Igor Rotar

Igor Rotar is an expert on security, ethnic and religious trends in the North Caucasus and Central Asia. He has previously written for Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Komsomol’skaia Pravda, Izvestia, Rossia, Novie Izvestia, as well as the Forum 18 News Service.

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    Articles by Igor Rotar

    Is Kharkiv Province Another Enclave of Separatists?

    On March 6, the car of the commander of the Ukrainian special police battalion “Slobozhanshchyna,” Andriy Yanholenko, exploded in the government-controlled eastern city of Kharkiv. The commander and his spouse

    Can Ashgabat Reconcile Kabul With the Taliban?

    The government of Turkmenistan has begun mobilizing the country’s army reservists and has sent them to the border with Afghanistan. At least a few dozen reservists were deployed to the

    Russia Offers Generous Support for the Kyrgyz Army

    According to the newspaper Kommersant, Russia agreed to provide military and technical support to Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in the form of direct assistance. Russia is prepared to spend $1.1 billion

    CHARGES FILED AGAINST TAJIK OPPOSITION FIGURE

    On September 22 the Prosecutor General’s Office of Tajikistan launched a criminal case at the request of the Ministry of Internal Affairs against Dodojon Atovulloev, the founder of the newspaper

    ANDIJAN SHOW TRIAL VERDICT CONDEMNED BY WEST

    The first criminal trial related to the May uprising in Andijan, Uzbekistan, ended in Tashkent on November 14. The Supreme Court of Uzbekistan sentenced the 15 defendants to prison terms

    YULDASHEV TESTIMONY PLAYED AT ANDIJAN TRIAL

    As the trial of Akramiya members entered its fifth week in Tashkent, the court heard testimony from Akram Yuldashev, the "spiritual force" allegedly behind the May uprising in Andijan. The

    TASHKENT INSISTS ANDIJAN HAD KYRGYZ LINK

    Law-enforcement agencies from Osh district in southern Kyrgyzstan are continuing to investigate the possible involvement of Kyrgyz citizens in the May 10 armed uprising in Andijan, an Uzbek city near

    OPPOSITION TRIAL BEGINS IN TAJIKISTAN

    On July 7 Eribek Ibraghimov, a former Tajik opposition field commander, went on trial before Tajikistan's Supreme Court. Better known by his nickname "Sheikh," Ibraghimov stands trial with four other

    ETHNIC CONFLICT SIMMERS IN SOUTHERN KYRGYZSTAN

    Dzirgalbek Sourabaldiyev, a well-known businessman and a member of Kyrgyzstan's parliament, was assassinated in downtown Bishkek on June 10. The deputy was shot five or six times, and his driver

    What Lies Ahead For Tajikistan?

    Tajikistan differs from the other countries of Central Asia for several reasons. Tajiks are the only relatively large group of Persian-speaking people in Central Asia. The titular nationalities of the

    Terrorism in Uzbekistan: A Self-Made Crisis

    However paradoxical it may sound, the recent terrorist acts in Uzbekistan were not a complete surprise, either to average citizens in the republic or to political analysts. The horrific economic

    KARIMOV ORDERS BLOODY END TO ANDIJAN UPRISING

    Troops dispatched by Tashkent have put down last week's popular uprising in Andijan, Uzbekistan. Undeterred by the thousands of demonstrators, troops opened fire on the crowd, shooting women and children

    Why Extremism is on the Rise In Uzbekistan

    The July 30 attacks on the Prosecutor General's Office, the U.S. Embassy, and the Israeli Embassy in Tashkent demonstrate the continued terrorist presence in the republic of Uzbekistan. These forces

    Hizb ut-Tahrir Today

    An Interview with Sadykzhan Kamuluddin by Igor Rotar Sadykzhan Kamuluddin (Kamalov), president of the Islamic Center of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan and former Mufti and member of the Kyrgyzstans Supreme

    Hizb ut-Tahrir in Central Asia

    Without doubt, Hizb ut-Tahrir (Liberation Party) is one of the most powerful organizations operating in Central Asia. Hizb ut-Tahrir (HuT) is banned in nearly all Central Asian republics, but despite

    PROTESTS RISE FOLLOWING DISPUTED KYRGYZ VOTE

    Kyrgyzstan held parliamentary elections on Sunday, February 27. Some 388 candidates vied for 75 parliamentary seats. According to preliminary data collected by the Central Electoral Commission, candidates secured a first-round

    MERCHANTS PROTEST NEW BANKING LAWS IN UZBEKISTAN

    Mass riots have rocked the city of Khokand located in Uzbekistan's Fergana Valley. The riots started after a government decree on toughening trade regulations, which was issued in August, went

    Why Extremism Is On The Rise In Uzbekistan

    The July 30 attacks on the Prosecutor General's Office, the U.S. Embassy, and the Israeli Embassy in Tashkent demonstrate the continued terrorist presence in the republic of Uzbekistan. These forces

    Terrorism In Uzbekistan: A Self-made Crisis

    However paradoxical it may sound, the recent terrorist acts in Uzbekistan were not a complete surprise, either to average citizens in the republic or to political analysts. The horrific economic

    The Growing Problem Of Uighur Separatism

    'Chinese Chechnya' is how - only half-jokingly - Central Asians refer to the Xinjiang-Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR) of China (historically known as Eastern Turkistan). Such a comparison is not without

    Hizb Ut-tahrir Today

    An Interview with Sadykzhan Kamuluddin by Igor Rotar Sadykzhan Kamuluddin (Kamalov), president of the Islamic Center of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan and former Mufti and member of the Kyrgyzstans Supreme

    What Lies Ahead For Tajikistan?

    Tajikistan differs from the other countries of Central Asia for several reasons. Tajiks are the only relatively large group of Persian-speaking people in Central Asia. The titular nationalities of the

    Hizb Ut-tahrir In Central Asia

    Without doubt, Hizb ut-Tahrir (Liberation Party) is one of the most powerful organizations operating in Central Asia. Hizb ut-Tahrir (HuT) is banned in nearly all Central Asian republics, but despite

    MYTHS AND PREJUDICE ACROSS THE FSU

    By Igor Rotar An interesting paradox has emerged across a number of the former Soviet republics: an unexpected anti-Semitism in people who have often never even met any Jews. And

    THE DYING ARAL SEA

    By Igor Rotar The drying Aral Sea is one of the worst ecological disasters of the twentieth century. Located in the west of Central Asia, with part of it belonging

    INTERVIEW WITH GRIGORYANTS

    By Igor Rotar Russia still presents a threat to the international community, says Sergei Grigoryants, chairman of the human rights foundation Glasnost. Sergei Ivanovich Grigoryants is one of Russia's best-known

    MINGRELIA: GEORGIA’S NEW “HOT SPOT”?

    By Igor Rotar In April, the situation in Mingrelia (the Black Sea region of western Georgia that borders Abkhazia) heated up again. It all began when Georgian special operations troops