Legislation - The Times Of Central Asia

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Turkmenistan Legislation Social Human rights

Turkmenistan’s Policy of Suppressing Public Criticism, Dissent Continues, Says Amnesty

Amnesty International has published its annual report entitled, The State of the World’s Human Rights: April 2024. The document includes articles on 155 countries with AI-tracked human rights records through 2023, with the section on Turkmenistan stating that the government there has continued its policy of suppressing any form of public criticism and dissent both within and outside of the country. Under the pretext of preserving national traditions, discrimination continued against girls, women and LGBT+ representatives, whose rights were arbitrarily infringed upon. In June, the United Nations (UN) Committee for the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) expressed particular concern that patriarchal attitudes to gender-based violence persist. The Committee raised concerns that women and girls are being forced to conform to gender stereotypes under the pretense of preserving national culture, and that their basic freedoms are being curtailed, including through the imposition of dress and appearance codes and other discriminatory practices. Internet access is still very limited and heavily controlled by the government. Any coverage of negative events - including economic hardship, shortages of basic foodstuffs, the effects of climate change, and forced labor - is censored. In April, a study of global internet censorship by two U.S. universities found that more than 122,000 domains are blocked in Turkmenistan, as well as dozens of news sites and social networks. The government-managed internet connection has become the slowest and most expensive in the world. Authorities have tightly controlled the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and have attempted to suppress small-scale spontaneous protests over social and economic issues such as food shortages, access to justice, and healthcare. In March, police arrested about 30 women who gathered in front of the presidential palace in Ashgabat to air their grievances directly to President Serdar Berdymukhamedov. In April, police arrested 15 people following a spontaneous protest by hundreds of citizens against a bread shortage at local bakeries in the city of Mary. Furthermore, thousands of employees of state organizations are still forced to go out to pick cotton, or have to pay others to go in their place.

Kyrgyzstan Education Security Healthcare Legislation Social

300 Children Killed on Kyrgyzstan’s Roads

The Director of the Situation Centre of the Kyrgyz Republic, Joldoshbek Mambetaliyev, has issued a harrowing report that since 2021, more than 2,000 people including 316 children, have been killed on roads in Kyrgyzstan. Research by the centre cites the prime causes as poor road surfaces, insufficient lighting, lack of road signs and parapets, alongside non-compliance with speed limits and dangerous driving. Mambetaliyev also stressed that lack of knowledge and non- adherence to traffic rules amongst drivers were major contributing factors given that over a third of accidents were caused by overtaking, violating crosswalk rules, driving on the wrong side of the road and driving under the influence of alcohol. More than 20 percent of accidents were caused by speeding. The Situation Centre recommended that in order to reduce the number of road accidents, the government must collaborate with local authorities to develop a safer and more comprehensive infrastructure. Mambetaliyev concluded, "Road safety depends directly on the responsible behaviour of all road users... It is important to conduct awareness-raising activities among the population to reduce accidents on the roads." Kyrgyzstan's Situation Centre currently monitors key events and incidents on roads throughout the country in real time, followed by in-depth analyses.

Finance Kyrgyzstan Central Asia Legislation Army

Kyrgyz Servicemen Will Be Allowed to Buy Their Military Housing

A new law in Kyrgyzstan allows military personnel who have served in the Kyrgyz army for more than 20 years to purchase their government-issued housing for temporary use. Additionally, families of servicemen killed in the line of duty -- and former members of the military themselves -- can submit claims for housing. The state-assigned apartment can be bought out, or, under certain conditions, can be obtained free of charge. "To military servicemen, dismissed to the reserve or retired by age, health, redundancy or family and other important circumstances and having a length of service of 20 calendar years or more, as well as family members of a serviceman who died or died in the performance of military service, occupied or provided them with service apartments at their chosen place of residence are transferred to personal ownership free of charge," reads the text of the law. The issue of service housing had previously been raised by the Ministry of Defense. The ministry believed that employees should be able to own their state housing during their service, and not only upon retirement. The ministry says it believes the legislative changes will raise the status of the Kyrgyz army. According to official data, more than 3,000 military personnel live in cramped conditions in the country. The authorities pay rent compensation to such service members in the amount of $100 per month.

Central Asia Legislation Gambling Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan Plans To Stop Bloggers From Promoting Gambling

Kazakhstan is preparing big changes for the gambling business in the form of a new bill that's under consideration in the country's lower house of parliament, the Majilis. Should the bill become law, bloggers will be banned from advertising betting platforms and online casinos. These changes are aimed at stricter regulation of the gambling industry and protection of citizens' financial interests. Members of the Maijilis emphasize that bloggers will still be able to cover sporting events on their social media accounts, but advertising gambling establishments will be banned. That's a step towards more responsible and ethical advertising practices that focus on sports and healthy lifestyles that the government would like to promote. The bill includes other important changes, such as raising the minimum age for gambling to 25, banning gambling by those who are in debt, and tightening the requirements for advertising gambling establishments. These steps are aimed at creating a safer and more responsible gambling environment for citizens of Kazakhstan. In March the Majilis started working on the new draft law, which, according to representative Askhat Aimagambetov, provides for the introduction of liability for gambling businesses in the form of fines ranging from 1.1 million tenge ($2,500) to 3.6 million tenge ($8,000). In addition, members of the Maijilis spoke out on the possible introduction of a ban on gambling for civil servants. This is a step that could be part of a broader program to combat the negative consequences of gambling addiction among public-sector employees.

Education Central Asia Migration Uzbekistan Legislation Social Labor

Uzbekistan to Open Centres for Workers Seeking Employment Abroad

The Uzbek government is to open 27 educational institutions across the country for the purpose of training potential migrants in professions in demand by foreign employers. Students will also have access to lessons in various languages including English, German, Japanese, Korean and Arabic. Courses will be offered on a paid-contract basis for a year. Attendees with existing proficiency in languages spoken in countries of their choice, will be eligible for a 50% reimbursement by the state of costs incurred in attaining related certificates. Teachers at the centres will receive a 100% salary supplement. The government of Uzbekistan had earlier announced measures to support citizens seeking employment abroad and from June this year, migrant workers will be offered compensation for passing the qualification exam, obtaining a work visa in a foreign country, travel costs and insurance. In addition to training programmes to open up opportunities in better-paid and professional jobs outside Uzbekistan, the government has now confirmed further subsidies for legal and material assistance. According to the Uzbek Agency for External Labour Migration, some 70,000 citizens have legally secured work abroad over the past two years and Germany, Great Britain and Japan have recently shown great interest in employing Uzbek migrants. Remittances from labour migrants to Uzbekistan remain a material part of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) -- accounting for 17.8% in 2023. In neighbouring Tajikistan, migrant remittances account for almost half of the country's economic output, and in Kyrgyzstan, 20%.

Social transboundary water Water Shortages Legislation Uzbekistan Economy Central Asia Kazakhstan Tajikistan Turkmenistan Kyrgyzstan

Central Asian Countries Set 2024 Quotas for Amu Darya, Syr Darya River Water Usage

Last week in Kazakhstan, delegates came together for the 87th meeting of the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination (ICWC) of Central Asia, where they discussed the potential and limitations of regional water reservoirs ahead of the 2023-2024 agricultural growing season. According to the ICWC, some of the more pressing questions focused on confirming limits of water usage for the 2024 growing season for the Syr Darya and Amu Darya river basins and the prognosis for water release from the reservoirs in those basins. There's still no information on how much water will be sent to the Aral Sea basin. In accordance with the quota, the draw on water from the Amu Darya watershed will be 56 billion cubic meters for the year, with about 40 billion cubic meters to be used in the April-to-October growing season. As stated in the ICWC agreement, Uzbekistan will receive 16 billion cubic meters, Turkmenistan 15.5 billion cubic meters, and Tajikistan will get 6.9 billion cubic meters. The Syr Darya's water use quota for this year's growing season is around 11.9 billion cubic meters, with 8.8 billion cubic meters going to Uzbekistan, 1.9 billion cubic meters for Tajikistan, 920 million cubic meters for Kazakhstan, and 270 million cubic meters for Kyrgyzstan. According to the ICWC, the totals for irrigated lands by Central Asian country are 4.3 million hectares in Uzbekistan, 2.5 million hectares in Kazakhstan, 1.9 million hectares in Turkmenistan, 1 million hectares in Kyrgyzstan, and 680,000 in Tajikistan.