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'Berlin Wall's Lessons For Today'

In an op-ed for "USA Today," Jeffrey Gedmin discusses RFE and the role of free media in societies living under repressive regimes. More
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RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service

Online and on air, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service has been a consistent and dependable provider of independent information in Kyrgyzstan for over 50 years. Today, Radio Azattyk is a trusted source within Kyrgyzstan, with its stories -- both broadcast and online -- regularly cited and reprinted by local and regional media.

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Features & Multimedia

It's Not Easy Being An Environmentalist In Turkmenistan

A court in Turkmenistan has overturned a five-year jail sentence handed down last week to a biologist whose environmental organization was shut down by the state in 2003. The case marks the second time in three years that Andrei Zatoka has been sentenced and detained before being released, and highlights the difficulties activists commonly encounter in Central Asia. More

Kyrgyz President's Son's New Role

When Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev put the finishing touches on his restructured government last week, he entrusted the country's future economic course to a person he has known for decades -- his youngest son, Maksim Bakiev. More

Russia Is Dying To Learn Its Census Data

The news that the next Russian census will be held in 2010 is welcome news indeed. There had been considerable speculation that the census had been delayed largely for political reasons, and it is encouraging to think that the opinions of experts who say the census information is crucially needed were heeded in this case. More

Russia Facing Resistance On CIS's Southern Flank

Representatives of the CIS are holding a summit in the Moldovan capital today, but most of the Central Asian presidents won't be in attendance. The presidents of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan instead sent lower-level delegations. Focusing on the three Central Asian states that make up the CIS's southern frontier, we examine how, by skipping the summit, they might be exhibiting their discontent with Russia. More

Low Turnout Hints At CIS Woes

The mood ahead of the latest gathering of leaders from the Commonwealth of Independent States is tense. Four of five Central Asian leaders have declined to attend. Georgia will be conspicuously absent. And host Moldova's pro-Western prime minister has dismissed the CIS as "not viable." More
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Facts & Stats

Map of Kyrgyzstan

Population
5.4 million

Ethnic Groups:
Kyrgyz 65%
Uzbek 14%
Russian 12%
Dungan 1%
Ukrainian 1%
Uyghur 1%

Religions:
Muslim 75%
Russian Orthodox 20%
Other 5%

Languages:
Kyrgyz (official) 65%
Uzbek 14%
Russian (official) 13%
Dungun 1%
Other 8%

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