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The Kazakhstan elections and the transition that wasn’t

Nursultan Nazarbayev | (c) Abilov/Xinhua News Agency/PA Images. All rights reserved

In March, Kazakhstan's long-term leader stepped down, making way for a "transition" of power. But everything about this change has been carefully orchestrated and highly controlled - as this Sunday's elections show.

Kazakhstan detains 3 women protesters for extremism ahead of vote

Loyalist Kassym-Jomart Tokayev took over from long-ruling strongman Nursultan Nazarbayev in March. He is expected to cruise to victory in a June 9 election / © AFP/File

Three women who took part in an anti-government protest are under house arrest on suspicion of belonging to an extremist organisation, police said Sunday, a week ahead of elections in the authoritarian state.

A Half-Open Gate to Hell

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 With Wojciech Górecki about the Russian-Chinese game, Moscow’s strategy and about preventing burano talks Małgorzata Schwarzgruber.

Mueller Probed Cohen Ties to Oligarch’s Cousin, Filings Show

Mueller Probed Cohen Ties to Oligarch’s Cousin, Filings Show

President Donald Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, communicated more than 1,000 times by text and telephone over eight months with the chief executive of a U.S. money-management firm with ties to a Russian oligarch, Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s office determined in the summer of 2017.

A Man in Kazakhstan Held Up a Blank Sign to See if He’d Be Detained. He Was.

aslan sagutdinov

 To test the limits of his right to peacefully demonstrate in Kazakhstan, Aslan Sagutdinov, 22, stood in a public square holding a blank sign, predicting he would be detained.

Central Asian states plan ‘silk visa’ in bid to revive trade

A Kyrgyz border guard checks a vehicle at the country's frontier with Uzbekistan. Central Asian states are looking for ways to ease trade and travel within the region © AFP

 Region known for mutual hostility and glacial change shows signs of opening up

Russian-tied Trump Tower lobbyist and GOP operative lobbying for Kazakh fugitive

Russian-American lobbyist Rinat Akhmetshin (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

A Russian-tied lobbyist who attended the notorious Trump Tower meeting and a longtime GOP operative are teaming up to lobby on behalf of a Kazakh fugitive alleged to have stolen millions from the Central Asian country.

Apology to Akezhan Kazhegeldin

RadioNewZeland

On 30 May, 2016, RNZ and TVNZ jointly On 30 May, 2016, RNZ and TVNZ jointly published an article headed "Panama Papers:The NZ-Kazakhstan connection".

KAZAKHSTAN: 18 prisoners of conscience, 11 restricted freedom sentences

Prison at Zarechny Almaty Region RFE Toguzbaev

In addition to one Muslim on trial in Shymkent, 18 individuals are known to be currently jailed for exercising freedom of religion or belief. All are Sunni Muslim men. A further 11 are serving restricted freedom sentences. A further 12 are under post-jailing bans on specific activity. A further 29 who have completed sentences still have their bank accounts blocked.

Kazakhstan’s toi: A feast or a fuss?

Нуржан Аташ

 Kazakhs who cannot afford the expense of a wedding often take loans. Banks even advertise special wedding-themed credit.

Experts of the Committee against Torture Commend Kazakhstan for Enhanced Legislation

Experts of the Committee against Torture Commend Kazakhstan for Enhanced Legislation

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Kazakh official: Not the time to resolve differences through war

Kazakh official: Not the time to resolve differences through war

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Oil majors sued by Kazakh government over billions in revenue

Oil majors sued by Kazakh government over billions in revenue

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