CentralAsiaCaucasus
Image by Arzu Geybullayeva This story was first published on OC Media’s website. An edited version is republished here under a content partnership agreement. The ruling Georgian Dream party is risking the country's European aspirations ahead of the October parliamentary vote after proposing constitutional amendments that would outlaw queer “propaganda,” including banning public demonstrations or publications that it deemed to “popularize same-sex family or intimate relations.” The proposed changes would also ban gender transitioning. Pundits say the ruling party is throwing the country's EU as...
Global Voices
Illustration by Daniyar Mussirov. Used with permission. This article was written by Almas Kaisar and Nazerke Kurmangazinova for Vlast.kz. An edited version is published on Global Voices under a media partnership agreement. Ethnic Karakalpaks living in Kazakhstan have become the target of detentions and pressure after the July 2022 protests in Nukus, the capital of the autonomous region of Karakalpakstan in Uzbekistan’s northeast. Uzbekistan’s government demanded that activists detained in Kazakhstan be extradited, after accusing them of “calling for mass riots” and “attacks against the constit...
Global Voices
Image by Arzu Geybullayeva This article was first published on OC Media. An edited version is republished here under a content partnership agreement. Azerbaijan's LGBTQI+ community was rocked by the news of yet another murder of a trans woman whose body was found on March 12 on the outskirts of the capital Baku. The news of the murder as well the victim's photos were circulated among the #LGBTQI\+ community. Minority Azerbaijan, an LGBTQI+ rights organisation in a statement asked anyone with additional information to come forward in an attempt to aid the investigation. Meanwhile, LGBTQI+ activ...
Global Voices
Image by Arzu Geybullayeva Azerbaijan and Armenia, two bitter neighboring rivals, are yet to reach a deal that could finally end their three decade long impasse. Even after two wars, a military operation, and a deadly flare-up, the two countries are still negotiating. At the heart of the negotiations is a bilateral agreement proposed by Azerbaijan in May 2022. The deal consists of five principles, which include recognizing each other's territorial integrity, the absence of territorial claims, abstaining from threats, demarcating the border, and opening transportation links. Both countries have...
Global Voices
Poster of the film “Beyish enenin tamanynda” (Heaven is beneath mother's feet). Screenshot from video “Эрлан Андашев – Апа (“OST БЕЙИШ-ЭНЕНИН ТАМАНЫНДА”)” on Erlan Andashev‘s YouTube channel. Fair use. On March 1, a new Kyrgyz movie called “Beyish enenin tamanynda” (Heaven is beneath mother's feet) premiered at movie theaters in Kyrgyzstan. The film tells the story of 35-year-old Adil, whose intellectual growth has stopped at the level of an 8-year-old, and his 75-year-old mother, Raykhan. The viewers are invited to follow their journey as Adil pulls his mother on a cart to take her all the wa...
Global Voices
Image by Arzu Geybullayeva March 12 marks the World Day Against Cyber Censorship, a day to champion the free and open internet, as designated by Reporters Without Borders in 2008. The day draws attention to the digital repression across the globe, especially in countries where governments silence and censor freedom of expression online. Often, in such environments, the repression does not just end with online censorship but is combined with offline persecution. Azerbaijan is one of many countries where these measures are prevalent. Since November, the state has targeted several online media pl...
Global Voices
Illustration showing how the money gets transfered from the National Fund into the budget. Illustration by Daniyar Mussirov. Used with permission. This article was written by Dmitriy Mazorenko for Vlast.kz. An edited version is published on Global Voices under a media partnership agreement. Kazakhstan’s National Fund started in 2000 as a safety net for the government to be used in times of crisis. However, even during economically “good times” the government has continued to prop up its budget through withdrawals from it. This goes against President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s promise to impose gr...
Global Voices
Image by Arzu Geybullayeva When a video footage of a high school student being ruthlessly bullied by her former classmate resurfaced on social networks in Azerbaijan in February 2024, it served as a reminder that bullying remains an ongoing issue that the state — which says that the issue is not solely theirs to resolve — has done little to address. In a recent press interview, Chairperson of the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs Bahar Muradova said that “what happened was not due to lack of [preventive] work,” but “so long as people and society exist, bullying will remain...
Global Voices
People gathering for a Friday prayer outside the Minor Mosque in Tashkent. Photo by the author. Used with permission. On February 2, the police in Uzbekistan’s capital, Tashkent, arrested at least 10 bearded men and took them to a police station, where they were forced to shave off their beards under the threat of imprisonment. The incident occurred at the Malika market, specializing in selling home appliances and electronics, when the shop owners returned to their workplace after attending Friday prayer at the nearby mosque. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Uzbek service Radio Ozodlik, which...
Global Voices
Screenshot from the movie trailer. Imagine a story where intrigue and politics collide, revealing a world where influence is bought and sold behind closed doors. This isn't fiction; it's the real-life saga of Azerbaijan'sefforts to polish its image on the European stage despite its poor track record on human rights and freedoms. At the heart of this tale is both Azerbaijan, a country rich in energy resources and scrutinized over its ruling government’s authoritarian practices, but also European countries, known as champions of democracy, rule of law, and human rights, who have long been mentor...
Global Voices
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