Gulnoza Saidazimova

Also by Gulnoza Saidazimova

• August 04, 2005

  Central Asia: Region Returns To Muslim Roots (Part 1)

  Kazakh muslims praying Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Central Asian republics have seen a revival of Islam. The process kicked off quickly as Islam has always had deep roots in the region and missionaries and funds arrived from other Muslim countries to help rebuild schools and mosques. Nowadays, most Central Asians consider themselves Muslims. Still, many observers say that there are differences between the identity and religious practices of Muslims in Central Asia and those in other parts of the Islamic world. In the first part of a four-part series on Islam in Central Asia, RFE/RL looks at how Muslims in the region view themselves.

• August 03, 2005

  Central Asia: Kazakhstan Is A New Destination For Uzbek Refugees

  Uzbek refugees are looking for safe haven (file photo) The fate of more than 400 Uzbek refugees in Kyrgyzstan was successfully resolved last week with their transfer to Romania. Fifteen more now await a decision by Kyrgyzstan as to whether they will be allowed to follow the earlier group. Meanwhile, more people have been fleeing Uzbekistan since the Andijon violence as harassment against independent journalists and human-rights activists has risen. One of them is Sobitkhon Ustaboyev, a prominent human rights activist from Namangan city in Uzbekistan's Ferghana Valley. He and his 23-year-old son fled Uzbekistan a few days ago.

• August 01, 2005

  Central Asia: What Does Closure Of U.S. Military Base In Uzbekistan Mean?

  Uzbek President Islam Karimov (file photo) Uzbek authorities asked the United States to pull all military forces out of the Karshi-Khanabad air base in the country’s south. The decision comes a few days after U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld visited neighboring Kyrgyzstan and received assurances from Bishkek officials that the U.S. air base can remain there as long as needed.

• July 29, 2005

  Kyrgyzstan: Bishkek's Resolution Of Uzbek Refugee Crisis Deemed A Success

  Fourteen Uzbek prisoners leave for Manas airport yesterday Prague, 29 July 2005 (RFE/RL) -- Some 440 Uzbek refugees who fled to neighboring Kyrgyzstan in May have been flown to Romania, where they will be temporarily housed until their final destination is determined.

• July 27, 2005

  Uzbekistan: Tashkent Demands Deportation Of Andijon Refugees

  Uzbek refugees at Bishkek airport today The UN refugee agency, or UNHCR, says Uzbek authorities have reiterated their call to Kyrgyzstan to hand over Uzbek citizens being held in detention in the border city of Osh and facing deportation. Uzbeks who fled their country following the Andijon violence in May had feared they would be returned to their country, where they might face torture or imprisonment. But earlier today, an official from the UNHCR said nearly all of the Uzbek refugees are now in the process of being flown to an undisclosed third country.

• July 27, 2005

  Uzbekistan: Wife Of Alleged Akramiya Founder Left To Wonder Over Husband's Fate

  Uzbek soldiers during the mid-May crackdown Uzbek authorities have long accused Akram Yuldoshev, a former math teacher from the city of Andijon, of having helped found the banned Islamic group Akramiya. Tashkent claims Akramiya members have been behind a number of terrorist attacks in Uzbekistan and provoked the bloody government crackdown in mid-May. Yuldoshev himself has been in prison since 1999, serving a 17-year sentence on terrorism charges. But his wife, Yodgora Yuldosheva, says she has received no news about him since the Andijon unrest. RFE/RL recently visited the Suzaq refugee camp in Kyrgyzstan and met with Yuldosheva.

• July 27, 2005

  UN Moving Uzbek Refugees From Kyrgyzstan

  Prague, 27 July 2005 (RFE/RL) -- Carlos Zaccagnini, the head of the UNHCR mission in Kyrgyzstan, said today that more than 400 Uzbek refugees are being sent to a third country.

• July 26, 2005

  Bishkek Assures Rumsfeld That U.S. Air Base Can Stay

  Acting Defense Minister Isakov (right) with Rumsfeld Prague, 26 July 2005 (RFE/RL) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's talks today in Bishkek resulted in a pledge by Kyrgyzstan's defense minister that the United States can maintain its air base in Kyrgyzstan as long as needed for its operations in Afghanistan.

• July 25, 2005

  Kyrgyzstan: Air Base Expected To Dominate Rumsfeld Talks

  Donald Rumsfeld (file photo) U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is in Kyrgyzstan today. He will meet President-elect Kurmanbek Bakiev and acting Defense Minister Ismail Isakov during his two-day stay in Bishkek. The visit comes after Bakiev questioned whether U.S. troops should continue to be based in his country, saying Washington should set a date for withdrawing its military bases in Central Asia.

• July 21, 2005

  Uzbekistan: Refugees Want To Return Only If Regime Changes

  Suzaq refugee camp There are more than 400 Uzbeks in the Suzaq refugee camp near the southern Kyrgyz city of Jalal-Abad. They fled last May after hundreds of civilians reportedly were killed in clashes with government troops in the eastern Uzbek city of Andijon.

• July 19, 2005

  Uzbekistan: Leader Of Andijon Protests Speaks To RFE/RL

  Uzbek troops in Andijon "Bloody Friday" is the name Uzbeks have given to the events in the eastern city of Andijon on 13 May. But despite the fact that a lot has been written and told about what happened that day, the truth remains unclear. Uzbek authorities tell their story; human rights activists, political oppositionists, and protesters give another account. Qobiljon Parpiev was among the protesters who seized the regional administration building in Andijon on 13 May and held negotiations with Uzbek Interior Minister Zakir Almatov. He escaped shootings by Uzbek forces that reportedly killed hundreds of civilians, and fled Uzbekistan. Parpiev recently spoke to RFE/RL with his version of events.

• July 14, 2005

  Uzbekistan: Journalists Say Harassment Against Independent Media On Rise

  Harassment and intimidation of independent journalists has increased following the Andijon bloodshed in May. This according to Qudrat Bobojonov and Tolqin Qorayev, two correspondents from the London-based Institute of War and Peace Reporting (IWPR). Qorayev was arrested last June and sentenced to a jail term, and was only released after pressure from the international community. Bobojonov says the IWPR has had to suspend its activities in Uzbekistan.

• July 13, 2005

  Kyrgyzstan: Will Bakiev-Kulov Alliance Last?

  Feliks Kulov Kyrgyzstan's new president, Kurmanbek Bakiev, is a native of the country's south. But he won the support of voters in northern regions by sharing his ticket with a prominent figure from the north -- Feliks Kulov. In exchange for Kulov's support, Bakiev promised him the premiership and a broad mandate. But some observers say the alliance isn't likely to last long.

• July 12, 2005

  Kyrgyzstan: What Will Be New Government's Domestic, Foreign Policies?

  Serious challenges await Bakiev (file photo) Kyrgyzstan's newly elected president, Kurmanbek Bakiev, faces a wide range of domestic issues like corruption and poverty. On the international front, the situation is no less complicated. Bakiev will be dealing with superpowers like Russia, China, and the United States, as well as neighbors Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. So what will Bakiev's foreign and domestic policies be? RFE/RL reports from the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek.

• July 11, 2005

  Kyrgyzstan: Bakiev Wins Election By Landslide

  Voting on 10 July Bishkek, 11 July 2005 (RFE/RL) -- Kyrgyzstan's acting President Kurmanbek Bakiev has won a landslide victory in the country's presidential poll. Kyrgyz election officials declared Bakiev the winner as they announced that preliminary results show he won 88.9 percent of the vote with 95 percent of all ballots counted. The election officials put turnout at 74.6 percent.

• July 10, 2005

  Bakiev Poised For Victory

  Kurmanbek Bakiev voting earlier today Bishkek, 10 July 2005 (RFE/RL) -- Kyrgyzstan's interim leader Kurmanbek Bakiev is heading for a landslide victory in the election to replace the Central Asian country's ousted President Askar Akaev, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported.

• July 09, 2005

  Kyrgyzstan: Young Voters Have Their Say

  On 10 July, Kyrgyz voters go to the polls to elect a new president. Just over half the population is under 30, so the six candidates are understandably keen to get the votes of young people. But how are young people going to vote?

• July 08, 2005

  Kyrgyzstan: First-Ever Televised Election Debates Held

  An election poster for Kurmanbek Bakiev Today is the last day of campaigning in Kyrgyzstan ahead of the 10 July presidential election. The campaigning has included a first for the Central Asian country – television debates between the candidates. The six contenders were paired off by drawing lots and the debates were spirited. Yesterday, the front-runner in the presidential race, acting President Kurmanbek Bakiev, faced off against one of his challengers, Akbarali Aitikeev, the president of the union of industrial workers and entrepreneurs.

• July 08, 2005

  Kyrgyzstan: Will Election Be Free, Fair, And Nonviolent?

  An election poster for Bakiev Kyrgyzstan’s 10 July presidential poll looks like a one-sided race in which no candidates pose a serious challenge to the frontrunner, acting President Kurmanbek Bakiev. But there are still many questions surrounding the vote, including whether it will be free and fair and non-violent.

• July 07, 2005

  Kyrgyzstan: Youth Playing Key Role In Pro-Bakiev Political Movement

  Young people in Bishkek Young people played a significant role in the so-called colored revolutions in Georgia and Ukraine. And several youth organizations -- including Kel-Kel and Birge -- emerged in Kyrgyzstan ahead of the March unrest there as well. Youths make up some 56 percent of the Kyrgyz population. So should candidates court their vote ahead of the 10 July presidential election?

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