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Gulnoza Saidazimova

Also by Gulnoza Saidazimova

July 27, 2008
Government Concern At Growth Of Salafism

Government officials and religious scholars are expressing concern about the growing influence of a hard-line form of Islam in Tajikistan. While a more liberal Muslim creed has been followed for centuries, the number of adherents of Salafism -- a form of Islam similar to that practiced during the life of the Prophet Muhammad -- is on the rise.
July 24, 2008
Family Of Jailed Opposition Leader Says His Life At Risk

Sanjar Umarov's family says the jailed leader of the Sunshine Uzbekistan opposition group is in poor health and his life is in danger, with family members saying they saw signs of torture while visiting him last week.
July 14, 2008
Embattled Editor Speaks Out

While life is never easy for independent media in Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan's leading independent newspaper now faces closure after it published a report accusing local authorities of corruption. But the paper's troubles first began after critical reporting on President Kurmanbek Bakiev's nephew.
July 10, 2008
Kyrgyz President Taken To Task For Rampant Nepotism

Critics say Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev has become as corrupt as his predecessor, ridding himself of his co-revolutionaries and installing members of his extended family and clan in their place.
July 08, 2008
Sazak Durdymuradov. Contributor, RFE/RL Turkmen Service. Bakharden.

Durdymuradov was taken from his home, detained incommunicado and forcibly confined to a notorious psychiatric facility for two weeks, reportedly in response to commentary he provided on RFE/RL programs about proposed constitutional reforms. He was released on July 5, reinstated to his local teaching position and has resumed contributing to RFE/RL.
July 07, 2008
Central Asian Migrant Laborers Trapped In Modern-Day Slavery

The faces of the new slave trade are Central Asian -- Uzbek, Tajik, and Kyrgyz. But unlike in the past, when Central Asians would emigrate to the West or the Middle East, their new "masters" are former compatriots in former Soviet countries like Russia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan.
July 05, 2008
Nazarbaev Celebrates 'Day Of Astana'

Kazakhstan is marking the 10th anniversary of its capital, Astana, but the festivities are seen as nothing more than an elaborate birthday party for President Nursultan Nazarbaev.
July 01, 2008
Turkmenistan's Remote Desert 'Gulag'

President Berdymukhammedov's government continues to commit critics -- including a frequent RFE/RL contributor -- to a nightmarish mental clinic despite his vows to improve the country's rights record.
June 27, 2008
RFE/RL Contributor Incarcerated In Mental Hospital

Sazak Durdymuradov, a contributor to RFE/RL's Turkmen Service, is being held at a psychiatric clinic in eastern Turkmenistan, one week after his arrest and reported beating by police.
June 24, 2008
Activists, Journalists Report Intimidation Before EU Meeting

Ahead of an EU-Turkmen meeting on human rights in Ashgabat, rights defenders have been reporting widespread intimidation of activists and journalists -- including RFE/RL correspondents.
June 23, 2008
Border Residents Forcibly Relocated

Hundreds of families have reportedly been forced to leave their homes near the Uzbek border and relocate to other parts of the country. Some say they received neither an explanation nor compensation for leaving their homes behind.
June 19, 2008
Slain Journalist's Father Accuses Uzbek President

Journalist Alisher Saipov was the target of an Uzbek state media smear before he was gunned down in southern Kyrgyzstan. Now his father has implicated the Uzbek president, and demanded justice from the Kyrgyz president.
June 12, 2008
Child Labor Alive And Thriving

As countries marked World Day Against Child Labor, RFE/RL looked at how hundreds of thousands of underage children are skipping school to work as unskilled laborers.
June 10, 2008
Tashkent 'Media Freedom Conference' Blasted

What if authorities in one of Central Asia's least free societies threw a "Media Freedom Conference" and nobody came? Uzbek authorities tried to find out.
June 09, 2008
Setting A Standard?

Kyrgyzstan's new ombudsman is a former political dissident who says he's devoted to defending fellow citizens and restructuring the institution.
June 06, 2008
Longest-Held Political Prisoner Released

One of the most controversial figures in recent Uzbek history is released, along with at least two others, on the heels of a visit by a senior U.S. official.
June 04, 2008
Controversial Dos And Don'ts

The Directorate on Religious Affairs comes under fierce criticism for its latest edict, which equates flirting and dating to adultery and puts the responsibility for such things entirely on women.
June 03, 2008
Freed Rights Activist Calls Uzbek Prisons 'Islands Of Torture'

Prominent Uzbek activist Mutabar Tojiboeva, who was released from prison on June 2 after almost 1,000 days in detention, says she will continue to campaign for human rights, despite her ordeal.<BR>
May 28, 2008
Here Come The Brides

A new draft law in Kazakhstan would allow some men to take a second, third, or even a fourth wife. With a return to Islamic traditions in Central Asia, polygamy is on the rise.
April 11, 2008
Beijing Officials Say Uyghur Group Involved In Olympic Terror Plot

Officials in Beijing say they have broken up plots by two terrorist groups, including the Islamic Movement of East Turkestan, a banned Uyghur organization, to stage attacks during the Olympic Games in August.

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