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)
FEB. 15 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – At a secretly taped meeting in 2005, Azerbaijani MP Gular Ahmadova allegedly offered to guarantee the rector of a Baku university a seat in parliament in return for a $2m bribe.
At the time Ms Ahmadova was considered a relatively high-flying member of the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan party, the political party of the all-powerful President Ilham Aliyev.
Corruption is endemic in Azerbaijan. Transparency International ranked the country at 139 out of 174 in its 2012 Corruption Perception Index, next to Nigeria and Pakistan.
Even so, when the video of Ms Ahmadova offering a bribe was aired last year it caused a major stir and she was sacked from parliament.
Now, media have reported that police have arrested Ms Ahmadova for abuse of public office and embezzlement. This is rare in Azerbaijan and her court case will be eagerly watched.
The issue is far deeper, though. The opposition media in Azerbaijan have reported that she was operating on behalf of a more senior government official.
Ms Ahmaova’s case, many analysts suspect, is just a small insight into corruption running through Azerbaijan. On the same day as her arrest, media also reported that police had arrested two employees of the Ministry of Taxes for taking a $250,000 bribe in an unrelated case.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 124, published on Feb. 15 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. 5 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – Ukrainian police arrested ex-Tajik PM Abdumalik Abdullojonov in Kiev after he flew in from the US where he has been living since fleeing Tajikistan over a decade ago. The Tajik authorities have asked Ukraine to extradite Mr Abdullojonov. They accuse him of plotting to assassinate President Emomali Rakhmon.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 123, published on Feb. 8 2013)
FEB. 5 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – Georgian prosecutors accused the mayor of Tbilisi, Gigi Ugulava, of organising a fake job scheme which siphoned $3.25 million from the city’s budget into the coffers of the United National Movement party (UNM), the political party of President Mikheil Saakashvili. UNM officials says they have been unfairly harassed by prosecutors since losing a parliamentary election in October.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 123, published on Feb. 8 2013)
FEB. 5 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – Officials in Armenia confirmed that there will be no delay to a presidential election scheduled for Feb. 18 despite the attempted assassination of Paruyr Hayrikyan, a candidate. Under the election rules, Mr Hayrikyan could have asked for a two week postponement to the voting.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 123, published on Feb. 8 2013)
FEB. 4 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – The authorities in Azerbaijan arrested two opposition leaders and accused them of orchestrating clashes between protesters and police in a provincial town last month. Human rights groups have said that the Azerbaijani authorities are using the clashes as an excuse to clampdown on their opponents.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 123, published on Feb. 8 2013)
FEB. 5 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – Ukrainian police arrested ex-Tajik PM Abdumalik Abdullojonov in Kiev after he flew in from the US where he has been living since fleeing Tajikistan over a decade ago. The Tajik authorities have asked Ukraine to extradite Mr Abdullojonov. They accuse him of plotting to assassinate President Emomali Rakhmon.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 123, published on Feb. 8 2013)
FEB. 4 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – The authorities in Azerbaijan arrested two opposition leaders and accused them of orchestrating clashes between protesters and police in a provincial town last month. Human rights groups have said that the Azerbaijani authorities are using the clashes as an excuse to clampdown on their opponents.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 123, published on Feb. 8 2013)
FEB. 5 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – Officials in Armenia confirmed that there will be no delay to a presidential election scheduled for Feb. 18 despite the attempted assassination of Paruyr Hayrikyan, a candidate. Under the election rules, Mr Hayrikyan could have asked for a two week postponement to the voting.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 123, published on Feb. 8 2013)