Page 2 - Central Asia Programme News Today

Russian Federation: Authorities must end attacks on lawyers and abuse of foreign agents law  The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) today condemned the widespread and escalating attacks on independent lawyers in the Russian Federation and urges the Russian authorities to cease harassment o

With Kazakstan experiencing its worst unrest in its three decades of independence, Abakhon Sultonnazarov, regional director of IWPR Central Asia, assesses the latest developments and wider implications of the crisis. IWPR: There has been a huge debate about the role of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) troops and just why Tokayev invited them into Kazakstan. What is your reading of the situation?

Journalists and activists hold pictures of the Turkey representative for Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Erol Önderoğlu (L), human rights defender Şebnem Korur Fincanci (C) and journalist Ahmet Nesin (R), in front of the Cagayan court house, Istanbul, Turkey, 8 November 2016, YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images On the eve of the start of the trial of Erol Önderoğlu and his two co-defendants, Şebnem Korur Fincancı and Ahmet Nesin, 17 press freedom and human rights NGOs call on t...

NGOs have warned that social networks risk "becoming instruments of state censorship" in Turkey under the legislation.