· June, 2009

Stories about Central Asia & Caucasus from June, 2009

Grimaces of education in Kazakhstan

  29 June 2009

From June 01 to June 10 school graduates in Kazakhstan were undergoing Unified National Test (UNT) – the first and one of the most important tests in their lives. As Zara, one of our bloggers, writes, the average test result has been 74.9 points, which is 7 points higher than...

Kazakhstan: KGB is back?

  28 June 2009

Adam writes that journalists, rights advocates and opposition leaders, express concern that Kazakhstan returns to the vicious practice of the Soviet times in treating the dissent.

Kazakhstan: Media Protest Against Crackdown

  28 June 2009

Arman reports on a silent action of protest in the downtown of Almaty, Kazakhstan, in which journalists of independent newspapers, media organizations and opposition politicians put on scarves on their mouths in a symbolic demand of more freedom of speech.

Kyrgyzstan: Terror Attack Registered

  28 June 2009

Joshua Foust reports that according to the Kyrgyzstan’s regional administration, five armed individuals killed by the Kyrgyz national security troops were members of the banned Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.

Azerbaijan: A modest Scary Azeri in print

  24 June 2009

Scary Azeri in Suburbs informs its readers that a Baku-based English-language magazine has featured the blog in a two-page article. The magazine might not be Harpers, the blogger says, but it is real and more importantly, glossy…

Azerbaijan: Interview with Nigar Fatali

  24 June 2009

The OL! Youth Movement blog [AZ] interviews Azeri blogger Nigar Fatali. The blogger at Don Quixote [AZ/RU] and Fighting windmills? Take a pill [EN] comments on matters as diverse as gender, education, conflict resolution, youth and culture.

Armenia: Opposition detainees released

  23 June 2009

Following a general amnesty agreed upon by the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia on 19 June, several senior opposition figures on trial and in detention for over a year since the 1 March post-election unrest in the country were finally pardoned and released. Many observers believe the trials were politically motivated.

Kazakhstan: Bureaucracy, diplomacy and personality cult

  23 June 2009

Bloggers keep on commenting political situation in Kazakhstan. megakhuimyak reports that according to the new presidential decree, the Financial Police has got extra authority, informers against corrupt officials will be awarded, the civil servants’ property and income will be monitored [ru]: The bad thing is that now officials will stop...

Azerbaijan: All hail Iranian women

Following a post from Armenian blogger Ianyan in praise of women in Iran comes a similar response from Azerbaijan, another country that borders the Islamic republic. Re-posting an earlier video interview on the changing role of women in Iran, Baku-based Global Voices Online author Ali S. Novruzov also pays homage.

Afghanistan: Local conflict is aggravating

  20 June 2009

Nick Fielding reviews a new report from the “Cooperation for Peace and Unity” organisation, which notes that local conflict in Afghanistan is increasing at a faster rate than the insurgency and armed conflict.

Armenia: Iranian student protest

Posting photos and videos on his Frontline Club blog, Global Voices Online's Caucasus editor reports from a demonstration staged outside the Iranian Embassy in Yerevan protesting Friday's disputed presidential election.

Azerbaijan: Alarming news for civil society

  15 June 2009

Thoughts on the Road comments on news that Azerbaijan's already underdeveloped civil society is facing a new threat in the form of legislation governing NGOs in the country to be discussed later this week.

About our Central Asia & Caucasus coverage

Nurbek Bekmurzaev
Nurbek Bekmurzaev is the Central Asia editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.

Arzu Geybullayeva
Arzu Geybullayeva is the South Caucasus editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.