Monthly Archive

Belgian Federal Parliament to examine events which "shame the country, democracy and justice". A drama is being played out in the unlikely setting of a Brussels parliamentary committee room that co... read more..

In Kazakhstan, two former prime ministers are serving jail terms now, and shadows are packing on top of dozens of other members of the upper circle and hundreds within slightly lower echelons. A clea... read more..

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev in Astana. A few weeks after making his first foray abroad — a two-day trip to Turkmenistan — Uzbek President Sh... read more..

Ermurat Bapi interviews Akezhan Kazhegeldin. Q. In a recent interview in Novaya Gazeta Kazakhstan, you commented disparagingly on the last constitutional reform. By contrast, the Kazakh mass media ... read more..

Kazakhstan's state-run "bad bank" will buy 2.4 trillion tenge ($7.5 billion) of bad loans from Kazkommertsbank, the country's biggest lender by assets, paving the way for a takeover by its closest riv... read more..

L’homme d’affaires kazakh donnait des infos aux agents belges et demandait des faveurs en retour. L’homme d’affaires belgo-kazakh Patokh Chodiev, par lequel le scandale du Kazakhgate est arrivé, ét... read more..

Kazakhstan is facing the growing prospect of an international backlash over a crackdown on labor unions that has curtailed workers' rights and increased the likelihood of social unrest and political d... read more..

Following the formal end of national discussions in Kazakhstan on constitutional reforms intended, if only on paper, to rebalance authority away from the president toward the executive and the legisla... read more..

Swiss prosecutors announced Thursday that they are investigating whether private bank Lombard Odier failed to prevent the daughter of former Uzbek president Islam Karimov from laundering money. Loc... read more..

The agreement to start the Foundation emerged in 2007 after more than two years of discussion between the Governments of the United States, Switzerland and Kazakhstan (known as “the Parties”) about th... read more..

Kazakhstan’s renewed efforts against corruption might mask a strategy aimed to silence opposition figures and activists. Last month, we covered the arrest of Kazakhstan’s former Minister of Economy K... read more..

Kazakhstan’s Football Federation has a new vice president with a familiar sounding surname — Aisultan Nazarbayev. With this appointment, President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s grandson has finally achieved... read more..

A wealthy British businessman who is feuding with the state of Kazakhstan over hundreds of millions of dollars of disputed assets claims the Kazakh secret police put him and his brother under “extreme... read more..

A Ukrainian lawmaker who met with associates of President Trump about a possible peace deal is now facing a treason investigation. Andrei Artemenko is under scrutiny from investigators for proposin... read more..

Lawyers for the family of Rakhat Aliyev -- the late former lieutenant and son-in-law of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev -- say they still believe he was murdered in an Austrian prison and will co... read more..

Authorities in Kazakhstan should immediately release Zhanbolat Mamay, editor of the independent newspaper Sayasi kalam/Tribuna, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on February 13. Police arre... read more..

On the eve of another sham election, Turkmenistan’s rulers aren’t taking the need for change seriously. Have they begun to believe their own propaganda? Should we pay any attention to Turkmenista... read more..

Moody's Investors Service's negative outlook on Kazakhstan's banking sector reflects the rating agency's expectation that banks will continue to face solvency risks amid a challenging business environ... read more..

Kazakhstan, over the past few years, has filed repeated lawsuits with American courts against opposition actors. While the recent hacking allegations surrounding Moscow and the U.S. presidential elec... read more..

The Trump administration’s narrow focus on fighting the Islamic State could see human rights take a back seat as Washington embraces unsavory allies. President Donald Trump’s “America First” foreign ... read more..

Kazakhstan made the front pages of international newspapers last month when it hosted the first round of Syria peace talks. The diplomatic initiative is kicking off a year that will see a major PR pus... read more..

Editor's note: This is the fourth part of a series of four articles on white collar crime in Central Asian countries. The first article, on Kyrgyzstan, can be read here. The second article, on Tajikis... read more..

Self-immolation has in recent times become a recurrent gesture of ultimate despair in Kazakhstan. In the latest such case, a ex-employee of the Atyrau regional prosecutor’s office, 37-year old Leila ... read more..

Few people have much time for banks right now but spare a thought for BTA Bank of Kazakhstan. Like many other banks it has lost billions of dollars over the last decade.Unlike many of its peers, howev... read more..

A delegation of experts is meeting in Kazakhstan's capital to discuss the cease-fire agreement in Syria. Representatives from Russia, Turkey, Iran and the United Nations are in Astana Monday for th... read more..

Police in western Kazakhstan arrested two trade union leaders on January 20, 2017, Human Rights Watch said today. The men apparently face prosecution in connection with a hunger strike over the force... read more..

Wednesday, Central Asia watchers were all atwitter over a surprising announcement by Kazakhstan’s long-time president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, that he would aim to devolve some of his powers to Parliame... read more..

A Norwegian appeals court said Tuesday it extended the prison sentence for an American who served as chief legal adviser of fertilizer giant Yara International to seven years for aggravated bribery in... read more..

On December 7, 2016, KI Executive Director Charles Davidson testified before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia and Emerging Threats. Watch the opening statements and first ques... read more..

An effort by the United States to seize assets from officials who stole their countries’ wealth is now focused on returning the loot without enriching the looters. One would think that an icon... read more..