Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Kazakhstan

Kazakh Opposition Journalist Dies Of Injuries

Almaty, 20 July 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Kazakh opposition journalist Askhat Sharipzhan died today of injuries he received in a traffic accident on 16 July in the Kazakh city Almaty.

TEXT SIZE - +

July 20, 2004

Sharipzhan was hit by a car as he crossed the street and suffered multiple skull fractures. Journalists and opposition leader Zamanbek Nurkadilov have accused the government of playing a role in Sharipzhan's death.

Police in Almaty have rejected these claims and say the driver of the vehicle that struck Sharipzhan stopped and administered first aid, called an ambulance and had cooperated with authorities investigating the accident.

Sharipzhan worked mainly through the internet writing about the activities of opposition parties and figures in Kazakhstan.

(RFE/RL's Kazakh Service)

A vendor in the central Bosnian town of Zenica sells heart-shaped cushions with proclamations of love for 1 euro each.

Love It (Or Hate It), It's Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day, the Western holiday celebrating love, has become a global phenomenon over the past two decades. The fall of communism and the emergence of the Internet have helped February 14 become something of an unofficial international day of romance. However, not all the passions the holiday stirs are related to love. While some countries have openly embraced the holiday, others are attempting to ban it or replace it with local customs. More

Production and distribution of rap music is not officially banned, but it

Yo! Turkmen Rappers Flip The Script On Repression

For a growing number of Turkmen youth, rap music has become a way to express their daily struggles and inspire political change in one of the world's most oppressive countries. More