Sanjar Umarov is a former political prisoner and founder of Sunshine Uzbekistan, an international political coalition aimed at improving the economic and political situation in Uzbekistan.

In Kazakhstan, the power of citizens to resist authoritarianism has been dealt a significant blow. On November 28, two major Kazakh land activists, Max Bokayev and Talgat Ayanboth, were sentenced to five years in prison on charges of organising unsanctioned protests and inciting social discord.

A Cypriot court ordered the freeze of assets located in Cyprus in possession of Elnara Shorazova, the widow of former Kazakh diplomat Rakhat Aliyev, a source familiar with the matter said.

Following an intervention of attorney General Costas Clerides and Central Bank of Cyprus governor Chrystalla Georghadji, the parliament’s watchdog committee postponed a debate scheduled for today on how the Famagusta-Larnaca Cooperative Bank accepted a €33m deposit from funds which were in possession of the late Kazakh former official Rakhat Aliyev, lawmakers said.

The grandson of Kazakhstan’s authoritarian President Nursultan Nazarbayev took to social media on Wednesday to blast members of his grandfather’s inner circle after he lost a vote to head the country’s soccer association.

Attorney General Costas Clerides has blocked a motion in the House looking to scrutinise how the Famagusta Cooperative (Co-op) Bank handled accounts linked to the late ex-Kazakhstan official Rakhat Aliyev.