Kazakhstan: Taxmen slammed for unlawfully using COVID app data The government has ordered the fiscal inspection service to withdraw letters accusing businesses of evading taxes. Almaz Kumenov Dec 24, 2021
Perspectives | How ADB’s pandemic aid to Uzbekistan was misused, whistleblower silenced The Uzbek blogger who first raised these concerns was smeared, beaten, and now faces trial. Nina Lesikhina Dec 6, 2021
Kazakhstan jails political dissidents in fresh crackdown All the defendants are strident government critics, but their dissidence was confined to online attacks and tiny street protests. Joanna Lillis Oct 11, 2021
Turkmenistan: Trading places In our weekly briefing: doing business with Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. Plus, it’s reprimand season. Akhal-Teke: A Turkmenistan Bulletin Oct 5, 2021
Kazakhstan bars entry to Xinjiang repression researcher Bunin has also been banned from entering Uzbekistan. Sep 6, 2021
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan experiment with vaccines amid lack of public confidence Central Asia’s largest nations are using unique coronavirus vaccines that haven’t been carefully studied. Do they have a choice? Aug 16, 2021
Kazakhstan suffers from acute shortage of doctors The COVID-19 outbreak has compounded a problem caused by low salaries. Almaz Kumenov Aug 9, 2021
Kazakhstan: COVID gives domestic tourism a fillip Kazakhs unable to travel abroad are discovering their country is full of nice places to vacation. But what’s good for the local economy is not always good for nature. Almaz Kumenov Jul 19, 2021
Kazakhstan: Black market in fake coronavirus passports booms Conspiracy theories have fueled the low update for vaccination. Joanna Lillis Jul 2, 2021
Uzbeks weigh vaccines: Russian vs. Chinese Vaccine hesitancy in Uzbekistan is high, bred by social media conspiracies that seem credible in a country without accountable authorities. Ezoza Yakvalkhodjieva Jun 2, 2021
Kazakhstan: Vaccine app offers hope of reopening, but there are hiccups Critics are concerned over potential privacy issues. Almaz Kumenov May 13, 2021
Kazakhstan: A diary from a vaccination Our Kazakhstan correspondent describes the waiting, the bureaucracy, and the anticlimax of getting his Sputnik V jab in Almaty. Almaz Kumenov Apr 22, 2021
Kazakhstan: Oil workers resistance to jabs complicates output plans Laborers in the extractive industries are proving more adept at fighting their corner. Chris Rickleton Apr 14, 2021
Kazakhstan: Officials under fire over vaccination failures Only a tiny fraction of the population has got the jab so far. Almaz Kumenov Apr 1, 2021
Uzbekistan tightens rules for media as president braces for re-election The timing of the new legislation recalls recent reporting that cast the president in an unfavorable light. Mar 31, 2021