Central Asia - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty © 2012

Monday, February 13, 2012

News and Features from Central Asia

Four Tajiks Killed In Afghan Crash

A transport helicopter has crashed in southern Afghanistan, killing all four people on board.

A billboard in the capital, Ashgabat, displays the portraits and biographies of the country

Primer: Turkmenistan's Presidential Election

Turkmenistan is holding a presidential election on February 12. What do inquiring minds need to know?

Turkmen Vote, But Outcome Predictable

Election officials in the Central Asian state of Turkmenistan recorded a near-unanimous turnout in the country's presidential election on February 12.

Kyrgyz Authorities Capture Militant

Kyrgyzstan's State National Security Committee (SNSC) says its forces have captured a member of the Zhayshul Mahdi (Army of the Righteous Ruler) terrorist group.

Illegal Uzbek immigrant Ulugbek Kodirov has admitted plotting to kill U.S. President Barack Obama

Uzbek Pleads Guilty To Obama Death Plot

An Uzbek national has pleaded guilty to a plot to kill U.S. President Barack Obama

Former Kyrgyz security service officer Aldayar Ismankulov was sentenced to 17 years.

Kyrgyz Journalist's Killers Lose Appeal

A court in the Kazakh city of Almaty has upheld the verdicts against three men convicted of the murder of Kyrgyz journalist Gennady Pavlyuk in 2009.

French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet (right) on an official trip to Afghanistan in January

Afghan Exit Route Via Uzbekistan 'Costly'

French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet said in an interview with "L'Orient-Le Jour" that using the route through Uzbekistan to withdraw NATO troops from Afghanistan was too costly.

Amnesty For Jailed Kazakh Opposition Activist

A Kazakh opposition activist has been amnestied after spending more than 1 1/2 years in jail on charges of resisting authority.

Kazakhstan Arrests Suspected Extremists

The Kazakh Prosecutor-General's Office has announced that a group of suspected religious extremists has been arrested in the northwestern city of Oral.