Kyrgyzstan

On the run since 2018, former immigration lawyer Danhong “Jean” Chen was recently detained in Kyrgyzstan and extradited to the United States.

With final documents ready for ratification and then presidential signatures, contemporary Central Asia’s bloodiest conflict nears a conclusion. 

Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are closing in on the conclusion of their long-running border dispute. What does the prospect mean to locals?

The powers-that-be in Washington, elected and unelected alike, are parroting the same language used by Central Asian and Russian autocrats about RFE/RL.

Activist Tilekmat Kudaibergen uulu is the latest Kyrgyz dissident to face pressure from authorities while abroad. 

The hydropower project in Kyrgyzstan has tapped into the region’s thirst for cooperation.

When he was extradited to Kyrgyzstan earlier this year, Matraimov was alleged to be connected to an opaque assassination plot. He just got off with a fine for hooliganism. 

Prior to his arrest, Samat Matsakov worked on several high-profile cases involving critics of the government. 

After a long legal battle, the rapist of a 16-year-old disabled girl in Kyrgyzstan was sentenced to 11 years in prison. The case illustrates how difficult justice is to achieve, even in the most horrific of crimes.

Despite a ban on rallies in much of Bishkek since March 2022, there have actually been rallies, protests, and even riots in the country in recent years.

The two sides say they’ve reached an agreement and fully completed the description of their mutual border. The next steps will be even more difficult.

In hindsight, the Manas base marked the apogee of American influence in Kyrgyzstan.

“Let’s write about our country in a positive light and try to focus less on negative news,” Cabinet head Akylbek Japarov said.

Banning domestic vape sales while preserving manufacturing for export may simply serve to expand the shadow market and line the pockets of customs officials. 

The countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus are being used to facilitate the transfer of sanctioned goods into Russia, including allegedly 13,000 kilos of chemical products recently seized in Barcelona.

Of the 11 journalists charged in a case that has drawn heavy criticism, two received prison sentences, two probation, and seven were acquitted.

Work on Kyrgyzstan’s North-South Alternative Highway, an ambitious project to speed up travel throughout the mountainous country and help connect its disparate regions, may finally be coming to an end.

Akayev has the dual distinction of having been independent Kyrgyzstan’s first president and also its first president to be ousted in a popular revolution.

Amid increased migration regulations and enforcement, the Kyrgyz government urged citizens to “temporarily refrain” from traveling to Russia unless they have “compelling reasons” to do so.

Kloop co-founder Rinat Tukhvatshin has vowed to "continue to publish the most in-depth investigations, the most balanced news, and the most incisive columns.”

The May mob violence targeting South Asian students in Kyrgyzstan’s capital was deeply jarring for the community of Indian and Pakistani expats that have made Bishkek their home. 

Bishkek is barreling down a slippery slope, with a history of judging as “false” reports the government simply doesn’t like the tone of. 

Cargo reportedly originating in Kyrgyzstan was found to be concealing nearly 1,000 pounds of heroin when examined in a Bulgarian port. 

The musician’s social commentary is entirely within the grand tradition of Kyrgyz akyns going back centuries. But speaking up is risky business in Kyrgyzstan these days.