Whatever help governments in Central Asia are extending to Afghan refugees, they are not eager to make it known publicly
Since 2018, the Kyrgyzstan chapter of the global non-profit has been bringing digital resources to remote schools that might otherwise have no internet connection – and thus no way to access curricula during the pandemic
In recent days, while we are all grasping at any sign of hope for the region, it is remarkable to see that there have been desperate calls for peace from Armenians and Azerbaijanis around the world. But beyond the undisputedly symbolic and signaling value of such calls lies a challenge for peacebuilding work, as “peace” is neither ceasefire, appeasement, nor absence of war
Azerbaijani strikes on Stepanakert began on October 2. Targets reportedly included electricity infrastructure, which resulted in the city losing power on October 3. According to journalists reporting from the city the strikes have continued since then
The most recent plan to redevelop the area had appeared to lie dormant since a new government came into power on the back of the 2018 “Velvet Revolution.” But in June, a historic building in the neighborhood was torn down, signaling the resumption of the project
The Kyrgyz State Committee for National Security, or GKNB, said it received assurances from their Uzbek partners that Abdullayev would not be ill-treated. The journalist reported being subjected to physical and torture after his arrest in September 2017
One, which surfaced last week, shows an assault on a pair of Pakistani medical volunteers by a group of Kyrgyz men. Another was self-filmed by a group of Kyrgyz expatriates in Russia, who warn in the footage they will beat up any Kyrgyz women who date men of other ethnicities.
Emil Sanamyan, an analyst at the USC Institute of Armenian Studies, suggested that the trigger may have been a new outpost constructed by the Armenian armed forces, which would have given Armenia a tactical advantage in the area and which Azerbaijani forces tried to destroy.
Following weeks of protests, authorities in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, or GBAO, agreed this week to give up on their attempt to jail two young men on suspicion of association with an accused drug smuggler and have, instead, decided to fine them less than $20 apiece.
The seizures come as Minasyan has been taking a higher-profile role as a government critic-in-exile. In April he was charged with money laundering, among other crimes, and has refused to come to Armenia to face the charges. (He lives abroad – it is not clear where – and was formerly Armenia’s ambassador to the Vatican.)