SEP. 6 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – In a rare outpouring of public anger, hundreds of people in Dushanbe protested against the slow official response to a fire that had burnt through a large market a day earlier. The crowd marched towards the centre of the city and only broke up after meeting Dushanbe’s mayor.
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(News report from Issue No. 104, published on Sep. 14 2012)
AUG. 24 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Government forces began leaving Khorog, southeast Tajikistan, one month after they moved into the town, media reported. The military started to pack up after hundreds of people protested at their presence. Soldiers had moved into Khorog in July to capture a rebel commander accused of killing a security officer.
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(News report from Issue No. 103, published on Aug. 31 2012)
AUG. 22 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Soldiers in the town of Khorog, south-east Tajikistan, opened fire on a crowd demonstrating against the murder of a local opposition commander, lightly injuring several people, media reported. The shooting raises tension in the region a few weeks after government soldiers and rebel forces fought a battle that killed around 50 people.
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(News report from Issue No. 102, published on Aug. 24 2012)
JUNE 4 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Villagers living near Kyrgyzstan’s most important single economic entity, the Kumtor gold mine, blocked the only road leading to the site for three days in a protest over environmental protection. Kumtor generates roughly 12% of Kyrgyzstan’s GDP. Officials said the protest did not stop production, unlike a strike earlier this year.
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(News report from Issue No. 091, published on June 8 2012)
MAY 27 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Tens of thousands of people protesting against Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili rallied in Tbilisi. This was the largest anti-government demonstration in Georgia since 2009 and showed the depth of support that billionaire opposition leader Bidzina Ivanishvili has generated.
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(News report from Issue No. 090, published on June 1 2012)
MAY 17 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – A group of around 20 people attempted a rare gay pride march through the centre of Tbilisi until Christian activists and priests blocked their path and smashed their placards, media reported. The incident highlights Georgia’s deeply conservative society. Homosexuality is still a taboo subject.
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(News report from Issue No. 089, published on May 25 2012)
MAY 14 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Police broke up another anti-government protest ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest in Baku later this month. Activists have used the Eurovision Song Contest as a focal point to challenge the government and call for President Ilham Aliyev to resign. Police detained a handful of protesters at the rally.
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(News report from Issue No. 088, published on May 18 2012)
MAY 7 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Around 100 anti-government protesters clashed with police as they tried to march to the mayor’s office in Baku, media reported. The protesters carried placards calling for President Ilham Aliyev to resign. Tension in Baku is rising ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest later this month.
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(News report from Issue No. 087, published on May 11 2012)
APRIL 22 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Anti-government protesters held their second sanctioned rally of the year in Baku, demanding the resignation of President Ilham Aliyev. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that several thousand people attended the rally. Demonstrations are scheduled in Baku until the Eurovision Song Contest on May 26.
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(News report from Issue No. 085, published on April 27 2012)
MARCH 2 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – The authorities in western Kazakhstan said they will charge 43 men with being involved in riots that killed at least 16 people on Dec. 16 in the town of Zhanaozen. Several police and officials have also been charged with employing excessive force and using live rounds to quell the riot.
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(News report from Issue No. 080, published on March 8 2012)