partnerships, we can pave the way for increased economic cooperation and growth. He expressed hope the visit of the Kyrgyz delegation will yield positive results. Ulanbek Totuiaev, Ambassador Kyrgyzstan, Roza Amanova, deputy leader of…

The Committee to Protect Journalists has called on Kyrgyzstan authorities to abandon its latest threat to suspend independent investigative outlet Kloop if it does not remove a September 1 article containing allegedly false information. “Following their recent application to shutter the outlet and now their threat to block its website, Kyrgyz authorities’ appetite for retaliation against Kloop for its uncompromising anti-corruption reporting appears to know no bounds,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, in New York. “Authorities in Kyrgyzstan must cease all efforts to silence Kloop and repeal the false information law, which has once again…

Security services cited extremist concerns and building code violations as grounds for the closures. The security services in Kyrgyzstan say they have shut down 39 mosques and 21 Islamic schools in the southern Osh region as part of an ongoing mass inspection of religious institutions. In its August 8 statement, the State Committee for National Security, or GKNB, offered a variety of motivations for the closures, ranging from a desire to prevent alleged extremism to building code violations. Teachers working in a number of the madrasas were unqualified and were providing unsanctioned religious education to the attending children. The government…