It is cotton-harvesting time and in fields in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan that means tens of thousands of people are out picking cotton -- whether they like it or not.
Follow all of the latest developments.
This latest episode of the Majlis podcast was taped at the Central Eurasian Studies Society conference at George Washington University.
The Atajurt organization in Kazakhstan has been instrumental in exposing China's alleged mistreatment of ethnic Kazakhs in the Xinjiang region. But Kazakhstan's government was loath to register Atajurt, fearing possible repercussions from Beijing. The sudden registration of Atajurt was a surprise, except the group registered was not the Atajurt organization people know.
Turkmen television has recently been showing fallen officials -- often handcuffed and crying -- as they confess their alleged crimes and shortcomings. This has happened several times in recent months, but such spectacles date back many years in Turkmenistan.
What people wear on their heads in Central Asia is a matter of concern for the governments there. Many women have found themselves in trouble for wearing a hijab, and many men for wearing a beard.
Many people at these protests have voiced concerns about China’s growing economic presence in Kazakhstan. But previous demonstrations have also included criticisms of the number of Chinese workers in the country and Beijing’s treatment of ethnic Kazakhs in China's western Xinjiang region.
For years, lawyers who dared to defend Tajik government opponents have later faced charges of their own. Some are now getting some welcome attention.
Twenty years ago, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan appeared in southern Kyrgyzstan. It was the first, and to date, the only homegrown terrorist group to threaten Central Asia's security since 1991 independence.
The Kyrgyz-Tajik border has been a flashpoint for many years now and the situation is at the least, no better, and some would argue it is worse now than ever before.
For years, rights groups have drawn attention to the dozens of people who have been imprisoned in Turkmenistan and never heard from again.
Gazprom recently signed a contract to buy natural gas from Turkmenistan that the Russian energy giant doesn't really need. Russia might not need the gas so much as it wants the current Turkmen regime to stay in place.
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