FEB. 23 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – A judge in Georgia delayed the politically sensitive trial of former defence minister Bacho Akhalaia until Feb. 28. Mr Akhalaia is accused of abuse of power. Supporters of President Mikheil Saakashvili have accused his opponents of orchestrating a witch-hunt since they won a parliamentary election last year.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 125, published on Feb. 22 2013)
FEB. 18 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – As expected, Armenians re-elected Serzh Sarksyan for a second term as president. Mr Sarksyan won 58% of the vote. His nearest rival, Raffi Hovhannisyan, polled around 37% of the vote. Opponents of Mr Sarksyan accused his supporters of rigging the vote and organised a series of street demonstrations.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 125, published on Feb. 22 2013)
FEB. 20 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – Uzbek hackers attacked the websites of various Kyrgyz government ministries and state-owned companies leaving the message “We’re against racism!”, media reported. Tension between ethnic Uzbeks and Kyrgyz has been growing in the south of the country since the beginning of the year.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 125, published on Feb. 22 2013)
FEB. 18 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov sacked the head of the national equine association live on television for not sufficiently promoting the horse industry, media reported. Mr Berdymukhamedov has set much weight in promoting various aspects of the Turkmenistan’s culture since becoming president in 2007.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 125, published on Feb. 22 2013)
FEB. 12 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – A military court in Bishkek sentenced, in absentia, former Kyrgyz president Kurmanbek Bakiyev and his brother, Janysh, to prison for involvement in the murder of a rival in 2009. Mr Bakiyev fled to Belarus from Kyrgyzstan after a revolution in April 2010. The Kyrgyz authorities have asked Belarus to extradite him.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 124, published on Feb. 15 2013)
FEB. 15 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – Armenian president Serzh Sarksyan is expected to win another five years in power at a presidential election on Feb. 18, media reported. A poll by Gallup, published on Feb. 9, gave Mr Sarksyan 69% of the vote compared to his nearest challenger, Raffi Hovhannisyan, with 11% of the vote.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 124, published on Feb. 15 2013)
FEB. 11 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – A pro-government party offered a $13,000 reward to anybody who cuts off the ear of novelist Akram Aylisli. The threat was quickly retracted but the New York-based Human Rights Watch accused pro-government factions of intimidating Mr Aylisli because his new novel is sympathetic towards Armenia, which fought Azerbaijan over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 124, published on Feb. 15 2013)
FEB. 15 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – Armenian president Serzh Sarksyan is expected to win another five years in power at a presidential election on Feb. 18, media reported. A poll by Gallup, published on Feb. 9, gave Mr Sarksyan 69% of the vote compared to his nearest challenger, Raffi Hovhannisyan, with 11% of the vote.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 124, published on Feb. 15 2013)
FEB. 11 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – A pro-government party offered a $13,000 reward to anybody who cuts off the ear of novelist Akram Aylisli. The threat was quickly retracted but the New York-based Human Rights Watch accused pro-government factions of intimidating Mr Aylisli because his new novel is sympathetic towards Armenia, which fought Azerbaijan over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 124, published on Feb. 15 2013)
FEB. 8 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili was forced to change the venue of his annual state-of-the-nation address after scuffles between his supporters and supporters of rival, PM Bidzina Ivanishvili, broke out in front of the national library. The political divide in Georgia appears to be worsening.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 124, published on Feb. 15 2013)