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American RFE/RL Reporter Alsu Kurmasheva Released from Russian Custody 

RFE/RL welcomes news of Alsu’s release and is grateful to the American government and all who worked tirelessly to end her unjust treatment by Russia.

Central Asia in Focus: Is a Karakalpak Leader Being Tortured in Prison? 

In this week’s edition: Karakalpak lawyer and rights activist Dauletmurat Tazhimuratov is allegedly being tortured in an Uzbek prison, Kazakhstan looks to become a major source of critical minerals, and…

Alsu Kurmasheva looks at the camera while attending a court hearing on April 1 in Kazan

American RFE/RL Reporter Alsu Kurmasheva Tried & Convicted in Russian Court 

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) called the ruling by a Russian court “a mockery of justice.”

An image of the logo for the Majlis Podcast, which focus on Central Asian issues

Three Years With The Taliban As Neighbors

Nearly three years have passed since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, to the dismay of much of the world.

Central Asia in Focus: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan Claim to Foil Terrorist Plots

In this week’s edition: Kazakh and Kyrgyz authorities detain people suspected of having ties to terrorist groups, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention calls on Tajik authorities to…

An image of the logo for the Majlis Podcast, which focus on Central Asian issues

Suppressing Karakalpakstan’s Sovereignty

Two years have passed since violence erupted in western Uzbekistan’s Karakalpakstan Sovereign Republic.

Unraveling The Šmid Death Story

Timothy Garton Ash, reviewing several books on 1989 for the New York Review of Books, wrote that “An erroneous report on Radio Free Europe (RFE) that a student called Martin…

Central Asia in Focus: Russia Continues Sending Central Asians to Ukraine

In this week’s edition: Russia continues to send Central Asians to fight in its full-scale war on Ukraine, the Kazakh government faces criticism over its new media law, and more.

An image of the logo for the Majlis Podcast, which focus on Central Asian issues

The Threat Posed by IS-K To Central Asia — And Beyond

The threat of terrorism is never far from the minds of officials in Central Asia, who know that their region shares a 2,000-kilometer border with Afghanistan.

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