BISHKEK (TCA) — “Fair and equal treatment of ethnic minorities is a prerequisite for a just society; helps prevent violent extremism,” said UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, Andrew Gilmour, at the end of a three-day visit to Kyrgyzstan last week. He said this was a lesson learned from UN experience in many countries confronting violent extremism. Human rights violations committed by governments, including discrimination among targeted groups, lead to a strong sense of alienation and often violence and terrorism.

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KABUL (TCA) — The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on May 21 said that Iran’s support to the Taliban in Afghanistan in the form of weapons and funding is leading to further violence and hinders peace and stability of the Afghan people, Afghan broadcaster TOLOnews reported.

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TASHKENT (TCA) — An Amnesty International delegation will be in Uzbekistan this week in what the human rights watchdog describes as the first such visit to the country in 14 years, RFE/RL reports.

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BISHKEK (TCA) — Kyrgyzstan’s Supreme Court has upheld a suspended prison sentence against opposition politician and the country’s former Prosecutor-General Aida Salyanova, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reported.

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KABUL (TCA) — Afghanistan’s Ministry of Counter Narcotics on May 21 raised concerns over the increase in poppy cultivation in the country, saying that this year the trend has increased by 11 percent against last year, Afghan broadcaster TOLOnews reported.

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ASTANA (TCA) — On May 21, in Astana, the Chairman of Kazakh Invest National Company for Investment Support and Promotion, Saparbek Tuyakbaev met with the head of the Chinese company Qifeng New Material, Li Hufeng, to discuss implementation of a project for the production of pulp and paper from reeds in Kazakhstan.

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