A new report by the New York-based group Human Rights Watch (HRW) warns of a "democracy charade" in which Western governments allow autocratic leaders to get away with masquerading as democrats, mastering the art of democratic talk while indulging in distinctly undemocratic practices like electoral fraud and media censorship.
Once friendly with Tashkent, the West put its relations with Uzbekistan into deep freeze following the 2005 Andijon massacre. But memories of that tragedy might be fading with signs of rapprochement.
The girlfriend of a former British ambassador to Tashkent is staging her life story in a London theater. While the ex-stripper says her performance is an attempt to change her image, it also shines a bright light on Uzbekistan's brutal government.
German journalist Marcus Bensmann was found unconscious in the snow on the outskirts of Astana on Sunday (January 20) morning, having been severely beaten and robbed. Bensmann had made a name for himself as an independent and outspoken journalist, often criticizing the authoritarian practices of some Central Asian governments.
International pressure on Uzbekistan for its use of child labor in its cotton industry has been building for months. Now, it appears to have reached a tipping point.
2007 was a bad year for freedom, according to a prominent rights-advocacy organization that has registered a global decline in political rights and civil liberties for the second consecutive year.
Heavy snow. Deadly avalanches. Impassable roads. And temperatures below -20 Celsius. Tajikistan is suffering through a fierce winter, made even worse by crippling energy shortages and high prices for food and fuel. The dire situation is leaving already beleaguered Tajiks feeling less-than-warm thoughts about the authorities.
Kyrgyz officials are looking for answers, but their behavior since discovering radioactive material aboard a train bound for Iran has raised questions. Why, for example, did it take them nine days to announce the discovery of the material?
Uzbek President Islam Karimov has won the country's presidential vote. But some international monitors say the poll was far from meeting democratic standards.
Voting has ended in Uzbekistan in a virtually uncontested presidential election. President Islam Karimov, who has faced widespread criticism for human-rights abuses during his 18-year rule, is widely expected to win a third term.
Voting is under way in Uzbekistan in a virtually uncontested presidential election. President Islam Karimov, who has faced widespread Western criticism for human rights abuses, is expected to win a third term.
Uzbek President Islam Karimov's reelection appears a foregone conclusion despite two previous terms that many think should disqualify him.
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