Central Asia

Tashkent Facelift Tears Up the Past

Electricity Price Shock for Kyrgyz Consumers

Government says it has no option but to charge more realistic rates.

Prisoners in Two Minds About Freedom

Thousands of prisoners are being freed under an amnesty in Tajikistan, but as Jamoliddin Saifiddinov reports, many have little to look forward to on the outside.

IWPR Trainee Wins Parliamentary Coverage Award

Kyrgyz Parliamentary Changes Undermine Opposition

Battered Social Democrats lose influence in committee shakeup.

Children Forced to Pick Cotton in South Kazakstan

Parents say schools are sending youngsters into the fields despite official ban on child labour.

Privatisation Fears for Kyrgyz Power Plants

Government critics suspect changes to law designed to allow key power stations to be sold off by stealth.

Uzbek Opposition Leader Released into Changed World

With little popular support, Sanjar Umarov hoped the West would back his calls for political change, but this proved illusory.

Where is Turkmenistan's Gas Money Going?

Public-Service Ads Rare on Turkmen TV