Central Asia

Instead of lengthy jail terms, Kazakh authorities have taken to issuing years-long bans on speech and political activity, a tactic that incurs far less international condemnation.

For Kazakhstan, the secondary sanctions risk is not just hypothetical.

Patterns in criticism of government officials reveal how President Tokayev views the chain of responsibility for the fires, but the broader public may disagree.

Although the students see China's tight control of political discussions as a source of extraordinary discipline, they vehemently oppose it.

Although there is much more freedom of speech compared to the Karimov era, ongoing attacks on bloggers and civil society activists show an alarming deteriorating dynamic in Uzbekistan.

In a new political era, boosted by social media, Uzbekistan’s publishers, translators, and book bloggers see rewarding opportunities amid the challenges.

Three years on, the UHRP Act has seen only token implementation. Tokenism isn’t enough to fight a genocide. 

An interview with Chinese diplomacy researcher Giulia Sciorati.

The new attempt uses the phrase "foreign representative" but the implications are the same for Kyrgyzstan's largely foreign-funded NGOs.

Clearing out entrenched corruption – abetted by an autocratic system in which the roads that are paved are those the president walks on – is a monumental task. 

A new wave of arrests in Uzbekistan have centered on religious lectures, songs, and social media posts, calling up memories of the not-so-distant Karimov era.