Protests

A photo collage with 12 of the 24 Kyrgyz activists detained for protesting against the agreement Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan signed to finalise the border demarcation. The deal includes a land swap that assigns to Uzbekistan the Kampir-Abad water reservoir. © Kloop.kg

Kyrgyzstan Seals Border Deal, Dissenters Remain in Jail

Protests against the land swaps the agreement entails have led to a heavy-handed response.

9 Feb 23

Uzbekistan’s state prosecutor requested long jail terms for 22 activists and journalists accused of fomenting the July unrest that shook Nukus, the administrative centre of Uzbekistan's north-western region of Karakalpakstan in July 2022. © Uzbekistan's Supreme Court

Prosecutor Demands Long Sentences for Karakalpakstan Protesters

Trial of 22 defendants enters final stages amid concerns of bias and lack of transparency.

20 Jan 23

On December 23, 2022, Kazak President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev inaugurated the Tagzym memorial in the country's largest city of Almaty. Meaning bowing in Kazak, the Tagzym honour the 238 victims of the unrest that swept Kazakstan in early January 2022. © Kazakhstan's presidential office

A Year on From Kazakstan’s Bloody January

Murky investigation and lack of accountability followed violence that scarred a nation.

11 Jan 23

Uzbekistan: Lack of Dialogue Behind Protests in Karakalpakstan

Experts warn that unresolved questions of national self-determination and social problems need to be treated sensitively.

12 Jul 22

Region's administrative centre, Khorog. © Press Service of the GBAO Administration

Protests Reignite in Tajikistan’s Restive Region

Authorities struggle to contain anger over a citizen’s unexplained death in detention.

20 May 22

Pride march in Havana, 11 May 2019. © Plataforma 11M

Cuba’s LGTBI Community Demands Change

Although discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation is illegal, the reality is different.

18 May 22

A recent protest in Yerevan against the government's changing stance on Karabakh. © Arshaluis Mghdesyan

Armenians Protest Against Government Shift on Karabakh

Anger over potential plans to drop the decades’ long demand for territory’s independence.

3 May 22

The Rodriguez Roman family unites to send parcels to the three jailed brothers and sisters. In the picture Emilio Roman (father) and Liset Rodriguez (aunt). © Werner Holt

Cuba: La Güinera Waits for News of Its Detainees

Nearly 100 people from the impoverished neighbourhood were detained in connection with the July 2021 protests.

23 Mar 22

Actor Saikal Zhumalieva and her co-writers brought the idea for It’s Like This in My World to Theatre 705.

Kyrgyzstan’s Feminist Theatre

Bishkek centre provides rare platform to explore social issues from new perspectives.

8 Mar 22

Natalia Hersche in a courtroom in Minsk during sentencing, 1 Dec 2020.

Belarus: Life as a Political Prisoner

Freezing cold cells and long stretches in solitary confinement for those who defy the Lukashenko regime.