17 October 2012 News Digest

Blast In Turkey Halts Azerbaijani Gas Flow Again
4 October

The BP-Azerbaijan energy company says the flow of Azerbaijani natural gas to Turkey via the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum pipeline has been halted.  Turkish media reports say the gas supplies were suspended after an explosion hit the line near the Turkish village of Kars late on October 3. No cause for the blast has been given. Operations to repair the line are under way. The explosion was the second to hit the Turkish section of the pipeline this year. The first one, in May, also halted the Azerbaijani gas supply to Turkey. Last month, Azerbaijani, Georgian, and Turkish troops conducted military exercise aimed at improving security for energy pipelines. In June, Turkey and Azerbaijan signed a deal to build a new a $7 billion pipeline -- the Trans-Anatolian Natural-Gas Pipeline (TANAP). (RFE/RL)

Kyrgyz Opposition Leaders Charged With Attempt To Grab Power
5 October

Three Kyrgyz opposition deputies have been charged with stirring public unrest in an unsuccessful attempt to seize power, amid continued protests by their supporters.  Kamchybek Tashiev, Sadyr Japarov, and Talant Mamytov were transported from their detention facility for a court hearing in a Bishkek district court late on October 5 under heavy police guard. Earlier in the day, some 700 opposition supporters had gathered in the southern city of Jalal-Abad to demand the immediate release of the three leaders of the Ata-Jurt (Homeland) opposition party. Tashiev, Japarov, and Mamytov were detained on October 3 for their alleged role in violent protests by about 1,000 demonstrators in the capital, Bishkek. The protesters were demanding the nationalization of the largest gold-mining operation in Kyrgyzstan, the Kumtor mine, which is owned by a Canada-based company. Tashiev joined the crowd and called on protesters to overthrow the government. Some protesters broke into the fenced perimeter around the parliament building. Police subsequently dispersed the demonstrators. Kyrgyzstan's Prosecutor General Aida Salyanova told a parliament session on October 4 that, according to Kyrgyz laws, an attempt to overthrow the government using force is punishable by 12 to 20 years imprisonment.  Ata-Jurt is the largest party in Kyrgyz parliament, although it is not in the governing coalition. The party has its power base in the southern provinces. Kyrgyz media reported that the situation remained calm in Jalal-Abad on the evening of October 5. However, the AKIpress news agency reported that supporters of the arrested lawmakers had erected two traditional yurts and put several benches in front of the Jalal-Abad provincial government's headquarters. Protesters vowed to remain in front of the government building until the court rules in favor of the lawmakers.  Demonstrators also blocked a key highway to Bishkek. Since gaining independence in 1991, the impoverished Central Asian nation has seen the overthrow of two presidents amid public protests. President Askar Akaev was cast out of power in 2005 amid weeklong protests against corruption and nepotism.  Five years later, another popular uprising led to president Kurmanbek Bakiev's ouster. (RFE/RL)

  Russia Signs Deal To Prolong Troop Presence At Tajik Military Base
5 October

Russia and Tajikistan have signed an agreement allowing Russian troops to stay at a military base in Tajikistan until 2042.  The Tajik and Russian defense ministers signed the agreement on October 5 during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Dushanbe. Upon meeting in the Tajik capital, Putin gave President Emomali Rahmon a sniper's rifle to mark the Tajik president's 60th birthday, which is October 5. Later, at a joint press conference with his Tajik counterpart, Putin indicated that the deal would help preserve both countries' strategic interests. "The key document is the agreement fixing the conditions of the Russian military base's stay on the territory of Tajikistan up to 30 years, to be precise until 2042," he said. "With this, we will secure the protection of our common strategic interests, the strengthening of security, and the stabilization of the situation in Central Asian region as a whole." Rahmon pointed out that Russia would provide Tajikistan’s army with assistance. "According to [the agreement], the Russian side takes responsibility for the modernization and technical renovation of Tajikistan's Armed Forces, and the strengthening of its material and technical property with modern arms," he said. "The Russian side will also assist in preparation of military personnel and improvement of other spheres in Tajikistan's defense sector." Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov told journalists that the agreement extends a deal signed in 1993, which was due to expire in 2014. Ushakov added that Russia would pay "a symbolic sum" to extend the lease. Moscow is allowing more Tajik migrant workers to earn cash in Russia, a source of income that is crucial to Tajikistan's fragile economy.  Tajikistan and Russia have been negotiating the lease for nearly a year. The talks on the issue were fast-tracked in April, when President Rahmon publicly called on Russia "to respect" Tajikistan. Talking to journalists in mid-April, Rahmon said he has "a big file of requests by other countries who offer mountains of gold for having a military base in Tajikistan, but I haven't even looked at those offers." Shortly after that, in his annual address to the parliament Rahmon expressed concerns over regional security after NATO troops' withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2014. He called on the world community to help Tajikistan fulfill its responsibility in regional peace. Also in April, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited Dushanbe to discuss the issue. Lavrov stated after his meeting with Rahmon that Tajikistan is interested in having Russian troops on its territory to secure its poorly controlled border with Afghanistan, adding that Russian military forces should remain in Tajikistan for a longer period. Russia's Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov has visited Tajikistan twice in recent weeks and Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov came to Dushanbe last month to discuss the future of the military base. Meanwhile, the head of a visiting U.S. Congressional delegation, Dan Burton, said in Dushanbe in July that Washington views Tajikistan as presenting a possible alternative to the Transit Center at Manas airport in neighboring Kyrgyzstan. The Transit Center in Manas near Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek is used by NATO for noncombatant supplies to its troops in Afghanistan. The center is scheduled to be closed in 2014 after NATO withdraws its troops from Afghanistan. About 7,000 troops from Russia's 201st Motorized Division are using three facilities on Tajik soil -- near Dushanbe and in the southern cities of Kulob and Qurghon-Teppa. It is the largest foreign deployment of Russian troops. (RFE/RL)

 

Georgian Ruling Party, Opposition Negotiate Power Handover
5 October

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili's government has started negotiations on handing over power to the opposition coalition that won this week's parliamentary elections.  The talks, which began on October 5, are widely expected to result in billionaire-turned-politician Bidzina Ivanishvili being appointed prime minister. Saakashvili's second and final presidential term ends in October 2013. Under a constitutional reform that goes into effect after he leaves office, many of the president's powers will be transferred to the prime minister, who is chosen by Parliament. The Georgian Dream coalition led by Ivanishvili won a comfortable majority in the 150-member parliament in the October 1 vote but appears to have fallen short of the 100 seats needed to amend the constitution. (RFE/RL)

 

Turkey responds to Syrian mortar fire in Akcakale
7 October

Turkish artillery has returned fire on Syria for a fifth day after a mortar landed in a border village. Five people were killed in a similar incident, reportedly in the same street in the village, Akcakale, last week. Turkey has been firing daily into Syria since Wednesday's deaths, as apparently stray munitions fall on its territory. In Damascus, a policeman died when a car bomb went off in the car park of the police headquarters in the Syrian capital, state media reported. The building in the Fahameh area of the city was said to have been damaged in the bombing, described as a "terrorist attack" by the Sana news agency. Witnesses reported hearing heavy gunfire after the explosion. During the day, fighting intensified in Syria's second city Aleppo, with fierce battles in two rebel-held neighbourhoods. AFP news agency reported that warplanes were bombarding the districts of Bab al-Hadid and Shaar. Syrian forces are also said to be on the offensive in Damascus and Homs. Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports said rebels had captured a government outpost near the Turkish border province of Hatay. Clashes in the area in recent days have led to several mortar bombs landing on the Turkish side from Syria, prompting Turkish forces to return fire. The rebels are fighting to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government in an uprising that began in March last year. According to activists, more than 30,000 people have been killed since the uprising against President Assad began. The UN estimates that at least 20,000 have died. Sunday's shell in Akcakale landed in the grounds of a public building near the centre of the village, but there were no casualties as people had already been evacuated, Turkish NTV said. Media and local officials said Turkey immediately returned fire. An Associated Press journalist said at least six mortars could be heard. Wednesday's incident in Akcakale triggered international condemnation. The UN Security Council said the incident showed the "grave impact" of the Syrian crisis on "regional peace and stability". Turkey's retaliation was the first time Ankara had taken military action across the border since the Syrian uprising began. And on the next day, Turkey's parliament authorised troops to launch cross-border operations and strike at Syrian targets for a period of one year. On Friday, Turkey moved tanks and anti-aircraft missiles into Akcakale, though Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country did not want war. (BBC)

Kyrgyzstan Announces Desire To Join Russia-Led Customs Union
8 October Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Erlan Abdyldaev says his country has decided to join the Customs Union that currently includes Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia.  Abdyldaev made the statement after his talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on October 8. According to Abdyldaev, Kyrgyzstan has set up working groups that are developing "common approaches" to the process of Kyrgyzstan’s joining the Customs Union. Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia launched the Customs Union in July last year and formally launched the so-called Common Economic Space in January 2012 to allow the free movement of services, capital, workers, and goods. Russian officials say the goal of the initiative is to set up by 2015 what they describe as a Eurasian economic union, modeled after the European Union. (RFE/RL) Former Armenian Foreign Minister, Opposition Lawmaker Charged With Money Laundering
8 October

Armenian authorities have charged a prominent opposition lawmaker and former foreign minister, Vartan Oskanian, with embezzlement and money laundering in a case widely seen as politically motivated.  Oskanian was summoned to the National Security Service (NSS) on October 8 and formally charged with misappropriating $1.4 million donated by a U.S. philanthropist to his Yerevan-based Civilitas Foundation in late 2010. Armenia's parliament stripped Oskanian of his immunity last week. He faces up to five years in prison if found guilty. Oskanian denies wrongdoing, saying that he did not break any law by keeping the donation on his personal bank account before transferring it to the foundation. He describes the charges against him as "political persecution" aimed at damaging him and his Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) ahead of a presidential election scheduled for February 2013. Oskanian, who represents the BHK party in parliament, has been widely tipped as a possible challenger to President Serzh Sarkisian in the poll. The BHK party is led by Gagik Tsarukian, an arm-wrestler-turned-millionaire. Former Armenian President Robert Kocharian issued a statement last week in defense of Oskanian, who served as foreign minister during his tenure. A number of prominent figures from the Armenian Diaspora have also voiced their support for the beleaguered lawmaker. Civilitas Foundation Director Salpi Ghazarian says signatures are being collected in support of Oskanian. The U.S. Embassy in Yerevan has also expressed concern, saying Washington hoped the case "does not represent a politically motivated and selective enforcement of Armenian law." (RFE/RL)

 

U.S.: 'More Than Election' Needed To Advance Georgian Democracy
9 October

The United States has welcomed Georgia's "remarkable transition" but says "much more than the election is necessary to further consolidate Georgia's democratic trajectory."  Thomas Melia, the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for democracy and human rights, made the comment on October 9 at the Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank. In October 1 elections, tycoon-turned-politician Bidzina Ivanishvili's Georgian Dream coalition won at least 83 of 150 parliamentary seats. The results have yet to be finalized due to vote-rigging claims. President Mikheil Saakashvili has vowed a "flawless" transition of power. Melia said that he had considered the prospect of election-day or day-after violence to be "quite real" but that the conduct of both sides since the vote is something that "I hope we will see more often in the former Soviet space." He said continued reform would help Georgia capitalize on this "hopeful development." (RFE/RL)

 

Azerbaijanis Jailed For Spying For Iran
9 October

Twenty-two Azerbaijani citizens have been sentenced to jail terms ranging from 10 to 15 years for planning terrorist attacks against the U.S. and Israeli embassies in Baku.  The suspects were arrested in March on suspicion of having links to Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and went on trial in late August. Azerbaijan's Interior Ministry has said that AK-47 assault rifles, guns, and explosives had been confiscated from the suspects. Tehran-Baku relations have been marred since February, when reports emerged that Azerbaijan had purchased some $1.6 billion of weapons from Israel. Also in February, Iran accused Azerbaijan of allowing Israeli spies to use Azerbaijani territory. (RFE/RL)

 

Six Killed In Daghestan Mudslide
10 October Reports from Russia's North Caucasus region of Daghestan say a mudslide caused by torrential rains has killed six people in the city of Derbent.  Officials said heavy rain that lasted for up to 45 minutes also flooded more than 300 houses in the city, where 1,200 residents, including 280 children, were trapped for several hours. Rescue operations and streets cleaning were under way. In August, a flash flood killed 171 people in the town of Krymsk in the North Caucasus region of Krasnodar Krai. Several local officials were later fired as local citizens complained they had had no warning of the danger. (RFE/RL)
Putin Marks 60th Birthday
10 October

Russian President Vladimir Putin is marking his 60th birthday.  Supporters and opponents of the veteran ruler are expected to hold separate demonstrations to mark the date. Putin has led Russia for the past 13 years, as president or prime minister. In elections in March, he won an unprecedented third term as president. The Kremlin said Putin plans to celebrate his birthday with his family, and no special official parties are planned. The ITAR-TASS news agency ran a birthday editorial, which was run by several media outlets, saying "Russians are by now accustomed to, though they continue to be surprised at, the ability of the president to work, without break or detriment to his health or mood, in various time zones and seasons of the year." The commentary continued that journalists covering the Russian president "cannot remember an instance when Putin was sick and when he takes a week's holiday in Sochi it is always a working holiday." According to the editorial, presidential administration officials joke that the "best gift for the chief is hard work." Russia's NTV aired a documentary about Putin on October 7, where Putin said he would consider granting jailed Russian tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky a pardon but the former Yukos CEO "must ask for pardon." Khodorkovsky was convicted in two separate trials of fraud, then embezzlement and money laundering, and is jailed until 2017. Charges against him surfaced after Khodorkovsky became active in Russian politics. Putin also addressed the jailing for two years of three members of the female performance group Pussy Riot who were convicted of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred for their "punk prayer" against Putin in a Moscow cathedral. Putin said, "the arrest was right and their sentence was right." He added he had nothing to do with the case or verdict against the Pussy Riot members but "they got what they asked for."  Putin commented on the situation in Georgia after President Mikheil Saakashvili's ruling party lost in parliamentary elections on October 1. Putin said he was sure Saakashvili would try to hold onto power. Heads of state have sent their best wishes to Putin. The presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, and Ukraine, as well as the leader of Georgia's breakaway territory of Abkhazia, have all congratulated Putin. North Korean Kim Jong Un conveyed his hope that Putin would "enjoy success in all his responsibilities aimed at creating a strong and modern Russia." Kim also wished Putin "health and happiness." In a more elaborate tribute, a group of mountain climbers in the Russian republic of North Ossetia put up a portrait of Putin on the summit of a 4,150-meter mountain. (RFE/RL)

Kazakhstan: World Bank To Finance Road To China
11 October The World Bank has announced it is loaning Kazakhstan more than $1 billion to build a road to China.  The agreement was signed by officials from the World Bank and Kazakhstan in Astana on October 11.  When completed, the highway will stretch some 300 kilometers and link Almaty to Khorgos.  The World Bank says that artery serves as a transit route not only for Kazakhstan and China but other Central Asian nations as well.  The World Bank says the project has the potential to boost regional trade.  The highway is an integral piece of the international motor corridor "Western Europe - Western China," a big part of which transits Kazakhstan. The estimated date of completion of the highway is 2015. (RFE/RL) Kyrgyz Police Disperse Protesters From Central Square In Osh
11 October OSH, Kyrgyzstan -- Police in Kyrgyzstan's southern city of Osh have dispersed some 400 protesters who had gathered to demand the release of three opposition members of parliament. Officials at the city's Interior Affairs Department told RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service that four police officers were injured in clashes with the demonstrators. The violence came after city officials rejused to allow the protesters to set up traditional nomadic tents, or yurts, on the square, where they could hold a hunger strike. Eighteen women have been on hunger strike in another southern city, Jalal-Abad, since October 8, demanding the three politicians' release. Kamchybek Tashiev, Sadyr Japarov, and Talant Mamytov -- who are leaders of the opposition Ata-Jurt (Homeland) party -- were detained last week and charged with stirring public unrest for their role in violent protests by about 1,000 demonstrators in Bishkek on October 3. (RFE/RL)

Moscow Wants Out Of Nuclear Dismantling Program
12 October

The United States says that it is still talking to Russia about future cooperation in a decades-old joint program to dismantle nuclear and chemical weapons.  State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland responded to reports that Moscow wants to end cooperation under the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program.  The multibillion-dollar effort, paid for by U.S. taxpayers, was started after the end of the Cold War to help an economically struggling, post-Soviet Russia deal with its stockpiles of unconventional weapons across the former Soviet Union.  More than 7,500 nuclear warheads have been deactivated, and fissile materials have been secured. (RFE/RL)

 

One Third Of Kazakh Religious Groups And Organizations To Be Shut Down
12 October

The chief of Kazakhstan's Agency on Religions says one third of the country's religious organizations will be shut down soon.  Qairat Lama Sharif made the statement in Almaty on October 12 at a roundtable meeting on the implementation of Kazakhstan’s new law on religions, which requires the re-registration of all religious groups in the country. Sharif said the legislation, adopted a year ago, will help prevent "the use of religion for destructive purposes." The Kazakh parliament initiated the new law on religions last year after a resident of the northwestern city of Aqtobe carried out what was described as the first ever suicide bombing in Kazakhstan in May 2011. A number of security operations against radical Islamists and trials of alleged religious extremists followed the incident. (RFE/RL)

Kyrgyz ex-leader Bakiyev's son held in UK for fraud
13 October

Maxim Bakiyev, 34, was arrested by the Metropolitan Police Service Extradition Unit when he turned up at Belgravia police station on Friday. He later appeared in court on charges of conspiracy to defraud and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. His reaction to the charges was not immediately known. Mr Bakiyev, whose father was deposed in 2010, is also wanted in Kyrgyzstan. He arrived in the UK that year, flying into Farnborough airport in a private jet. Reports say he was arrested upon arrival but subsequently allowed to stay in the UK while a request for political asylum was considered. Kyrgyzstan, once seen as the most stable and liberal of the ex-Soviet Central Asian republics, descended into turmoil in 2005 when a popular revolt ejected President Askar Akayev and brought Kurmanbek Bakiyev to power. Deposed in turn in 2010, Mr Bakiyev senior was given political asylum in Belarus. Confirming Mr Bakiyev's arrest for BBC News, the Metropolitan Police said the charges against him were "two counts of conspiracy to defraud and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice in the USA between April 2010 and April 2012". He appeared in Westminster Magistrates' Court on the charges later on Friday afternoon. A Kyrgyz court put out a request for his arrest earlier through Interpol. The office of the current Kyrgyz President, Almazbek Atambayev, said in a statement that Mr Bakiyev had been arrested in London "for grave crimes", without giving details. "Because of the absence of an extradition agreement between the Kyrgyz Republic and Great Britain, the British side is now considering the issue of extraditing Maxim Bakiyev to the United States," it said. According to the Associated Press news agency, Mr Bakiyev has been linked to alleged corrupt schemes in the sale of fuel to a strategically valuable US air base in Kyrgyzstan. Manas air base has been used by the US for more than a decade for its military operations in Afghanistan. Maxim Bakiyev served as head of Kyrgyzstan's central agency for development.

Syria bans Turkey civilian flights over its territory
14 October

Turkish civilian planes are no longer allowed to fly over Syria, Damascus has said, amid growing tensions between the two neighbouring countries. The ban took effect at midnight (2100GMT) on Saturday. This comes just days after Turkey intercepted a Syrian-bound plane, claiming it carried Russian-made munitions for the Syrian army. Syria has described the claim as a lie, challenging Ankara to put the seized goods on public view. The Syrian foreign ministry said its ban on Turkish flights was in retaliation for a similar move from Ankara. Turkey has not announced such a measure, although it has said it will continue to ground Syrian civilian planes it suspects are carrying military cargo. Tensions have been recently rising between the two countries after a series of cross-border incidents. Last week, there were several days of firing across the border after five Turkish civilians were killed by Syrian shelling. Turkey's government has backed the Syrian opposition and called for the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad. In Syria itself, there were reports on Saturday that rebels had shot down a Syrian military jet outside Aleppo - the town at the centre of recent fighting. Footage posted online showed the burning wreckage of what appeared to be an aircraft, but the claim has not been independently verified. Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch has accused the government of President Assad of dropping cluster bombs - which are banned by more than 100 countries - into populated areas. The group said there was a number of credible reports that the number of cluster bomb strikes had increased dramatically in recent days. Syria refuses to join the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which bans the use of such weapons. In a separate development, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayip Erdogan told a conference in Istanbul that the UN's failure to act in Syria gave President Assad the green light to kill tens or hundreds of people every day. Turkey may not be at war with Syria, but it is now increasingly involved in its neighbour's conflict, the BBC's James Reynolds in Turkey reports. Mr Erdogan's comments come as the UN-Arab League envoy for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, had talks in Istanbul with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to hear Ankara's perspective on the crisis. No breakthroughs were expected, and none were reported after the meeting, our correspondent says. (BBC)

Medvedeva Honored With Turkmen State Award
15 October Turkmenistan has bestowed a prestigious state award – the Ruhubelent Order -- on the wife of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, saying she has helped improve ties between the two countries.  In a ceremony in Ashgabat, President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov said Svetlana Medvedeva was being recognized for inspiring spirituality and morality among young people. Medvedeva is not known for showing any particular interest in Turkmenistan. Ties between the two countries have been strained since 2009 when Russia abruptly halted imports of natural gas from Turkmenistan. (RFE/RL)

 

Doctors and nurses forced to pick cotton
16 October

 

After some international clothing firms such as H&M, Adidas and Marks and Spencer boycotted cotton from Uzbekistan in protest at the use of child labour, this year most Uzbek children are able to get on with their schoolwork. But office workers, nurses and even surgeons are being forced into the fields instead. Malvina, a nurse at a clinic in Tashkent, is angry. "I am almost 50 years old and I've got asthma. We had to pick a lot of cotton, all by hand - and we were not paid anything!" She has just returned from a 15-day stint picking cotton with other health professionals in rural Uzbekistan. It was hard toil and no-one was spared, whatever their seniority. "Some people phoned our surgeon, who was with us in the fields. They would say things like: 'You operated on me a week ago. I've got a temperature - what shall I do?'" Uzbekistan is one of the world's main producers of cotton and the crop is a mainstay of its economy. The government controls production and enforces Soviet-style quotas to get the harvest off the fields as quickly as possible. A history of using child and forced labour at harvest time has led to a number of retailers - including H&M, Marks and Spencer and Tesco - to pledge to source their cotton from elsewhere. In response, earlier this year Uzbekistan's Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyayev issued a decree banning children from working in the cotton fields. Yet many adults, including teachers, cleaners and office workers, are still forced to return to the land during October and November. This year, like last year, medical staff have been ordered to join them. There are reports of patients in towns being turned away because their doctor is "in cotton". The BBC is not allowed to report from Uzbekistan, but Malvina - not her real name - told us that since last year, Tashkent's authorities have required every district to contribute 330 medical staff. There followed a bad-tempered meeting at her clinic to decide who would do the work. Unfortunately for Malvina, it became clear that having asthma wasn't enough to get out of the chore. "It seemed that everybody had something - back pain or high blood pressure or whatever. And when the head doctor heard this list of illnesses she said: 'Stop it! I don't want to hear any more. Everybody is going apart from pregnant women and those nursing babies.'" Anyone who refused to go would be dismissed, she said. Malvina says that the workers were woken up at 04:00 in the morning and had to walk for more than an hour before starting work. They finished around 18:00 in the evening. "We had to pick 60kg of cotton each. If we didn't hit that target, then we had to buy the rest from locals," she says. Malvina and her colleagues from the clinic were supposed to be put up in a school, but there wasn't enough space. In the end they rented their own accommodation. To wash they had to pay another fee to use a local bathhouse. For many Uzbeks, the cotton season presents an unpredictable burden. A college lecturer from Samarqand region, who did not wish to reveal his name, told us he was too ill to pick cotton this year. "I had to find a labourer and pay him $100 to pick cotton for me," he says. "Then the college principal withheld my monthly salary, saying it was going to be used to feed and house the labourers - so I lost another $200." But he is happy that schoolchildren are being spared this year and can carry on with their education. The decree banning child labour does appear to have had some effect. Yelena Urlayeva, an activist who travels across the country every year to document abuses, has noted a few incidents where children have been drafted in to make up a shortfall. The Uzbek authorities have so far refused to discuss cotton-picking with the BBC, but a website close to the government recently denied the presence of any children among this year's cotton-pickers. Under the terms of the decree, a "child" is anyone under the school-leaving age of 15. Students over this age are still bussed out to help with the harvest, and all colleges and universities have closed their doors as usual. For Urlayeva, these pickers are also too young. "They are still children, and some of them get sick because the conditions are so harsh. It gets very cold and the food is just not good enough." She says that parents who try to remove sick children from the harvest are threatened with their expulsion from college. One of the organisers of the boycott, the pressure group Responsible Sourcing Network, says the Uzbek government has not yet done enough. "What we were asking for in order to lift the boycott was for the Uzbek government to invite an ILO [International Labour Organization] mission, to monitor the situation in the field," says Cotton Programme Manager Valentina Gurney. "Despite our insistence, this has not happened." Forced labour is found in a number of countries around the world, but it is only in Uzbekistan that it is orchestrated by the government, Gurney says. According to the International Cotton Advisory Committee, Uzbekistan accounts for about 4% of world cotton production, and 10% of world cotton exports. At the same time cotton accounts for about 45% of Uzbekistan's total exports. For decades "white gold" has been important culturally too. Uzbeks are encouraged from a young age to look forward to the time of year known simply as "pahta" - cotton. The harvest is an opportunity for them to contribute to their nation's prosperity. For Malvina, there is the certainty of further cotton-picking "opportunities" in the future. Her workplace has signed an agreement with the farm for the next five years. (BBC)

 

Pussy Riot Members Lose Appeal To Remain In Moscow Prison
16 October

Two members of the Russian punk performance-art group Pussy Riot have lost their appeal to stay in a Moscow pretrial detention center.  Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, and Maria Alyokhina, 24, are now set to be transferred to a penal colony outside the capital, where conditions are much tougher. The nearest penal colony is located about 100 kilometers from Moscow. Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina wanted to complete their two-year sentence at the detention center where they are currently being held. Both have small children and their lawyers argue that a transfer to a penal colony outside Moscow will complicate their contacts with their families. The two women were convicted of "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred" in August after staging a performance critical of President Vladimir Putin in Moscow's largest Orthodox cathedral. A third defendant, Yekaterina Samutsevich, was released on probation last week. (RFE/RL)