live stream here youtube.com/watch?v=J0Pwuu…

Bishimbayev found guilty for murdering Saltanat with extreme cruelty, sentenced to 24 years. Baizhanov guilty for not reporting the crime and sentenced to 4 years. When asked if any comments, Baizhanov said: “Why 4 years for me? You [jail] an innocent person.”

How not to get away with murder: When a member of Kazakhstan's political elite killed his wife, he assumed he could get away with it. But society in the Central Asian country is changing - and Russia is taking note, reports Aigerim Toleukhanova for New Lines Magazine newlinesmag.com/reportage/the-…

This article by Aigerim Toleukhanova explains well what this trial said about societal change in 🇰🇿 and beyond. x.com/newlinesmag/st…

A politician's killing of his wife has fueled demands for better protection of women in Kazakhstan, reports Aigerim Toleukhanova. While Kazakhs were forbidden from protesting, 150,000 have signed a petition demanding improvement.newlinesmag.com/spotlight/the-…

Toregeldi Sharmanov, ex-healthcare minister of Soviet Kazakhstan, academic, has died today at the age of 93. I interviewed him in 2017, when he created a unique chocolate and ice cream from horse milk. He brought immense value to society. Иманды болсын!🤲🏼 eurasianet.org/kazakhstan-hor…

In Kazakhstan, 'The Floods Are Over But The Problems Have Just Begun' For Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty with reporting Радио Азаттык - Казахстан rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-f…

Said Maximov is trying to bring a Silicon Valley start-up mindset to help solve the problem of keeping Uyghur culture and traditions alive in Central Asia. Reid Standish rferl.org/a/digital-yurt…

Chinese authorities in Xinjiang have been systematically changing hundreds of village names with religious, historical, or cultural meaning for Uyghurs into names reflecting recent Chinese Communist Party ideology. Human Rights Watch hrw.org/news/2024/06/1…

Omg!🤦🏻‍♀️

Khiva will be hosting its annual Melon Festival from 9-11 August 2024. It’s a feast for the eyes as well as the taste buds. 📸 Xorazm Tour and Travels

Dimash Alzhanov, a political analyst, reported that he was attacked in front on his house in Almaty. Today opposition Kazakh journalist Aidos Sadykov died after a man shot him in the head in Ukraine (where he was residing) by allegedly a Kazakh national. What’s up?!

🇺🇿 The new star of Uzbekistan: Diyora Keldiyorova is the first woman to win the gold medal in Uzbekistan's history at the Summer Olympics. Congratulations! Women of Uzbekistan - go go go!

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Devastating: the 48 Uyghurs in Thai detention have apparently been deported to Xinjiang (Kashgar). Further evidence on this shocking development has been gathered by Nyrola and local Thai journalists.

Today I, like virtually every other full-time employee at VOA, was placed on administrative leave indefinitely. I'm not allowed to report the news to our hundreds of millions of viewers at this time. Let's hope this is temporary. A silencing of VOA will be celebrated by

Is it possible to reform a dictatorship? My interview with Azattyk on my new book on #Uzbekistan, Silk Mirage, out in November and available for pre-order now on Bloomsbury, Amazon, etc (Kazakh-language video report, with interview in English) youtube.com/watch?v=qaOZEq…

The end of an era as the prominent English-language podcast on Central Asia comes to an end. I had the pleasure of appearing numerous times and benefited from listening and learning.