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Investigative Website Kloop to Remain Blocked in Kyrgyzstan

Bishkek City Court has upheld a decision to block the investigative news site Kloop.kg. Kloop's lawyer Fatima Yakupbayeva commented: “ It would be interesting to know what justified today's judicial board of the city court's ruling. We believe the decision is unlawful. A dangerous precedent is being set for online publications and everyone who disseminates information because with this court ruling [it appears] that it is possible not to address the distributor itself but to go straight to the Ministry of Culture and ask for it to be blocked. This violates the balance provided for by the law “On Protection from Inaccurate Information.” Yakupbayeva added that Kloop will appeal the decision in the Supreme Court. As previously reported, the Kloop.kg website was initially blocked as a result of an article in which the politician Ravshan Dzheenbekov stated that he was tortured while in prison. This led to a complaint by the State Committee for National Security to the Ministry of Culture. Kloop's Russian-language website has been blocked in Kyrgyzstan since September 2023. The Kyrgyz-language version was blocked two months later.

UNICEF Donates Vehicles to Distribute Vaccines in Kyrgyzstan

The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) and UNICEF have donated 16 vaccine transport vehicles to Kyrgyzstan. The special cars were provided to the Kyrgyz Ministry of Health to increase immunization rates across the country. The vehicles will help improve the distribution of vaccines from regional to district storage facilities, ensuring their timely availability in remote regions of the country. “Vaccines against dangerous diseases such as measles, rubella, or pertussis require special storage and transportation conditions to be safe and effective. Therefore, improving this infrastructure directly affects the availability of life-saving vaccines for every child in Kyrgyzstan,” said UNICEF's acting representative in Kyrgyzstan Cristina Bruggiolo. Akchabar reports that this is the first batch of 26 vehicles that the ministry will receive. The remaining ten cars will arrive in the country by the end of July.

Turkmenistan Restricts Women From Obtaining Driving Licenses

It is becoming more and more difficult for women to drive in Turkmenistan, with requirements for obtaining a driver's license often oppressively strict. Turkmenistan has restricted women's rights for many years, including their freedom to drive a car. In 2017 Turkmen police began revoking women's driving licenses and refusing to issue them with new ones. From the beginning of 2023 women had to be over the age of 41 to learn to drive, and even then driving schools would only accept them if they provided marriage certificates and character references. It is reported that in the country's Mary region it is now almost impossible for women to drive a car. Women who already have a license can only renew it when it expires if they have a vehicle registered in their name. “Often, the cars driven by women are not registered in their name, and they use vehicles registered in the name of their brothers or husbands by power of attorney. Now they have to transfer the cars to their name or buy a new car to get a driver's license; otherwise, they will not be issued a new document,” Radio Azatlyk wrote. According to local sources, police officers are refusing to issue licenses to women under the age of 35. One resident added: “You also need a medical certificate from a psychiatric dispensary to renew your license. They are obtained in local medical institutions. The cost of renewing a driver's license will cost 200 to 400 manats ($57-$114). Mary residents said using a bribe is the easiest way to solve the problem. “Men can get a driver's license by paying a bribe of 4,000 manat ($1141), while a woman will have to pay 6,000 to 7,000 manat ($1712 to $1997),” the resident said. Turkmen officials deny any discrimination against women, and maintain that gender equality is fully respected in the country.

Uzbekistan Park Managers Arrested for Mass Distribution of Toys

The director, deputy, and head of marketing of the Ashgabat Park in Tashkent have been arrested and detained for 15 days for violating the rules of mass events. According to Gazeta.uz reports, the arrests were made after some 40,000 people had gathered in the park in the hope of receiving free toys. The throng had responded to an advertisement circulated on social media announcing the free distribution of 20,000 soft toys and ice cream at noon on 1 June. However, according to the Department of Internal Affairs, the park's management had been pre- warned and then instructed to cancel the event because of the risks posed by a mass gathering within the park's territory and the event's non-compliance with traffic and citizen safety guidelines. By failing to comply, the park's administration created a danger to citizens and traffic jams at the park's entrance and exit, on some internal routes, and roads leading to the park. The Yashnabad District Department of Internal Affairs drew up an administrative protocol against the park director, deputy director, and head of the advertising department, followed by a sentence of 15 days of administrative arrest imposed by the District Court. The Department of Internal Affairs also published a reminder that according to the requirements of the Cabinet of Ministers resolution of July 29, 2014 (#205), permission to hold mass events must be submitted one month in advance.

Turkmenistan Residents Detained for Public Displays of Affection

Police in Turkmenistan have detained couples for holding hands, sitting close together, and public displays of affection. A young married couple in Turkmenabat, witnessed cuddling in a parked car, were horrified when a policeman threatened to detain them for “undermining moral values.” In his defence, the man said, “I hugged my wife to calm her down. She was crying as we were discussing where to get enough money for essential medicines." Describing what had ensued, he said that the policeman had demanded to see both their passports and marriage certificates. However, after receiving verification that they were married, the policeman continued to harass them in hope of a bribe. The case is not unusual and in recent weeks, Turkmenabat, the administrative center of the Lepab province, has received reports of many similar incidents in which the city's police have seen fit to reprimand couples who hold hands, sit beside each other, kiss, or hug in public places. Although public displays of affection are not banned in Turkmenistan, the police in the country's regions, including the capital Ashgabat and Mary province, have detained young men and women in parks and on the streets for violating “social norms.” In the worst case scenario, "violators” in Mary were handcuffed and forced to attend lectures on moral values at the local police station. Residents say that restrictions imposed in Turkmenabat since April, have created a backlash of complaints from local students and other young people of being ambushed by security forces who appeared to be acting as vice police. According to several people targeted by the raids, most incidents ended with the police taking monetary bribes from the couples.

Ten Years of the EAEU: Trade Wars Rumble On Against Backdrop of GDP Growth

The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) recently celebrated its first significant anniversary. According to the numbers, the years of integration have positively impacted the member states' economies; however, there are serious trade wars in the bloc, and some entrepreneurs fear the collapse of entire industries. The agreement on creating the EAEU was concluded on May 29, 2014, in Astana by the presidents of Kazakhstan, Russia, and Belarus. Later, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan joined the union, whilst Moldova, Uzbekistan, and Cuba hold observer state status. The member states initially emphasized the strictly economic nature of the union, and continuously refused to politicize it. For Kazakhstan, membership in the EAEU is advantageous, because it simplifies exporting raw materials to foreign markets. In addition, the union has unified customs regulations and duty-free trade. According to official sources, the GDP growth rate of all EAEU countries in 2023 amounted to 3.8%, which is higher than global GDP growth. In Armenia, growth is 8.7%, in Kyrgyzstan 6.2%, in Kazakhstan 5.1%, in Belarus 3.9%, and in Russia 3.6%. Mutual trade between member states has almost doubled since the union's inception, with foreign trade increasing by 60%. Kazakhstan has increased trade turnover with EAEU countries 1.7 times, and foreign exports have doubled. According to the Bureau of National Statistics of Kazakhstan, foreign trade turnover for January-March 2024 increased to $31.2 billion, of which the share of trade with EAEU countries amounted to 19.6%, reaching $6.1 billion. Russia's share in the volume of Kazakhstan's external trade turnover (within the EAEU) exceeds 90%. Nevertheless, creating a common harmonized market intended to copy that of the European Union has not yet been possible. A regulation financial system, logistics system, efficient electricity market, and other projects have yet to be implemented. In addition, the EAEU is often shaken by trade wars, and producers suffer from price dumping. Kazakhstani businessmen and farmers have repeatedly complained that the expansion of cheap Russian goods threatens their livelihoods. This problem is particularly acute in the production of eggs, chicken, and dairy products, whilst Kazakhstan is critically dependent on Russian imports in some sectors, especially food. For example, when Russia imposed quotas on sugar exports or otherwise restricted sales, the cost of these products in Kazakhstan tripled in 2022. As soon as Russia removed these restrictions, the price quickly adjusted. Comparable fluctuations are also observed in other sectors. Due to international sanctions, dairy producers from Russia and Belarus redirected their supplies to Kazakhstan and started dumping prices to take over the Kazakh market. In this regard, some experts proposed that the border be closed to these products to preserve the local dairy industry. At the same time, analysts referred to Russia's frequent bans on the export of certain goods, mainly wheat and sugar. Such measures are not conducive to integration, but rural producers believe that Kazakhstani officials cannot effectively defend their interests in the EAEU market, even though they hold significant positions in the integration body. This year, Kazakhstani entrepreneurs again complained that Russia and Belarus were flooding...