RFE/RL Caucasus Report
1/27/2012 8:37:09 PM
A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about the countries of the South Caucasus and Russia's North Caucasus region.
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Armenian Opposition Unites For Elections
The nearly two dozen opposition groups aligned in the main opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) have decided to contest the upcoming parliamentary elections jointly. More 
Georgian Wine Exports Up
According to Georgia’s state statistics agency, the country’s wine exports jumped nearly 40 percent in value last year to more than $54 million. More 
Shooting Focuses Renewed Attention On Approach Of Daghestani Police
The shooting in Makhachkala on January 20 of a human rights lawyer and his relative has focused attention yet again on the brutal and indiscriminate approach of Daghestan's security forces to combating the Islamic insurgency. More 
In Baku, Eurovision Supervisor Talks Of Human Rights, Hopes For Event
Azerbaijan has hosted its first formal ceremony as this year's host of the Eurovision Song Contest, unveiling its logo and slogan and participating in the official handover of the contest to Baku from last year's host, Duesseldorf, Germany. More 
Central Asia Bottom Of Environment Index
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Iraq -- countries that have long occupied the lower rungs on corruption and freedoms rankings -- now have another disappointing evaluation to add to this list: they're positioned at the very bottom of the 2012 Environmental Performance Index (EPI). More 
Armenians Name Baby 'Sarkozy'
An Armenian couple has named its firstborn child after French President Nicholas Sarkozy two days after the French Senate adopted a law criminalizing any public denial of what is recognized in France as the Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire. More 
Georgian Captain Recounts Somali Hostage Ordeal
Fifteen Georgian and three Turkish sailors returned home earlier this month after spending 16 months being held hostage by Somali pirates. The ship's 63-year-old captain, Memed Zakaradze, recounts the ordeal. More 
'Plot To Kill' Israel Envoy Foiled
Three Azerbaijani citizens have been arrested in connection with a plot to kill Israeli Ambassador Michael Lotem and a teacher and a rabbi at the Chabad Jewish school in Baku. More 
Explainer: France's New Genocide Law Is About More Than Ottoman Armenians
The French parliament has grabbed headlines this week by passing legislation under which it would be a crime to deny that the mass killings of Ottoman Armenians in 1915 was genocide. More 
New South Ossetian Crisis Averted?
The protracted standoff in Georgia's breakaway republic of South Ossetia between Alla Dzhioyeva, the opposition candidate whose victory in a presidential runoff ballot last November was annulled by the republic's Supreme Court, and the republic's leaders may be close to an end. More 
Chechen Leader Slams Election Protesters
The leader of Russia's Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, has denounced as enemies of Russia the activists who have organized protests over the country's disputed December elections for the State Duma lower house of parliament. More 
Rights Group Says Dictators Cracking Down, In Fear Of 'Arab Spring' Redux
The U.S.-based rights watchdog Human Rights Watch (HRW) says fears that pro-democracy uprisings across the Arab world might spread to Central Asia fueled a crackdown on dissent in that region last year. More 
Armenian Opposition Steps Up Push For Voting Reform
The Armenian opposition has pressured the government over a major electoral reform by holding a conference attended by officials from virtually all of the country's major political forces. More 
New Opposition Civic Union Established in Abkhazia
A civic union of Abkhaz "patriotic forces" held its founding congress in Sukhumi on January 19. More 
Armenian Army Deaths Down In 2011
Armenian's chief military prosecutor says the number of Armenian soldiers who died in action and noncombat circumstances fell by 33 percent to a total of 36 last year. More
Azerbaijan Says It Exposed Terror Cell
Azerbaijan's National Security Ministry (MNS) says it has uncovered a terror group that was plotting to assassinate public figures. More |
