Majlis

On October 25, Kyrgyzstan’s draft law on noncommercial organizations was adopted by parliament in its first reading. The bill has been criticized by domestic and international rights groups, but if it passes through two more readings it will become law. There is another controversial bill on media that will be reviewed soon by parliament. Both draft laws are close copies of similar laws in Russia that the Kremlin used to silence critical voices. Even without these laws being in effect, the activities of independent media outlets, and other groups, are already increasingly restricted in Kyrgyzstan.

Joining host Bruce Pannier to discuss how Kyrgyzstan’s laws are being used to pressure media and civil society organizations are Jasmine Cameron, senior legal adviser for Europe and Eurasia with the American Bar Association's Justice Defenders Program; and Aibek Askarbekov, a Bishkek-based lawyer specializing in political, civil rights, and noncommercial law.

It's no secret that kleptocracy is a problem in every Central Asian country. The presidents, their families, and close associates all seem to live very well while their populations can barely make ends meet. Might sanctions help rein in these excesses? Joining host Bruce Pannier to discuss this issue are guests Eldiyar Arykbaev, senior investigative reporter and coordinator for Central Asia at the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project; Tom Mayne, a research fellow at Oxford University and co-investigator on the Providing the Evidence and Analysis for a UK Counter-Kleptocracy Strategy project; and Leila Seiitbek, chairwoman of the NGO Freedom for Eurasia and a member of the working group advocating for a global Every Woman treaty to end all forms of violence against women and girls.

The Tajik government is now, arguably, the most repressive in Central Asia. Tajik authorities punish the relatives of opposition figures, critics, activists, and journalists who flee to escape persecution. In some cases, fleeing Tajikistan does not ensure safety. A new report from Crude Accountability details how Tajik authorities secure the forcible repatriation of perceived opponents, who then vanish in prison. Joining host Bruce Pannier to discuss the Tajik government’s tactics of repression are guests Steve Swerdlow, a rights lawyer currently teaching the practice of human rights at the University of Southern California and the author of the Crude Accountability report; and Bahtiyor Safarov, founder of the U.S.-based firm Central Asia Consulting, who is originally from eastern Tajikistan's Gorno-Badakhshan region.

A woman outside Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek, was savagely attacked by her ex-husband in late September, and will be permanently disfigured as a result. Since the attack, many troubling facts have emerged about lenient treatment by Kyrgyz courts of men who commit violent acts against women, and police who don’t seem interested in acting on complaints of domestic violence. How is the legal system failing women and girls in Kyrgyzstan, and why does the situation seem so resistant to change? Joining host Bruce Pannier to look at this problem are guests Aksana Ismailbekova, a research fellow at Leibniz-Zentrum-Moderner Orient; Adina Masalbekova, a nonresident EUCAM research fellow at the Centre for European Security Studies; and Leila Seiitbek, chairwoman of the NGO Freedom for Eurasia and a member of the working group advocating for a global Every Woman treaty to end all forms of violence against women and girls.

Kazakhstan’s Finance Ministry recently posted a list of organizations and individuals in the country who receive foreign funding. Critics point to similar moves by Russia a decade ago that led to the enactment of "foreign agent" laws that allowed the Kremlin to close down many civil society groups, rights organizations, and independent media. What’s behind the Kazakh authorities' decision to publish the list? Joining host Bruce Pannier to discuss are guests Mihra Rittmann, senior Central Asia researcher for Human Rights Watch; Ivar Dale, senior policy adviser at the Norwegian Helsinki Committee; and Yevgeny Zhovtis, veteran rights activist and director of the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law. Both Zhovtis' and Dale's organizations are included on Kazakhstan’s list.

On September 19, U.S. President Joe Biden met with the five Central Asian leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York -- a first for the six countries. For over 20 years after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, U.S.-Central Asian

ties focused heavily on security cooperation. Security was still part of the discussion at the summit, but other issues received equal, if not more attention. What is the state of U.S.-Central Asian relations now? Joining host Bruce Pannier to look at what the summit tells us about U.S.-Central Asian ties are guests Laura Kennedy, former U.S. ambassador to

Turkmenistan, Eileen Malloy, former U.S. ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, and William Courtney, former U.S. ambassador to Kazakhstan.

The presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan met in Dushanbe on September 14-15 at a time of great uncertainty in Central Asia. The ripple effects from Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine are changing the geopolitical landscape in Central Asia, even as climate change has already started affecting the physical landscape of the region as well. Joining host Bruce Pannier to look at the Central Asian leaders’ discussions in Dushanbe are Edward Lemon, professor at the Bush School in Washington, D.C. and president of the Oxus Society, and Temur Umarov, a fellow at the Carnegie Russia-Eurasia Center in Berlin.

Since late October 2022, when more than two dozen opposition politicians, activists, and journalists were detained, the Kyrgyz government has been going after perceived opponents and critics. Investigative journalist Bolot Temirov was deported in November; the government blocked RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service websites and froze its bank account from late October 2022 until July this year; and the campaign continues. Between August 28 and September 7, Kyrgyz authorities moved to shut down an independent media outlet, detained a leading opposition member of parliament, and prepared to strip the Constitutional Court of its powers over a previous ruling that supported women’s rights. Joining host Bruce Pannier to discuss these recent moves by the Kyrgyz government to tighten its grip over the country are Erica Marat, an associate professor at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C.; and Syinat Sultanalieva, Central Asia researcher for Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan at Human Rights Watch.

Turkmenistan has added another dubious distinction to its reputation: methane gas super-emitter. Satellite images have shown massive methane gas emissions for the last two years. Turkmen authorities have hinted they are taking measures, but there doesn't seem to be any improvement. How is the situation affecting the health of the Turkmen people? Joining host Bruce Pannier are Kate Watters, co-founder and executive director at Crude Accountability, an organization working to protect the environmental and human rights of people in oil- and gas-producing countries such as Turkmenistan; and Aynabat Yaylymova, founder and executive director of the Progres Foundation, which has been working to improve public health literacy in Turkmenistan over the last 12 years.

Kazakh officials are moving forward with plans to build the country’s first nuclear power plant, although unsurprisingly, there is public opposition. On August 29, 1949, the Soviet Union exploded its first atomic bomb over an area in northeastern Kazakhstan. Over the next 40 years, there were 455 more tests in the same area and the effects of the radiation continue to cause suffering today. Joining host Bruce Pannier to talk about Kazakhstan’s nuclear legacy is Togzhan Kassenova, author of the widely acclaimed book Atomic Steppe: How Kazakhstan Gave Up the Bomb.