Global Voices · Citizen media stories about Central Asia & Caucasus

Central Asia & Caucasus

Region archive · 750 posts

RSS feed for Central Asia & Caucasus WikiPedia Link

Search Wikipedia for Central Asia & Caucasus

Featured stories about Central Asia & Caucasus

Georgia: LGBT Activists Attacked by Orthodox Religious Group

Armenia: Fears After Nationalist Firebombers Released on Bail

Following the firebombing of of an 'alternative' and gay-friendly bar in Yerevan, the Armenian capital, LGBT and other civil society activists are concerned by the rise of nationalism and hate-speech in the country.

read »

Armenia: Chaos as Balloons Explode at Election Campaign Rally

Video: Mothers Around the World Share Their Different Experiences 26 April 2012
Turkey: Armenian Genocide Commemoration in Istanbul 24 April 2012
Video Highlights: Culture, Human Rights, Online Activism and Crowdfunding 1 April 2012
Macedonia, Kazakhstan: Triumphal Arches to Celebrate 20 Years of Independence 28 March 2012
Azerbaijan: Novruz Bayram 23 March 2012

Latest stories about Central Asia & Caucasus

17 May 2012

Armenia: Homophobic Firebombing Controversy Continues as Officials, MPs Promote Hate Crime

Written by Onnik Krikorian · Armenia

Controversy continues to surround the firebombing of a gay-friendly bar in Yerevan, the Armenian capital, as officials and politicians praise the arsonists. Online, however, many are instead speaking out against those nationalists doing so.

· 2

· read »

15 May 2012

Kyrgyzstan: Can a Blogger be the Fourth Branch of Government?

Written by Chris Rickleton · Kyrgyzstan

Ilya Karimdjanov is a pest. Armed with a camera, a question and the most popular blog on Kyrgyzstan's most popular blogging platform, Kloop.kg, he is a one-man citizen media machine,...

· 1

· read »

9 May 2012

Armenia: Bar Targeted By Suspected Nationalists In Arson Attack

Written by Onnik Krikorian · Armenia

At around 5.30am on 8 May, a bar in Yerevan found itself the target of an arson attack. Popular among alternative types and widely known for its gay-friendly policy, it is believed that nationalists were responsible for the attack on D.I.Y.

· 9

· read »

2 May 2012

Armenia: Backhanded Victory for Environmental Activists

Written by Liana Aghajanian · Armenia

Just days before Armenia's crucial parliamentary elections, environmental activists have scored yet another victory in their campaign to save one of the last remaining green spaces in the country's capital, Yerevan.

· read »

22 April 2012

Armenia: Human Rights Organizations Concerned by Film Festival Obstruction

Written by Onnik Krikorian · Armenia, Azerbaijan

After threats, intimidation and incitement to violence led to the cancellation of a film festival to be held in Armenia's second largest city of Gyumri, nationalists have attacked a human rights organization for the same, prompting concerns about freedom of expression.

· read »

17 April 2012

Iran: Turning a Page on Racism Against Afghans

Written by Fred Petrossian · Iran, Afghanistan

Rumors that Afghans living in Isfahan, Iran had been banned from picnicking in a park during Iranian New Year celebrations, caused an uproar online with Iranians expressing solidarity with Afghans against racism.

· read »

14 April 2012

Armenia: Support for Georgi Vanyan

Written by Onnik Krikorian · Armenia, Azerbaijan

Following the cancellation last week of a festival of Azerbaijani films in Armenia amid threats of violence, alternative voices online comment on the campaign targeting the organizer, peace activist Georgi Vanyan.

· 3

· read »

13 April 2012

Kazakhstan: Hockey Star's Wife Leaves Her Mark on the Kaznet

Written by Chris Rickleton · Kazakhstan

Stacy Dallman, wife of former NHL hockey player Kevin Dallman, is likely to be remembered in Kazakhstan for a long time to come. Chris Rickleton explains why.

· read »

12 April 2012

Armenia: Nationalist Threats Against Local Activist

Written by Onnik Krikorian · Armenia, Azerbaijan

Just weeks after one example of censorship in Armenia comes another with local peace activist Georgi Vanyan receiving abuse and death threats from nationalists opposed to screening Azerbaijani films in the country.

· 9

· read »

11 April 2012

Tajikistan: Where Size Matters

Written by Chris Rickleton · Tajikistan

Tajik President Emomali Rahmon knows the political capital to be made out of large, ostentatious public works projects. Yet Tajikistan is one of the poorest countries in the world, and one of the least able to afford such lavish displays of architectural excess. Chris Rickleton reports.

· 3

· read »

Updates about Central Asia & Caucasus

18 May 2012

Arts & Culture

Through twitter, Al Jazeera shares the video story of a group of Afghan women who are using poetry as a way to empower themselves and reclaim their voice.

• Juliana Rincón Parra

Freedom of Speech

Unzipped: Gay Armenia comments on the continuing controversy surrounding Artsvik Minasyan, an MP from the nationalist Armenian Revolutionary Federation–Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D). The blog says that in addition to bailing out a Neo-Nazi arsonist in police custody, Minasyan continues to make homophobic statements in the media following the 8 May firebombing of a gay-friendly bar in the Armenian capital by labeling homosexuality a threat to the country's national security. Elected under the proportional system in Armenia, and thus lacking a specific mandate in the majoritarian system, Unzipped: Gay Armenia calls on the ARF-D to remove Minasyan from their ranks immediately.

• Onnik Krikorian

17 May 2012

14 May 2012

Disaster

The Young Georgians posts video of this weekend's flash flood in Tbilisi, Georgia. Five people, including two children, are reported dead.

• Onnik Krikorian

11 May 2012

Freedom of Speech

Unzipped: Gay Armenia posts the text of a statement by a group of NGOs including the Helsinki Citizens Assembly in Vanadzor, Women's Resource Center, and Pink Armenia, among others, condemning the 8 May arson attack on D.I.Y., a gay-friendly bar in Yerevan. The blog also reports that two members of a Neo-Nazi group, Dark Ravens Armenia, have been arrested [EN/AM].

• Onnik Krikorian

Arts & Culture

The Presurfer shares a small video documentary of one of the only two remaining Afghan box photographers left in Kabul, and how he takes pictures and processes them inside a small black box.

• Juliana Rincón Parra

9 May 2012

Comments on "Central Asia & Caucasus"

Georgia: LGBT Activists Attacked by Orthodox Religious Group

I always find it humoring when "christians" claim that this is a christian or predominantly christian nation. It may be...

Incidentally, Tsomak Oga's Pincet group performing in Yerevan. Punk Rock, Armenian style...

Ahiska Turks have not Disappeared they Live in the United states Freely and i am One of them there Are...
As a Meskhetian Turk living in Georgia and are actively looking the process , I think that our Mesketain's repatriation...