Tag Archives: law

Azerbaijani president approves tourism plan

MARCH 31 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev approved an action plan that is designed to boost beach tourism in the country, media reported. The plan will run to 2020 and is designed to improve infrastructure for tourists wanting beach holidays along Azerbaijan’s Caspian Sea coast. A sharp fall in the price of oil has forced Azerbaijan to try to diversify its revenue streams.

ENDS

Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved

(News report from Issue No. 323, published on April 6 2017)

Uzbek authorities soften punishments

MARCH 30 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Uzbek president Shavkat Mirziyoyev has signed into law bills that soften sentences for some crimes and also cuts pre-trial detention times, state- run media reported. If the laws are upheld it will mark a victory for human rights activists who have long complained about Uzbekistan. Mr Mirziyoyev is trying to unwind some of the worst excesses of Islam Karimov’s rule.

ENDS

Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved

(News report from Issue No. 323, published on April 6 2017)

 

Georgian parliament overrides presidential veto

MARCH 23 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Georgia’s president overrode a veto by President Giorgi Margvelashvili over a bill that will give the government far reaching surveillance powers. Mr Margvelashvili had objected to the bill because he said it was too expensive to create an agency solely to increase surveillance of people suspected of aiding and abetting terrorism and also of criminals. He also said, and this was possibly his main point, that it was unclear if the new agency would be independent. Relations between Mr Margvelashvili and the Georgian Dream government are strained.

ENDS

Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved

(News report from Issue No. 322, published on March 27 2017)

Kazakhs do not express concerns about constitutional changes

ALMATY, MARCH 20 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Betraying a lack of interest in politics, most people in Almaty who spoke to The Conway Bulletin about changes to the Kazakh constitution made earlier this month just shrugged their shoulders.

Some were concerned that Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev made the changes to hand more power to parliament without consultation but they were in the minority.

Aigerim, a 25-year-old woman working in service sector, said casually: “I haven’t heard of the constitutional changes. I don’t know, I couldn’t care less. They will decide [do what they want] anyway, they will not ask us.”

There was also a degree of scepticism over how much power parliament will really be given.

Malik, 60, said: “Parliament will not be given decision-making power, it is just formality. Nazarbayev is and will be the only person in power.”

These views were echoed by most people that the Bulletin spoke to, although the issue of land ownership has dominated some discussion groups.

Land is a touchy subject in Kazakhstan. Last year, people protested in several cities across the country against a change to the law that was going to give foreigners improved rights to land ownership in Kazakhstan. The constitutional changes brought in by Mr Nazarbayev hasn’t touched the issue of land rights but that didn’t stop it dominating conversations.

Rabiga, a pensioner, said: “I do care, I have my family living here. I have heard of (the constitutional changes) but don’t know the details. But I heard there was one article on land that is changed from citizen to anybody. I have read about it a lot.”

Most analysts said that Mr Nazarbayev has tinkered with the constitution to try to split power between a number of people in order to avoid any one person dominating Kazakh politics when he leaves. The 76-year-old hasn’t yet unveiled plans for his accession.

ENDS

Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved

(News report from Issue No. 321, published on March 20 2017)

Tajik court increases lawyers sentence

MARCH 26 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — A court in Tajikistan extended by two years a jail sentence imposed on human rights lawyer Buzurgmehr Yorov who was imprisoned in October 2016 for 23 years for allegedly calling for a coup. At his trial, Yorov called the allegations against him politically motivated. He then read out a verse from a poem likening officials to fools, leading to a charge of contempt of court and the additional two year prison sentence which have now been passed down.

ENDS

Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved

(News report from Issue No. 321, published on March 20 2017)

Venice commission praises Kazakh constitution amendments

MARCH 14 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — The Venice Commission, the Council of Europe’s constitutional analysis unit, said that amendments made to the Kazakh constitution by President Nursultan Nazarbayev earlier this year were “a clear step forward”. Without consulting ordinary Kazakhs, Mr Nazarbayev transferred some powers, mainly looking after domestic briefs such as education and pension reforms, to parliament, keeping state affairs such as security and foreign policy under the president’s remit. “There can be no doubt that the reform goes in the right direction and constitutes a clear step forward. Other steps should follow in the future,” the Venice Commission said in a statement.

ENDS

Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved

(News report from Issue No. 321, published on March 20 2017)

Kyrgyz MPs reject hunting ban

MARCH 20 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Kyrgyzstan’s parliament voted 56 to 52 against banning hunting of endangered deer and other animals (March 16). The vote angered environmentalists but pleased businesses who said a ban would be impossible to police and cost thousands of dollars. Eurasianet said 69 licences were given out last year to hunt deer while there were 520 reported incidences of illegal hunting.

ENDS

Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved

(News report from Issue No. 321, published on March 20 2017)

Azerbaijani authorities arrest two for spying

FEB. 24 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Azerbaijan’s security service said that they had arrested two nationals Elsan Amirli and Elcin Babayev for spying. It said that the two men had been collecting information on the country’s security services on behalf of another country. It did not name the other country. The two men have been charged with treason.

ENDS

Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved

(News report from Issue No. 318, published on Feb.24 2017)

Georgian court frees two men imprisoned for 11 years

FEB. 20 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — A court in Georgia overturned a murder conviction against two men who have spent the last 11 years in prison. The men Giorgi Gvichiani and Nika Chemia were convicted of murdering Nikoloz Lominadze, financial director of the electricity producer Telasi, in 2002. On their release, they said that they had been wrongly arrested and convicted of the murder to distract and cover up other high-profile murders linked to politics.

ENDS

Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved

(News report from Issue No. 318, published on Feb.24 2017)

Georgian parliament rejects presidential amendments

FEB. 9 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Georgia’s parliament, dominated by the Dream Dream Coalition, voted overwhelmingly against amendments proposed by President Giorgi Margvelashvili to a bill which he said would impair the impartiality of judges. He had sent a bill drawn up by the Georgian Dream back for a second look. Georgian Dream have a so-called Constitutional Majority, controlling more than 3/4 of the seats in the 150-seat chamber.

ENDS

Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved

(News report from Issue No. 316, published on Feb. 10 2017)