· September, 2013

Stories about Central Asia & Caucasus from September, 2013

“You Can Kick Female Flight Attendants” in Kazakhstan

  27 September 2013

A former government official in Kazakhstan recently kicked a female flight attendant, reportedly because she did not speak Kazakh. The story has caused a stir on social media. Blogger Pivovar offers [ru] the most interesting and most widely shared Twitter posts on this incident, such as the one below: Казахстан-2013: бить...

Kyrgyzstan: “It is Impossible to Propagandize Homosexuality”

  27 September 2013

Prominent Kyrgyzstani blogger Bektour Iskander reflects [ru] on on the recent law banning gay ‘propaganda’ in Russia and speculations that some Kyrgyz human-rights NGOs are engaged in such propaganda: It is impossible to propagandize homosexuality. Because a heterosexual cannot turn into a gay, even if she/he communicates with hundreds of...

“Fetishization of Somoni” Continues in Tajikistan

  26 September 2013

As Tajikistan's president unveils yet another statue of national icon Ismoil Somoni, blogger Tomiris criticizes [ru] monument monoculture in the country: Don't we have other historical figures to erect statues to? Was Somoni really the only one of its kind? I understand that this fetishization of Somoni is a political...

Busting Myths about Kazakhstan

  26 September 2013

Kazakhstan is not part of the Middle East; Kazakhs do not have Chinese blood in their veins; and not everything about Kazakhstan is bad. Blogger busts (part 1, part 2) [ru] common myths about the oil-rich Central Asian nation.

Tajikistan's Ubiquitous and ‘Irreplaceable’ Leader

  7 September 2013

As in most other Central Asian countries, the portraits of the president are everywhere in Tajikistan. Blogger Rustam Gulov (aka Teocrat) believes [ru] that these portraits serve a political purpose: [The portraits] are all parts of a giant machine designed to convince the people in Tajikistan that this person [the president] is...

“Central Asia is Watching [Syria] Too”

  7 September 2013

As the United States and Russia spar over the way ahead in Syria, the governments in Central Asia are following the situation closely, writes Nathan Barrick on Registan.net: Russia chooses to focus on the perspective that the Syrian government is fighting a battle against Islamic extremists and this message likely resonates...

Kyrgyzstan Plagued by Bubonic Media Coverage

  6 September 2013

Last month an incident of bubonic plague in Kyrgyzstan sparked sensationalist coverage, particularly in the Russian media. Now the chances of an epidemic have been discounted, netizens appeal for calm.

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.