Tag Archives: Uzbekistan

The limits of press freedom in Central Asia and the South Caucasus

FEB. 1 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Media freedom rankings by the France-based NGO Reporters Without Borders reflect another tough year for local journalists in Central Asia and the South Caucasus.

Turkmenistan retains its standard position at the bottom of the 179-country list, just above North Korea and Eritrea, underlining its reputation as one of the world’s most repressive states. Twenty places above Turkmenistan is Uzbekistan, also in familiar territory.

But this year, between Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, sliding 10 places to 162nd is Azerbaijan.

In 2011, the authorities in Azerbaijan quashed anti-government protests and imprisoned journalists and bloggers. In November a prominent Azerbaijani journalist was also murdered in Baku.

Reporters Without Borders called Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev a “predator” of the media.

“Violence is back in a big way there, with threats, beatings and abduction of opposition journalists,” the report said.

The report was compiled between Dec. 1 2010 and Nov. 30 2011, before the Kazakh authorities’ crackdown on media after riots in the west of the country.

Even so, Kazakhstan comes in at 154th position and looks set to slip in the next rankings.

Armenia enjoys the most media freedom in the region. In 77th position it has regained ground lost after opposition protests and a state-of-emergency in 2008.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 75, published on Feb. 2 2012)

Power cuts hit Uzbekistan

Leave a Reply

FEB. 1 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Increasingly severe power cuts are hitting cities in Uzbekistan, including Tashkent, local media and eyewitnesses have reported. The authorities have blamed consumers and imposed rationing. Many residents, however, believe the government is diverting gas from domestic use to fulfil lucrative export contracts.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 75, published on Feb. 2 2012)

World Bank forecasts growth for C.Asia and S.Caucasus

Leave a Reply

JAN. 18 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – In its annual growth forecasts, the World Bank said weakening markets in the West would hit the developing world in 2012. For 2012 growth forecasts for Central Asia and the South Caucasus were: Tajikistan 6%, Kyrgyzstan 5.5%, Kazakhstan 5.5%, Uzbekistan 8%, Turkmenistan N/A, Azerbaijan 3.1%, Georgia 5%, Armenia 4.3%.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 73, published on Jan. 19 2012)

Tajikistan and Uzbekistan squabble over railway

Leave a Reply

JAN. 13 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Languishing on the Tajik-Uzbek border are dozens of railway wagons laden with food, fuel and building material bound for Tajikistan. There are plenty of potential flashpoints in Central Asia, but this backlog of railway wagons is potentially one of the most dangerous.

The Tajik authorities say that the Uzbeks are deliberately stopping the wagons from completing their journey and that this threatens to trigger a famine.

The Uzbeks counter that an important bridge which crosses the border has been washed away and it is not possible for the wagons to enter Tajikistan.

This bickering is not new. Relations between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have been strained for most of the region’s 20 year post-Soviet history. At the source of the tension is the countries’ interlinked water-energy dynamic. While the Tajik Pamir Mountains provide vital water for Uzbek agriculture and industry, Uzbekistan provides power and transport links for Tajikistan.

But recently, to the frustration of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan (with Iranian help) has been building new dams across a major river.

The dams change the relationship between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. They will reduce Tajikistan’s reliance on Uzbekistan for its power and, importantly, also increase its control of water supply to downstream Uzbekistan.

There are other issues to add to this combustible mix including US transport contracts and personal animosity between the countries’ leaders. All this make the railway wagons on the Uzbek-Tajik border an issue to watch.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 72, published on Jan. 13 2012)

Tajikistan rows with Uzbekistan over gas

Leave a Reply

JAN. 4 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Local media quoted the head of the Tajik foreign ministry’s information department, Daviat Nazri, saying Uzbekistan had cut off gas to Tajikistan. The Uzbek authorities have not commented. Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have been locked in a protracted row about energy and food supplies.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 71, published on Jan. 5 2012)

FIFA says no to women’s soccer world cup in Uzbekistan

Leave a Reply

DEC. 18 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – Soccer’s governing body, FIFA, scrapped plans for Uzbekistan to host the women’s under-20 soccer world cup next year. FIFA said it had to re-schedule the competition in Japan because of technical issues. Human rights groups have been strongly critical of Uzbekistan in the past few months.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 70, published on Dec. 22 2011)

European MPs reject trade deal with Uzbekistan

Leave a Reply

DEC. 15 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – The European Parliament voted overwhelmingly to reject a deal to reduce tariffs on Uzbek textiles until the UN is given access to investigate reports of child labour. The decision comes at a time when, despite criticism over its human rights, Uzbekistan is being re-integrated into the international community.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 70, published on Dec. 22 2011)

Food shortage threatens Tajikistan says UN

Leave a Reply

DEC. 14 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – Tajikistan faces a food shortage unless food rail wagons delayed in Uzbekistan are able to complete their journey, local media quoted the head of the World Food Programme (WFP) in Dushanbe, Alzira Ferreira, as saying. Tajik-Uzbek relations have worsened over the past year. Uzbekistan says a broken bridge has delayed the wagons.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 70, published on Dec. 22 2011)

Uzbekistan says no to a Eurasian Union

Leave a Reply

DEC. 7 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – Underlining his unilateral principles, Uzbek president Islam Karimov used a TV speech to warn against integration in the former Soviet Union. Commentators interpreted the speech as a snub to Russian PM Vladimir Putin’s proposal of a Eurasian Union. Kazakhstan backs the idea of a Eurasian Union.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 69, published on Dec. 14 2011)

HRW slams Uzbekistan in torture report

Leave a Reply

DEC. 13 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – A report by Human Rights Watch accused the US and NATO of virtually ignoring torture by Uzbekistan because it was now an ally in their war in Afghanistan. As relations with Pakistan have worsened, NATO has increased supplies to its forces in Afghanistan along a route through Uzbekistan.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 69, published on Dec. 14 2011)