Majlis

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron just completed an official trip to all five Central Asian states. For Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, this was the first time a British foreign secretary had ever visited. In this episode of the Majlis podcast, we look at Cameron’s Central Asia tour, what he was offering to his hosts, and what he was able to accomplish during the trip. Joining host Bruce Pannier are guests Aijan Sharshenova, a research fellow at the Bishkek-based think tank Crossroads Central Asia; Ben Godwin, the head of analysis at PRISM Political Risk Management, who lived and worked in Kazakhstan for seven years and continues to monitor events there; and Luca Anceschi, professor of Central Asian studies at Glasgow University and author of several books on Central Asia.

Can an authoritarian government's policies contribute to its citizens becoming terrorists? Tajik President Emomali Rahmon’s government has received financial and security aid from many governments and for more than three decades, in an effort to keep Tajikistan from becoming a second Afghanistan or Syria. During that time, Rahmon has exploited these concerns to crush all potential opposition and allow his family to take control of nearly every profitable business in the country. In recent months, a few dozen citizens of Tajikistan have carried out -- or been accused of carrying out or abetting -- terrorist attacks in several countries. Should the Tajik government also be held responsible? Joining host Bruce Pannier to discuss this are guests Marius Fossum, the regional representative in Central Asia for the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, and Steve Swerdlow, a rights lawyer with long experience in Central Asia and currently an associate professor of the practice of human rights at the University of Southern California.

Russian security forces arrested several Tajik citizens in the wake of the March 22 attack on the Crocus City Hall outside Moscow that left more than 140 dead, claiming they were the perpetrators of the massacre. The news touched off a wave of xenophobia against Central Asian migrant laborers in Russia, with most of the suspicion and hostility directed toward ethnic Tajiks. This overt racism is also spilling over into Tajik-Russian relations. Joining host Bruce Pannier to discuss these matters and more are Edward Lemon, a professor at Texas A&M University and president of the Oxus Society for Central Asia; and Salimjon Aioubov, director of RFE/RL’s Tajik Service.

In the first two weeks of March, Turkmenistan has been unusually active in promoting its potential as a natural-gas supplier. Among the countries Turkmen officials have named as potential customers are Azerbaijan, Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Kazakhstan. Why is Turkmenistan suddenly so interested in finding new markets for its gas, and what are the chances any of these countries might become importers of Turkmen gas? Joining host Bruce Pannier to discuss these questions are guests John Roberts, one of Europe’s leading specialists on the Middle East, Russian, Caspian, Turkish, and Kurdish energy security issues; and Farruh Yusupov, the director of RFERL’s Turkmen Service, known locally as Azatlyk.

Karakalpak activists are experiencing problems in Kazakhstan and in Europe. Trouble started after Uzbek security forces brutally suppressed a peaceful protest over the region’s sovereignty within Uzbekistan in Nukus, capital of the Karakalpakstan Sovereign Republic, in July 2022. This year, a Karakalpak activists died in Kazakhstan while another is currently detained there. Two more activists in Europe face possible deportation. Joining host Bruce Pannier are Arzu, a pseudonym for a Karakalpak activist now living outside Uzbekistan; Catherine Putz, managing editor at The Diplomat magazine; Leila Seiitbek, chairwoman of the NGO Freedom For Eurasia; and noted human rights lawyer Steve Swerdlow. (Note: Arzu’s comments have been voiced over to protect family and friends in Karakalpakstan.)

A court in Kyrgyzstan ordered the closure of Kloop Media on February 9. The court’s ruling came after a series of state-selected “experts” testified on court that Kloop’s reporting was having a negative psychological effect on Kyrgyzstan’s people. The ruling against Kloop sends a chilling message to independent outlets and journalists, who were already bracing for the possible adoption of two draft laws—one on media, the other on NGOs—that would give Kyrgyz authorities even greater latitude to limit independent journalism. Joining host Bruce Pannier to discuss the court’s decision against Kloop and what it means for media freedom in Kyrgyzstan are guests Gulnoza Said, the Europe and Central Asia coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists and Muzaffar Suleymanov, program officer in the Eurasia Department at the Swedish-based organization Civil Rights Defenders.

On January 29-30, Brussels hosted an Investors Forum for European Union-Central Asia Transport Connectivity. At the forum, EU officials announced that European and international investors would commit 10 billion euros ($10.8 billion) in support and investments toward transport connectivity between Europe and Central Asia, as part of the EU’s Global Gateway trade network. The money will go toward a wide assortment of projects -- from roads and railways to renewable energy resources. Joining host Bruce Pannier to discuss what is in this 10-billion-euro package are guests Samuel Doveri Vesterbye, director of the European Neighborhood Council, and Kestutis Jankauskas, the European Union’s ambassador to Kazakhstan.

While Kyrgyzstan's independent media scene has been slowly deteriorating for two years, January 15 marked a turning point with raids by law enforcement officers at media outlets and homes of journalists. At least 11 people were detained and ordered into police custody for two months. Kyrgyzstan’s parliament is again considering a restrictive draft media law compared to legislation used by Russia to shut down media outlets there. Joining host Bruce Pannier to look at the crackdown on Kyrgyzstan’s independent media and what might be coming if the draft media law is approved are guests Tattuububu Ergeshbaeva, director of the Tandem - Lawyers' Community and Syinat Sultanalieva, Central Asia researcher for Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan at Human Rights Watch.

Kyrgyzstan has changed its national flag. It was clear from the time the idea of altering the flag was first proposed in September 2023 that the country’s president, Sadyr Japarov, wanted the change. There was strong opposition from many of the country’s citizens, but that met with a very aggressive response from authorities and very quickly the idea became a reality. The process by which Kyrgyzstan’s flag was changed is especially interesting because it illustrates more broadly how the country has been governed since President Japarov came to power. Joining host Bruce Pannier to discuss Kyrgyzstan’s new flag and what it says about the current Kyrgyz government’s methods are guests Leila Seiitbek, chairwoman of the NGO Freedom for Eurasia, and Admir Kurman, who is from Kyrgyzstan, but currently works in London as an innovation strategist.

It has been more than 30 years since the five Central Asian states became independent, yet the term “Russia’s backyard” is often still used by some people, including Western media, when reporting on the region. Understandably, many in Central Asia find this way of describing their region offensive. Yet Russia remains a neighbor and a country with unique influence in Central Asia. How far has Central Asia come in being independent from Russia and what are some of the ties that still bind the region to its former colonizer? Joining host Bruce Pannier to discuss the ebb and flow of Central Asia’s relations with Russia in the last two years are guests Johan Engvall, an analyst at the Stockholm Center for Eastern European Studies; Navbahor Imamova, veteran correspondent for the Uzbek Service at Voice of America, and Temur Umarov, a fellow at the Carnegie Russia-Eurasia Center in Berlin.

Central Asia has never enjoyed so much international attention as it has since Russia launched its full-scale war on Ukraine. The search for new, non-Russian trade routes and energy resources to replace Russian oil and gas supplies is leading many countries to strengthen their ties with the Central Asian states. One sign of this is the world tour the Central Asian leaders (as members of the C5 group of states) have been on in 2023, traveling to meet with heads of state in China, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Germany, and other countries. This new popularity has changed the fortunes of the Central Asian countries, but also the manner in which the leaders govern their countries. Joining host Bruce Pannier to discuss all this are guests Catherine Putz, managing editor at The Diplomat magazine, Nargis Kassenova, senior fellow and director of the program on Central Asia at Harvard Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, and Luca Anceschi, professor of Central Asian studies at Glasgow University.

Since Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev came to power in late 2016, he has often exhorted journalists to draw attention to corruption and other problems in the country. Mirziyoev has promised he would “stand behind” journalists and media outlets. However, the Uzbek president has been nowhere in sight recently as bloggers in the country have been arrested and given long prison sentences -- in some cases longer sentences than people in Uzbekistan convicted for violent crimes receive. Joining host Bruce Pannier to discuss are guests Umida Niyazova, director at the Germany-based Uzbek Forum for Human Rights, and Steve Swerdlow, a rights lawyer with many years of experience in Central Asia who is currently an associate professor of the practice of human rights at the University of Southern California.

The government's announcement of a new tax regime for local bazaars and markets sparked an unexpected backlash, with protests erupting in towns and cities across Kyrgyzstan. President Sadyr Japarov's government has made it difficult for people to gather and criticize the authorities' actions; the merchants' protests ended a long period without any large demonstrations. What was behind this public display of dissatisfaction, and what does it say about the culture of protest in Kyrgyzstan, a country that has seen three presidents chased from power as a result of street demonstrations? Joining host Bruce Pannier to discuss the issue are Asel Doolotkeldieva, nonresident fellow at George Washington University; and Medet Tiulegenov, senior research fellow at the University of Central Asia in Bishkek.

December 3 is International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Central Asian countries have all ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and are moving toward implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Two of those goals are: quality education for all; and decent work and economic growth. In this podcast, we look at the prospects for Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan to achieve these goals for persons with disabilities. Joining host Bruce Pannier to discuss this topic are guests Seinep Dyikanbayeva, program manager and lawyer of the Kyrgyz NGO Parents of Children with Disabilities; Madina Karsakpaeyava, currently working for the UNDP to help make all of Kazakhstan accessible for the disabled; Mirsaid Mukhtorov, a student of the International Law Faculty at the University of World Economy and Diplomacy in Uzbekistan, and an independent researcher of rights of people with disabilities; and Dilmurad Yusupov, co-founder of the NGO Sharoit Plus, an organization which aims to promote a barrier-free and inclusive society for all disabled people in Uzbekistan.

All five Central Asian militaries have drones, and four of the countries produce military drones domestically. Drones were first used in anger in Central Asia during Kyrgyz-Tajik border clashes in September 2022, when Kyrgyzstan’s drones were used to attack positions in Tajikistan. Drone acquisition is a point of pride -- and of media coverage -- throughout the region. Who is supplying drones to Central Asia or helping Central Asian governments produce their own? Why do the Central Asian states even need drones? Joining host Bruce Pannier to discuss this topic are guests Derek Bisaccio, Forecast International's lead analyst for International Defense Markets, specializing in the defense trade in the Eurasia and Middle East regions, and Francisco Olmos, senior researcher in Central Asian affairs at Spain’s GEOPOL 21 Center, and also a research fellow at the London-based Foreign Policy Centre.

Headlines in Kazakhstan in recent weeks have been dominated by reports of violence against women. Two women were the victims of rape. In one case, the victim said police pressured her to drop the complaint against her attacker. In the other, the accused rapist was the local chief of police. A third woman is dead after her husband, a former government minister, beat her to death in a restaurant. Are the law and society in Kazakhstan failing to protect women, and what can be done to change the situation? Joining host Bruce Pannier to discuss this issue are guests Khalida Azhigulova, a lawyer and international consultant on the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse; Svetlana Dzardanova, human rights and corruption researcher at Freedom for Eurasia; and Zhanar Sekerbayeva, co-founder of the Kazakhstan Feminist Initiative Feminita with focus on lesbian, bisexual, queer, and trans women's rights.

Gallup World Poll just released the results of its annual Law and Order Index, which ranked Tajikistan as the most secure country in the world. The poll was based on whether people “are confident in their local police, feel safe in their neighborhoods, and were victims of theft or assault in the past year.” The rating surprised some, and there is certainly another side to the story of law and order in Tajikistan. Joining host Bruce Pannier to discuss the situation are guests Marius Fossum, the longtime Central Asia representative of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, and Muhamadjon Kabirov, whose family fled Tajikistan to escape political repression, and who currently serves as editor in chief of the Tajik-language news network Azda.TV, which is based in Europe.

Geographically, Central Asia is located a comfortable distance away from the wars in the Caucasus, Ukraine, and the Middle East, but these conflicts affect Central Asia’s governments, as well as the region’s people. For different reasons, the fighting in those three areas is causing rifts and bringing new challenges. How are the region’s governments reacting to the conflicts? How do Central Asia’s residents feel about the wars -- and their leaders’ responses to them? Which combatants can Central Asians openly support, and how? Joining host Bruce Pannier to look at these questions are Joseph Epstein, a legislative fellow at the Endowment for Middle East Truth who focuses on the post-Soviet Space and the Middle East; Mukhtar Senggirbay, managing editor at RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service, known locally as Azattyq; and Salimjon Aioubov, director of RFERL’s Tajik Service, known locally as Ozodi. (Editor's Note: Some of the claims made by podcast participants about the fighting between Israel and Hamas -- designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. and EU -- have not been confirmed.)

On October 25, Kyrgyzstan’s draft law on noncommercial organizations was adopted by parliament in its first reading. The bill has been criticized by domestic and international rights groups, but if it passes through two more readings it will become law. There is another controversial bill on media that will be reviewed soon by parliament. Both draft laws are close copies of similar laws in Russia that the Kremlin used to silence critical voices. Even without these laws being in effect, the activities of independent media outlets, and other groups, are already increasingly restricted in Kyrgyzstan. Joining host Bruce Pannier to discuss how Kyrgyzstan’s laws are being used to pressure media and civil society organizations are Jasmine Cameron, senior legal adviser for Europe and Eurasia with the American Bar Association's Justice Defenders Program; and Aibek Askarbekov, a Bishkek-based lawyer specializing in political, civil rights, and noncommercial law.

It's no secret that kleptocracy is a problem in every Central Asian country. The presidents, their families, and close associates all seem to live very well while their populations can barely make ends meet. Might sanctions help rein in these excesses? Joining host Bruce Pannier to discuss this issue are guests Eldiyar Arykbaev, senior investigative reporter and coordinator for Central Asia at the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project; Tom Mayne, a research fellow at Oxford University and co-investigator on the Providing the Evidence and Analysis for a UK Counter-Kleptocracy Strategy project; and Leila Seiitbek, chairwoman of the NGO Freedom for Eurasia and a member of the working group advocating for a global Every Woman treaty to end all forms of violence against women and girls.