Kazakhstan

Astana is betting heavily on the Middle Corridor as a route to access the international energy market without Russia.

The criminal codes of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan focus on violence in defining rape, rather than the lack of consent. 

An attack on a journalist highlights the difficult environment for the press.

As expected, following last summer’s constitutional referendum dropping references to “elbasy,” many of the First President’s other special privileges are ending.

CICA is undergoing an overhaul internally in the hopes of taking “a prominent place in the comprehensive security architecture of the Asian continent and the world.”

The war in Ukraine, in particular, is putting a drag on economies across Central Asia.

Zhanargul Zhumatai, a Kazakh artist and former editor, lives in fear of being rearrested by the Chinese authorities at any time. 

All three countries have suffered from energy shortages this winter, underscoring the need for new sources across the region.

Almaty’s journalists witnessed Kazakhstan’s largest city roil with protests, peaceful at first, then become engulfed in deepening anger and shocking violence. 

The legal battle for justice for those arbitrarily detained and those who were brutally tortured during Kazakhstan’s Bloody January imploded before it started.

In two southern Kazakhstan cities, the January protests devolved into shocking violence, from the use of live ammunition against protesters to police beatings of those detained.