The flurry of speculations around the July 20 death of well-known journalist Askhat Sharipzhanov does not seem likely to subside in the coming weeks. Sharipzhanov, the 40-year old editor of the opposition electronic paper Navigator and one of the most furious critics of the authorities,... MORE

After a yearlong standoff between democratic organizations and the governor of Aktobe region in western Kazakhstan, Yermek Imantayev was relieved of his post by presidential decree. He was replaced by Eleusin Sagyndykov, a 57-year old senator who is quite popular in Aktobe. The removal of... MORE

On July 15 Elizabeth Jones, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian affairs, officially concluded her two-day visit to Uzbekistan, where she had met with the country's leadership and local representatives of several human rights organizations. On July 13, on the eve... MORE

On July 14 cultural ministers from 12 Turkic countries gathered at the Okan Intercontinental hotel in Astana for the 21st session of Turksoy, the international organization of Turkic-language nations set up in April 1992 to promote Turkic culture and spiritual values. In his opening speech,... MORE

The United States has slashed foreign aid to Uzbekistan by $18 million, according to a July 13 announcement by the State Department. The move was a calculated rebuttal to the Karimov regime over its lack of progress in human rights and democratic reforms. However, Tashkent's... MORE

In the first years of independence, ethnic Kazakhs barely made up 40% of the population of Kazakhstan. In a bid to regulate the ethnic balance, particularly in the heavily Russian-populated northern regions of the country, the government is encouraging oralmans ("returnees," i.e. ethnic Kazakhs returning... MORE

Kazakhstan has recently undertaken a number of steps towards improving its military capabilities through seeking closer military cooperation with Western countries. These efforts have congealed into what Moscow interprets as an emerging policy in Astana favoring the West. These areas of military cooperation, combined with... MORE

According to Kazakhstan's influential youth paper Express K, the Saryarka district court in Astana is investigating an unprecedented case. For the first time in Kazakhstan's history, a member of a skinhead movement has been indicted for stirring up racial and interethnic strife. Yevgeni Yefimenko, a... MORE

On June 21, the Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya gazeta published a sensational report implicating Turkmenistani officials in the illegal drug trade. So far the revelations have apparently been overlooked both in Russia and Turkmenistan. During the interview with Nezavisimaya gazeta, the former deputy head of the... MORE

On July 2 two members of the Islamic extremist organization Hizb-ut-Tahrir (Islamic Party of Liberation) were given two-year prison terms by authorities in Pavlodar, Northern Kazakhstan. Security forces had detained Arman Hamzin (age 29) and Ruslan Ghinatulin (22) two months ago for distributing Hizb-ut-Tahrir leaflets... MORE