Kazakhstan: Gender violence-themed horror breaks box office records Dastur, which means tradition in Kazakh, grossed $2.2 million in the first week of its release. Joanna Lillis Jan 17, 2024
Kazakhstan: Magic realism meets socialist realism on the Almaty stage Shahmardan Comes Out of the Well addresses a topic still harrowing for Kazakhstan a century on: the famine unleashed when the Soviets embarked on the collectivization of agriculture. Joanna Lillis Dec 22, 2023
Kazakhstan: Masimov gets 18-year sentence over Bloody January events The behind-closed-doors trial has revealed nothing about the specific actions the former security services chief is said to have undertaken. Almaz Kumenov Apr 24, 2023
Kazakhstan: Ex-police chief accused of enabling January events flees country Kudebayev got out of the country by crossing into neighboring Kyrgyzstan and then flying to Turkey. Almaz Kumenov Apr 3, 2023
Kazakhstan: Speculation swirls around Bloody January movie The way the filmmakers and authorities are working so closely has given rise to questions about who exactly is backing this movie, and why. Almaz Kumenov Feb 9, 2023
Kazakhstan: Policemen convicted over Bloody January torture cases Activists say prosecutors need to do more to prove the government is serious about stamping out police abuse. Almaz Kumenov Jan 18, 2023
Perspectives | Turkmenistan forgets Memory Day As the government rewrites history to avoid mentioning a Russian atrocity, Turkmen are taking their reminiscences online. Oguljamal Yazliyeva Jan 12, 2023
Kazakhstan: One year on from Bloody January, officials stick to their story The government narrative is vague and full of holes. Almaz Kumenov Jan 5, 2023
Kyrgyzstan: The exiled Russians offering a Red Roof haven Part of the mission is to ensure that Russians engage constructively with people in their new home. Ayzirek Imanaliyeva Nov 18, 2022
Kazakhstan: Tokayev hopes to quell Bloody January passions with amnesty The president is trying to move Kazakhstan on from the trauma 10 months ago, but the terms of the amnesty have not pleased everyone. Joanna Lillis Nov 2, 2022
Kazakhstan claws millions back from Nazarbayev associates The former president’s inner circle is coughing up. Joanna Lillis Jul 18, 2022
Kazakhstan: Summer of sentences over winter discontent July has seen 100 convictions so far, but there is little faith in investigators’ impartiality. Daniyar Moldabekov Jul 18, 2022
Justice in Kazakhstan: Did Bloody January really turn activist into violent extremist? In a matter of days, Darkhan Ualiyev lost his brother and then his freedom. His prospects look bleak. Daniyar Moldabekov, Chris Rickleton Jun 27, 2022
Kazakh-language film content makes progress against Russian headwinds One explanation for the continued dominance of Russian lies in Kazakhstan’s rural-urban divide. Almaz Kumenov Jun 23, 2022
Afghanistan: The Taliban’s first fall and an opening for Tajik journalists Journalists from Tajikistan played vital roles for many foreign news agencies. Text by a Tajik journalist, Photos by Parviz Amirjonov May 20, 2022