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.
Eurasianet’s Kyrgyzstan-based photojournalist Danil Usmanov has for weeks been watching his country’s unfolding coronavirus crisis. In this essay, he describes some of his observations.
The activist’s death in prison reflects poorly on the substantial investments that the international community has made into overhauling Kyrgyzstan’s notoriously selective and corrupt justice system.
Families of the dead blame corruption for undermining the healthcare service, and the government for failing to prepare in earlier stages of the pandemic.