Kazakhstan - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Latest Kazakhstan News

Inmates' Relatives Protest After Reports Of Self-Mutilations

Dozens of inmates' relatives are protesting outside a maximum security prison in the central Kazakh town of Qarazhal following media reports about self-mutilations by dozens of inmates. More

RFE/RL Kazakh Reporter Released

A Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) correspondent, who was detained in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana, while covering a protest, has been released after spending several hours in custody. More

Terror Suspects On Trial In Kazakhstan

Eight local men have gone on trial in Kazakhstan's western city of Atyrau on terrorism charges. More

Deputy Education Minister Sayat Shayakhmetov (center) in a public appearance from late April

Kazakh Deputy Minister Arrested

Kazakhstan's deputy education minister, Sayat Shayakhmetov, has been arrested and charged with embezzlement. More

Six On Trial In Kazakhstan For Islamic Extremism

Six men accused of religious extremism have gone on trial in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana. More

More Kazakhstan News

Latest Blog Posts

Aliya Nazarbaeva is touted as the "successor of her father

Daughter's Film Touts Kazakh President’s Green Credentials

New York film buffs can get a taste of Eurasia this week as the New York Eurasian Film festival opens. Among the offerings -- a film touting Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev’s role in spearheading "green development" as a solution to a “worldwide crisis.” The producer of the film is none other than his youngest daughter, Aliya Nazarbaeva. More

A still from the film "Harmony Lessons" by director Emir Baigazin shows the main character, Aslan, played by amateur actor Timur Aidarbekov.

Kazakhstan's 'Harmony Lessons' Wins Over Tribeca Critics, Crowds

Young Kazakh director Emir Baigazin continues to impress in the West, with reviewers at this week's Tribeca Film Festival describing his debut film, "Harmony Lessons," in glowing terms. More

Blog Archive

Features & Commentary

Amnesty International says abusive governments can no longer use the issue of sovereignty to justify their actions.

Amnesty Report Notes Worldwide Abuses, As Well As Courage Of Activists

In a new report, the global rights group Amnesty International documents abuses in 159 countries and territories that it says were "inflicted by those in power on those who stand in the way of their vested interests."

In Kazakhstan, Spending Saturday Night In The Gulag

A museum of the Stalin-era prison camp system in central Kazakhstan has given visitors a night-time tour, where they were "treated" to prison meals and a performance of mock interrogations.

Disabled antinuclear activist Karipbek Kuyukov was born in the eastern Kazakh region of Semey, formerly known as Semipalatinsk, which was used by the Soviet Union to test nuclear weapons.

Armless Kazakh Artist Says 'Poor-Quality' Fingerprints Cost Him British Visa

An armless Kazakh artist says he was denied a British visa recently because he was unable to provide fingerprints. Karipbek Kuyukov says British authorities returned his passport without issuing him a visa due to the poor quality of his fingerprints.

An HIV center in the southern Kyrgyz city of Osh

Interview: Lack Of Data On Gay Men Impedes HIV Fight In Central Asia

In recent years, the countries of Central Asia have experienced some of the fastest growing rates of HIV infection in the world. One of the key populations at risk is men who have sex with men.

Kyrgyz farmer Baktybek Kupeshov cobbles together makeshift tractors from bits of old Soviet-era cars.

Aging Farm Machinery Hampers Central Asian Productivity

In parts of Central Asia, obsolete farm machinery keeps agricultural production low. A look at Kyrgyzstan shows how much.

Many Kazakh traders travel across the border to China to buy goods to sell at home in local markets.

On The Road With Kazakhstan’s Women Shuttle Traders

Women shuttle traders in Kazakhstan travel far and wide to provide for their families. Their grassroots role in the market economy has earned them thanks and praise from everyday citizens -- there are even plans in motion to erect a monument in their honor.

"A huge problem with alcohol," is how the report

Low Life Expectancy Continues To Plague Former Soviet Countries

The dramatic drop in life expectancy in Russia and much of the former Soviet Union has yet to be reversed, according to a recent study.

Roya Rafiyeva with her son, Shakir, and the family cockatiel

'It's Really Hard': Working Mothers Talk, From Tajikistan To Czech Republic

The question of how women balance work and child care is a topic of intense debate worldwide. In honor of International Women's Day on March 8, we look at the lives of working mothers in Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Montenegro, Iraq, Ukraine, Tatarstan, and the Czech Republic.

Sotheby’s Exhibit Taps Into Art – And Money – Of Caucasus, Central Asia

A new exhibition set to open on March 4 at the Sotheby’s auction house in London will offer a sale of nearly 50 works of Soviet and contemporary art from Central Asia and the Caucasus. For the artists, it’s an opportunity for exposure and profit. And for Sotheby’s, it’s a chance to find potential new clients among the post-Soviet super rich.

RFE/RL's Radio Azattyq has been an important source of information for people in Kazakhstan for decades. In 2009, Azattyq won the prestigious 2009 Online Journalism Award for "standing in defense of citizen’s rights to seek and receive information."