Central Asia

Russian Leader Due in Turkmenistan

Turkmen NGOs Face Tighter Financial Regulation

New rules designed to prevent money-laundering could be used to monitor and obstruct civil society groups.

Uzbek Pension Payments Slip Further Behind

Alarm as Turkmen Migration Law Gets Even Tougher

Uzbekistan Downplays Drug Problem

Government accused of underestimating number of heroin users and failing to support treatment programmes.

Female Ex-Cons Struggle to Find Jobs in Tajikistan

Poverty and social stigma contribute to high re-offending rate among women released from jail.

Tbilisi Criticised Over Repatriation Requests

Tens of thousands of Meskhetians apply to come home, but Georgian officials accused of not doing enough to help them.

Human Rights Debate Contrasts East and West

When former Soviet diplomat Ishenbay Abdurazakov addressed students in the Kyrgyz capital, talk turned to the issue of whether western human rights values apply in this Central Asian state.

Youth Debate Role in Driving Social Change

Nuraim Ryskulova reports on a national youth camp where young people gathered from all over Kyrgyzstan to discuss how they could change their country for the better.

Concern at High Maternal Mortality Rates in Kyrgyzstan

Healthcare system under scrutiny as increasing numbers of women die in childbirth.