Central Asia

Soldiers march on the first anniversary of the signing of the decree on the annexation of the Crimea by the Russian Federation, on March 18, 2015 in Sevastopol, Crimea. © Alexander Aksakov/Getty Images

Central Asia: How Russia Sends Migrants to War

Foreign workers are being coerced or deceived into signing up for military service as Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine continues.

1 Nov 22

The sign of Isfara, a town in northern Tajikistan, on the border with Kyrgyzstan. The town lies in the homonymous valley which is crossed by the Isfara river. Media reported that the clashes in September broke out along the frontier between Tajikistan's Sughd and Kyrgyzstan's southern Batken provinces because of a dispute over a reservoir and pump, claimed by both sides, on the Isfara river. © IWPR

“We Don’t Want War,” Say Kyrgyz and Tajik Citizens

Over 100 people died in renewed violence along the border in September 2022 as long-standing issues remain unresolved.

24 Oct 22

On October 4, independent journalist and filmmaker Avazmad Ghurbatov, who works with the name of Abdullo Ghurbati, was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison on dubious charges of using violence, insulting police officers and having ties with the banned Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT). © Ghurbati's Facebook profile

Tajikistan’s Freedom of Expression Shrinks

Journalists get lengthy sentences on charges that rights groups say are groundless.

24 Oct 22

A residential building in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. © podrobno.uz

Russians Flock to Central Asia

Fears of price rises, unemployment and accommodation shortages as hundreds of thousands seek to avoid military service.

15 Oct 22

A village in the Leylek District of the Batken region after conflicts. © State Border Guard Service

Kyrgyz-Tajik Border Violence Spurs Calls for Compromise

Complex geography and domestic politics mean a solution remains elusive.

21 Sep 22

"Mothers' tears" is a memorial erected in Osh, Kyrgyzstan's second largest city, to commemorate the hundreds who died and went missing following the inter-ethnic riots of June 2010. © Kyrgyz Presidential Office's website

Kyrgyz Families Still Search for Those Missing in 2010 Violence

Relatives call for more action to find those who disappeared amid interethnic violence 12 years ago.

30 Aug 22

Victoria Yaremchuk, Kropivnitsky (Kirovhrad region of Ukraine) – Oleksandr Yaremchuk went missing on Ukraine’s independence day, on August 24, 2014. The history and law teacher-turned-soldier was evacuating the wounded from Savur-Mohyla, in Donetsk region, close to the Russian border. © Zoya Shu

Missing Persons, a Hidden Tragedy

Hundreds of thousands of people worldwide have disappeared due to conflict, disaster and crime. Many are never heard from again.

30 Aug 22

Uzbekistan: Lack of Dialogue Behind Protests in Karakalpakstan

Experts warn that unresolved questions of national self-determination and social problems need to be treated sensitively.

12 Jul 22

Tajikistan’s New Round of Media Repression

Detentions come amid a crackdown on street protests in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region.

30 Jun 22

Karlygash Muratova, 90, casts her ballot in Kazakhstan's eastern city of Karaganda. On June 5, Kazakhs overwhelmingly voted in favour of constitutional amendments that de-centralise the decision-making in the oil-and-gas rich Central Asian nation. © IWPR

Kazakstan’s Referendum Unlikely to Bring Change

Citizens said yes to the proposed constitutional amendments, but few believe the state’s hold on power will ease.

8 Jun 22

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