Eurasianet

As the president celebrates, the economic crisis deepened by a coronavirus outbreak he has refused to acknowledge has left his people in a state of Dickensian misery.

Electricity exports; crowd control outside food shops; and despite denials, COVID strikes. This and more in our weekly Turkmenistan briefing.

Medics say they are actively discouraged from seeking the compensation.

Only the best medicine for the leader. For everyone else, bread shortages.

Travel bans, dams and Russian fans. This and more in our weekly Turkmenistan briefing.

Ecological conservation is a matter of pride in Turkmenistan. But a disconnect between rhetoric and reality is a hallmark of the Berdymukhamedov era.

Acting President Japarov came to power on the crest of rallies, but will he know how to deal with them as leader?

A facile and naïve plan being discussed in Washington risks backfiring on Iran’s minority Christians.

Rigged elections have created political crises in two other post-Soviet countries this year, leaving Nur-Sultan edgy ahead of a parliamentary vote.

The dictatorial regime is mostly deaf to people’s complaints, but it sometimes caves.

The appearance of the self-defense units is the second time this year that civil society has been forced to hold the line. Where the state repeatedly fails to live up to its obligations, volunteers step in.

Severe economic and epidemiological challenges now lie ahead.

The president’s fury has only served to expose once more the implausibility of official data.

Any political turmoil was bound to worsen Kyrgyzstan's eviscerated economy, but what has happened over the past week has been especially destructive.

The election did not feel very competitive in the president's hometown.