Field Reports

Just two days after Amnesty International launched its Twitter campaign to call for the release of the journalist and editor Eynulla Fatullayev, his name was included in a list of prisoners to be pardoned ahead of the 93rd anniversary of the founding of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. Human rights activists in Baku believe that the release of Fatullayev is connected with Azerbaijan’s victory in the Eurovision song contest two weeks ago and numerous subsequent calls to improve the country’s human rights record ahead of hosting the event next year.

Though it is still too early to say whether Kazakhstan’s internal stability is at risk, national authorities are now investigating, with little success, two explosions that occurred on May 17 and 24 in Aktobe in Western Kazakhstan and Astana respectively. The first case involved a 25-year-old citizen of Kazakhstan, Rakhimzhan Makatov, who blew himself up in the temporary detention facility of the National Security Committee. According to the official version, the perpetrator of this act was previously affiliated with a number of criminal organizations. In order to avoid the burden of responsibility for crimes committed earlier, he is believed to have smuggled a medium-sized explosive into the NSC compound, which took his life and severely injured a local guard.

After Nursultan Nazarbayev’s successful reelection to the presidency on April 4, Kazakhstan has hosted a string of high-profile economic meetings aimed at boosting its standing in global affairs and putting forward a number of proposals about how to further economic modernization and diversification in line with contemporary challenges to the world economy.

As skyrocketing food prices become an increasingly salient trigger for social and political protests across the developing world, sharp rises in prices for basic foodstuffs in Tajikistan are contributing to a growing popular frustration with the government’s inability to control prices. The food costs in the country rose by up to 30 percent over the last two months, with meat and wheat flour prices jumping 50 percent in some areas. Although government officials expect a moderation in food prices later this year, analysts warn that the costs for major foodstuffs might rise again before Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting, in August.

No expenses were spared when Grozny’s new state of the art soccer stadium was inaugurated on May 11. The televised event was celebrated by fireworks, musical performances, and a high profile exhibition game between a team from the region and a team consisting of retired international stars led by Diego Armando Maradona.

The victory in the Eurovision song contest has provided a unique opportunity for Azerbaijan to promote its culture and tourism to the world. While the international community thinks the victory should encourage the country to improve its human rights record, domestic observes do not rule out that it could be used for political benefits in the 2013 presidential elections.

The U.S. has approved a credit line to finance Azerbaijan’s first communication satellite despite strong opposition from Armenian lobby groups in the U.S. which argue it could be used for military purposes. The credit agreement between the U.S. Export-Import Bank, an agency of the U.S. government, and the Government of Azerbaijan to finance a purchase of the Azerspace satellite from the U.S. manufacturer Orbital Sciences Corporation will be signed in May 2011. The deal costs US$ 120 million, of which 85 percent will be covered by the loan from the U.S. bank and repaid by Azerbaijan over the next 10 years. The application for Ex-Im financing was made by BNP-Paribas of New York City, and the loan is guaranteed by Azerbaijan's Ministry of Finance. A 15 percent share will be paid by the government of Azerbaijan.

When the Armenian economy abruptly collapsed by over 14 percent in 2009 due to the global economic crisis, there were hopes that the economy would rapidly recover in the following year. However, the recovery was very slow in 2010 with a GDP growth of only 2.6 percent. This was mainly due to a small output in the sphere of agriculture. Whereas in 2009 the volume of agricultural production remained almost intact, it decreased by over 13 percent in 2010 as a result of bad weather and other reasons.

On May 3, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry (Kyrgyzstan Inquiry Commission – KIC) presented its long-awaited report on the inter-ethnic conflict in southern Kyrgyzstan that took place in June last year. The KIC found the Uzbek minority to have been disproportionally victimized in the conflict, provided evidence of official complicity, and claimed that some of the violent acts committed can be considered crimes against humanity. The report stated that increasing political fanaticism based on ethno-nationalistic sentiments in the wake of April 7 events became the main reason for the tragic conflict. A power vacuum and consequent political rivalries and weak state institutions especially in the south of the country contributed to the eruption of violent clashes, the commission reported.