Turkmenistan has prevented independent reporter Soltan Achilova from traveling to Switzerland to attend a human rights meeting. Achilova is the only journalist in Turkmenistan who openly criticizes the government, despite having faced detention, verbal threats, and physical attacks.
In this week’s edition: Central Asian leaders visit Berlin, Kyrgyz Courts are called out for leniency on rapists, Kazakh Police raid Tajik migrant laborers, and more.
Kazakhstan’s Finance Ministry recently posted a list of organizations and individuals in the country who receive foreign funding. Critics point to similar moves by Russia a decade ago that led to the enactment of "foreign agent" laws that allowed the Kremlin to close down many civil society groups, rights organizations, and independent media. What’s behind the Kazakh authorities' decision to publish the list? Joining host Bruce Pannier to discuss are guests Mihra Rittmann, senior Central Asia researcher for Human Rights Watch; Ivar Dale, senior policy adviser at the Norwegian Helsinki Committee; and Yevgeny Zhovtis, veteran rights activist and director of the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law. Both Zhovtis' and Dale's organizations are included on Kazakhstan’s list.