Tag Archives: society

Kazakh government accused of torture

JULY 11 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Human rights lobby group Amnesty International released a report accusing the Kazakh government of using torture on prisoners. The report focused on people detained during the 2011 clashes between protesters and police in Zhanaozen, west Kazakhstan. The Kazakh government has previously refuted allegations of torture.

ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved

(News report from Issue No. 143, published on July 15 2013)

Azerbaijan eases mortgages for the youth

JULY 10 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Azerbaijan will use $5b from its sovereign wealth fund to help young people get mortgages, a senior official from the presidential administration said. The announcement, coming shortly before a presidential election, could help young people buy a house or an apartment in Baku, an increasingly expensive property market.

ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved

(News report from Issue No. 143, published on July 15 2013)

Kazakhstan celebrates Astana Day

JULY 6 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Kazakhstan celebrated the 15th anniversary of its capital city, Astana. Astana Day, as it has been dubbed, coincides with celebrations for President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s birthday. His critics say that he is creating a cult of personality and that Astana has been built in his image.

ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved

(News report from Issue No. 143, published on July 15 2013)

More protests in Kyrgyzstan over gold mine

JUNE 27 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Roughly 500 people protested near the Kumtor gold mine in east Kyrgyzstan, media reported, the latest in a series of protests against the Canadian owners of the mine. The protesters want the mine nationalised. Toronto-listed Centerra Gold owns Kumtor, the biggest industrial project in Kyrgyzstan. The Kyrgyz government owns a third of Centerra Gold.

ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved

(News report from Issue No. 141, published on July 1 2013)

Kyrgyzstan produces historical movie

JUNE 25 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Following its neighbour Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan will produce a historical film promoting its national values, media reported. The film called “Queen of the mountains” will cost $1.5m and will tell the story of a Kyrgyz noblewoman who saves her nation from Russian imperial forces in the 1870s.

ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved

(News report from Issue No. 141, published on July 1 2013)

Turkmenistan recognises Russian citizenship

JUNE 16 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Turkmenistan will give passports to people who also hold dual Turkmen-Russian citizenship, media reported. The announcement potentially ends a 10-year feud and will soothe strained relations with Russia. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that in 2003 Turkmenistan’s parliament voted to annul dual Turkmen-Russian citizenship.

ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved

(News report from Issue No. 140, published on June 24 2013)

Vodka drinking still high in Kazakhstan

JUNE 17 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Kazakhs drink 5.9 litres of vodka per person each year, the fifth highest in the world, the Economist magazine reported. Russians drink the most vodka with annual consumption of 13.9 litres per person. The high volume of vodka drunk in Kazakhstan reflects increased personal wealth and drinking habits.

ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved

(News report from Issue No. 140, published on June 24 2013)

Adoption ban in Kazakhstan affects US citizens

JUNE 12 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Kazakhstan intends to maintain a ban on US citizens adopting Kazakh infants, Raissa Sher, head of the commission for children’s rights at the Kazakh education ministry told media. The ban has been in place since July 2012 when two Kazakh orphans were found apparently abandoned in a care home in the US.

ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved

(News report from Issue No. 139, published on June 17 2013)

Kazakhstan undergoes a pension reform

JUNE 11 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — The Kazakh government wants to modernise its pension system. Among other things this means making women work five years longer until they are 63, in line with men.

The logic appears simple but the issue has hit a nerve and triggered a rare show of ground-level dissent.

But, if the public dissent was rare, the government’s climb-down has been little short of extraordinary.

On June 11 Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, ever watchful for an opportunity to flourish his man-of-the-people credentials, sacked labour minister Serik Abdenov who had been charged with pushing through the pension reforms.

Mr Abdenov had cut an increasingly forlorn and isolated figure. Audiences have openly laughed at him, he has stumbled over his words when trying to explain the reforms and a protester has pelted him with eggs.

But the climb-down didn’t stop there.

Mr Nazarbayev has also said that the entire pension reform needs to be looked at once again and suggested that the changes should come into effect in 2018 and not in 2014. Since Mr Nazarbayev’s intervention state-influenced media have been putting out stories suggesting that the pension reforms have gone too far.

In Kazakhstan, this is code for a rare government U-turn.

ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved

(News report from Issue No. 139, published on June 17 2013)

Kazakhstan starts bicycle-taxi programme

JUNE 13 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Perhaps looking to both its green credentials, the Kazakh authorities said they want to introduce bicycle-taxis from 2014, media reported. The first German-designed bicycle-taxis will trial in Pavlodar, north Kazakhstan, before appearing in Astana and Almaty.

ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved

(News report from Issue No. 139, published on June 17 2013)