Central Asia

"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

Uzbekistan, like the other former Soviet states in Central Asia, has been reluctant to criticise Russia's invasion of Ukraine, fearing repercussions on trade, security assistance, and labor markets. There are over 3,4 million Uzbek citizens registered in Russia, and about 90 per cent of them migrated in search of work. © Uriel Sinai/Getty Images

Russian Invasion Divides Uzbek Society

Moscow’s war in Ukraine is polarising public opinion in the Central Asian country.

28 May 22

Region's administrative centre, Khorog. © Press Service of the GBAO Administration

Protests Reignite in Tajikistan’s Restive Region

Authorities struggle to contain anger over a citizen’s unexplained death in detention.

20 May 22

Turkmenistan's authorities have introduced severe restrictions on women's appearance, banning beauty practices like dyed hair, manicure and fake nails and eyelashes. Since April, women are also no longer allowed to sit in the front seat of taxis and male drivers are barred from offering rides to women who are not family members. © Igor Sasin/AFP via Getty Images

Turkmenistan: Car and Beauty Bans Further Erode Women’s Rights

Fresh prohibitions have crushed hopes that newly appointed 40-year-old president Serdar Berdymukhamedov would pursue a more enlightened path.

9 May 22

Tajik Society Divided Over Russian Invasion of Ukraine

With authorities remaining tight-lipped, emotions run high in Tajikistan as citizens argue over the ongoing conflict.

28 Apr 22

Rustam Zarifulin was reportedly killed on March 14 while fighting with the Russian army in the town of Izium, in Ukraine's Kharkiv region. He moved to the Russian region of Sverdlovsk in 2016, where he served in the army and then became a contract soldier. He was buried in Chui, Kyrgyzstan's northernmost region, on March 27. © Kloop.kg

Central Asians Fight in Ukraine Eyeing Russian Citizenship

To bolster its troops, Moscow is tempting foreign nationals with the offer of a passport.

19 Apr 22

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