Field Reports
THE LATEST HIZB-UT-TAHRIR TRIAL DEFENDANTS SAY THEY CONFESSED UNDER TORTURE.
By Alima Bissenova, a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, and an editorial ass (6/6/2001 issue of the CACI Analyst)
The Akmalikramovskyi district court of the city of Tashkent convicted 23 people to imprisonment varying from 8 to 18 years for alleged violations of the articles 159 (attempt to overthrow the constitutional government of Uzbekistan), 216 (participating in banned public associations or religious organizations), and 244 (possessing and distributing materials threatening national security) of the Uzbekistan Criminal Code. The Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan that monitored the trial maintains that the allegations are based not on evidence of participation in anti-state or terrorist activity but on the religious practice and beliefs of the accused. At the trial, most of the accused retracted their earlier testimonies given during interrogation, saying that they were forced to confess under torture and threats to their families.
A NEW ‘SHINING’ KASHGAR
By Ruth Ingram (6/6/2001 issue of the CACI Analyst)
The Kashgar railway station is a potent symbol of Chinese subjugation in an already beleaguered Xinjiang. The glistening, marble-clad monolith at the end of a sumptuous two-lane highway in the outskirts of the city, is another sign for the so-called ‘minority’ race that the end is near for their predominance in this remote homeland. Completed only last year, the rail link between the capital Urumqi and this strategic southern Uyghur city, is another nail in the coffin of their hopes for independence and signifies the determined Chinese commitment to swamping southern Xinjiang with the Han majority population.
FALLOUT OF THE COLLECTIVE SECURITY TREATY YEREVAN SUMMIT
By Maria Utyaganova, student, International Relations, American University in Kyrgyzstan (6/20/2001 issue of the CACI Analyst)
Having experienced two Batken wars in the summers of 1999 and 2000, Kyrgyzstani officials have come to the conclusion that they can expect significant help from nowhere except Russia. Defense Minister Esen Topoev, cited in the newspaper Vechernii Bishkek, called Russia 'a main strategic partner', saying that Russia was the country that had provided the largest help during the recent wars. It seems that President Akaev, who was trying to sit on two chairs at once by flirting with both Russia and the West now counts on Putin's help more than on anybody else's.
KAZAKHSTAN UPDATES THE LAW ON RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
By Marat Yermukanov, Kazakhstan (6/20/2001 issue of the CACI Analyst)
The peaceful coexistence of the two mainstream religious trends in Kazakhstan, Islam and Christianity, is often held up by officials as a perfect model of spiritual harmony in a secular society. After independence, mosques and churches, Sunday schools and spiritual colleges have sprung up like mushrooms everywhere. Interestingly, many of the former atheistic communists have become deeply pious lately.
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Analysis Niklas Swanström and Leah Oppenheimer, "Invisible Ink: Looking for the Lost Trade between China, Russia, and Central Asia", ISDP Policy Brief, 13 March 2013. 
New Silk Road Paper S. Frederick Starr with Adib Farhadi, Finish the Job: Jump-Start the Afghan Economy, December 2012.
Conference Report Cheryl Benard, Eli Sugarman, and Holly Rehm, Cultural Heritage vs. Mining on the New Silk Road? Finding Technical Solutions for Mes Aynak and Beyond (in cooperation with the Alliance for the Restoration of Cultural Heritage) December 2012.
Article Svante E. Cornell, "The 'Afghanization of the North Caucasus: Causes and Implications of a Changing Conflict", in Stephen Blank, ed., Russia's Homegrown Insurgency: Jihad in the North Caucasus, Carlisle, PA: U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute, 2012.