Tag Archives: rights and freedoms

Threats made against Kazakh murder judge

APRIL 19 2024 (The Bulletin) — Police in Astana started investigating anonymous threats made against the judge presiding over the trial of former Kazakh economy minister Kuandyk Bishimbayev for the murder of his wife. The Supreme Court said that the threats had been left on the phone of Aizhan Kulbayeva, the judge. Bishimbayev’s trial is perhaps the most high-profile murder trial in Kazakhstan’s history.

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— This story was published in issue 565 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on April 23 2024

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2024

Armenian seperatist leader goes on hunger strike

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APRIL 19 2024 (The Bulletin) — A billionaire former leader of Armenia-backed rebels in Nagorno-Karabakh has gone on hunger strike in an Azerbaijani prison, media reported. Ruben Vardanyan was arrested in September during a lightning Azerbaijani strike on Stepanakert, the rebel capital. He was the co-founder of Troika Dialog, one of Russia’s biggest investment banks, but he renounced his Russian citizenship in 2022 and moved to Stepanakert to become a leader for several months.

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— This story was published in issue 565 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on April 23 2024

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2024

Armenia strengthens domestic abuse laws

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APRIL 18 2024 (The Bulletin) — Armenia’s parliament has approved new laws that toughen punishments for domestic abuse, said the New York-based Human Rights Watch. The amendments included coercion as a form of domestic abuse and labelled stalking as a crime. HRW said that more needed to be done to improve women’s rights in Armenia but that this was an important step. It also described the amendments as a move towards the West.

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— This story was published in issue 565 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on April 23 2024

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2024

Football captain backs protests

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APRIL 17 2024 (The Bulletin) — The captain of the Georgian football team that qualified for the European Championships for the first time last month, joined criticism of the government’s attempts to force through a “foreign agents” law that will crimp Western-backed NGOs and media. Jaba Kankava holds near cult status in Georgia after his team defeated Greece on penalties in their final qualifying match for Euro-2024.

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— This story was published in issue 565 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on April 23 2024

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2024

Kyrgyzstan bans TikTok

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APRIL 17 2024 (The Bulletin) — Kyrgyzstan banned the Chinese social media app TikTok because lawmakers said that it was polluting young people. Its security forces, the GKNB, said that TikTok harms the “health of children, their intellect, mental, spiritual and moral development”. Kazakhstan said it is considering a similar ban.

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— This story was published in issue 565 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on April 23 2024

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2024

Tajik opposition in exile “disappear”

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APRIL 16 2024 (The Bulletin) — Human rights groups said that several people linked to Group 24, an organisation banned in Tajikistan have disappeared from Lithuania, Poland and Turkey over the past few weeks. Human Rights Watch and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee accused Tajikistan of orchestrating a secret extradition project against Group 24 members. Group 24 is a political movement opposed to Tajik Pres. Emomali Rakhmon and has been labelled a terror group by the Tajik government.

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— This story was published in issue 565 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on April 23 2024

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2024

Attackers firebomb Kazakh journalist’s car

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JAN. 13 2023 (The Bulletin) — Unknown attackers firebombed a car belonging to Kazakh journalist Dinara Yegeubaeva on the anniversary of anti-government protests across Kazakhstan. Ms Yegeubaeva interviewed dozens of protesters who were detained and tortured by the police and broadcast them on social media channels. She had received several threats before her car was attacked.

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— This story was published in issue 532 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on Jan. 16 2023

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2023

Repressive leader of Azerbaijan’s Nakchivan retires

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DEC. 21 2022 (The Bulletin) — Vasif Talibov, the repressive leader of Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan exclave, quit after 26 years for health reasons. He had been given the job by Heydar Aliyev, father of the current Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev. Human rights groups had highlighted Nakhchivan under Mr Tabilov as being particularly repressive and corrupt. Analysts had said that Mr Aliyev would want to exert more direct control over Nakhchivan after his victory over Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020. Shahin Mirzayev, the emergencies minister, was appointed head of the region (Jan. 17).

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— This story was published in issue 532 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on Jan. 16 2023

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2023

Kazakh police arrest investigative journalist

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DEC. 19 2022 (The Bulletin) — Police in Kazakhstan arrested investigative journalist Mikhail Kozachkov for allegedly taking a bribe from a crime boss to smear and blackmail business leaders. His supporters have said that he is being targeted in retaliation for his investigations into corruption in the police. They also said that Mr Kozachkov is being denied proper legal assistance.

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— This story was published in issue 532 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on Jan. 16 2023

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2023

Turkey needs to do more to protect Turkmen exiles, say human rights groups

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NOV. 2 2021 (The Bulletin) — Thirty-three human rights groups signed a petition calling on the Turkish government to provide more protection for Turkmen exiles in Turkey after what it said had been a spate of attacks against them. Turkmen diplomats have refused to extend passports and other documents in Turkey forcing expats to break migration rules. They have also said that the Turkmen government has stepped up its harassment of exiled Turkmen.

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— This story was published in issue 506 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on Nov. 4 2021