Amid renewed COVID-19 outbreak, Azerbaijan introduces strict lockdown The long weekend curfew is modeled after Turkey’s, as the disease is spreading rapidly following the loosening of earlier restrictions. Joshua Kucera Jun 4, 2020
Tajikistan: Coronavirus panic puts sufferers of other illnesses in grave danger With supply chains disrupted, patients with chronic needs are unable to find key medicines. May 29, 2020
Tajikistan strains credibility with apparent COVID-19 turnaround Officials say 1,000 people have recovered in a two-day period. May 22, 2020
Tajikistan sees unusual protests, authorities react with force Chinese workers rallied with a demand to be allowed to travel home. May 21, 2020
Tajikistan on track to suffer region’s worst COVID-19 outbreak Total number of cases reached 907 by May 14. May 14, 2020
Tajikistan: Reporter for independent newspaper assaulted Gurbati had been a target of a smear campaign by pro-government trolls. May 11, 2020
Azerbaijani villagers fear hunger, poverty more than COVID “The police say you can't go out the door, but no one says your husband can't beat you.” Meltem Talibzade May 7, 2020
Tajikistan: Has the president’s son already taken over? President Rahmon has kept a low profile, leaving his son to take the lead. May 5, 2020
Several local officials arrested in Azerbaijan for COVID corruption Skeptics say the roundup is a show meant to create the illusion of fighting corruption even as higher-level officials remain untouched. Joshua Kucera May 5, 2020
Tajikistan plunges from denial to full-blown crisis As the confirmed cases quickly mount into the hundreds, doctors complain of lack of resources. May 4, 2020
Azerbaijanis in lockdown send love letters to their president The trend is evocative of Azerbaijan’s Soviet past, when young pioneers wrote precocious letters to the editor about the nation’s astute leaders. Giorgi Lomsadze Apr 30, 2020
Tajikistan finally confirms its first 15 coronavirus cases Questions will be asked why this announcement came so late. Apr 30, 2020
Tajikistan admits to pneumonia crisis, but not coronavirus Officials say 136 medical workers at one hospital have been diagnosed with the respiratory illness. Apr 28, 2020
WHO role in Tajikistan’s coronavirus-free narrative under scrutiny The World Health Organization is refusing to answer questions while it appears to support the government’s increasingly dubious claims. Apr 24, 2020
Coronavirus quiets fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan Armed forces on both sides appear not to have made many concessions to the need to social distance, but diplomats have held their first videoconference as part of the ongoing peace negotiations. Joshua Kucera Apr 23, 2020