The PDF version is available at http://www.rferl.org/reviews/
RFE/RL REVIEW
The Best of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Reporting
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October 8-21, 2005
U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE RICE'S CENTRAL ASIA TRIP FEATURED IN RFE/RL BROADCASTS U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's October 11-13 visits to Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan were a prime topic for programming by nearly all of RFE/RL's broadcast services, especially those in the five Central Asian republics (including the countries Rice did not visit, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) and Radio Free Afghanistan.
Central News correspondent Gulnoza Saidazimova was in Bishkek on October 11 for the first stop in Secretary Rice's tour, where she filed a report on the Kyrgyz leg of the visit (http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/3E5FF2E2-EDD3-4B8D-AC62-B22B568643AD.html). Kyrgyz Service Bishkek Bureau chief Kubat Otorbayev was given the opportunity, along with a colleague with the BBC, to interview Rice -- audio from the interview was made available to all services and posted to RFE/RL's website, along with a transcript and report on what Secretary Rice said (report: http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/56A30EBE-7B7B-4635-86B4-000F886A9CFC.html; transcript: http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/7C7272F9-22BE-4686-9FAA-92CDA18F865B.html; audio: https://realaudio.rferl.org/Online/OL1110/Condolezza_Rice.rm or mms://realaudio.rferl.org/Online/OL1110/Condolezza_Rice.wma).
Radio Free Afghanistan's Pashto-language newscaster announced at 9:00AM Kabul time that Secretary Rice would be in Afghanistan for talks with government leaders; the service's first live report of the visit was at 1:30PM local time, after Secretary Rice's joint press conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. In the following hours, Radio Free Afghanistan reported extensively on the visit and Secretary Rice's pledges of continued U.S. support for Afghanistan in its anti- insurgency and anti-drug efforts (http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/B83624EB-86AC-45D6-8ABC-467DF46617A3.html).
RFE/RL's Kazakh Service broadcast news of Secretary Rice's visits to Afghanistan and Pakistan live, in preparation for her expected arrival later on October 12 in the Kazakh capital of Astana. The service also interviewed Kazakh political observers, politicians, parliament members and opposition leaders about the visit. The service was the only broadcast media outlet in Kazakhstan to report on the detention in Almaty of prominent Kazakh opposition figure Tolen Tokhtasynov who was on his way to meet Secretary Rice in Astana (in Kazakh: http://www.azattyq.org/rubrics/domestic/ka/2005/10/707AB2DA-142F-4BFB-9F17-95F3D18FB898.ASP; in English, http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/16553DD6-E6C1-4EFE-8601-7088C8905089.html). Republican People's Party leader Amirzhan Qosanov, who witnessed Tokhtasynov's detention, told RFE/RL in a report aired by the Kazakh Service just minutes after the detention: "About 30 minutes ago Tolen Tokhtasynov was on his way to Almaty airport, because together with other representatives of our democratic forces, he had been invited to the meeting with Condoleezza Rice in Astana. On his way, about 20 OMON [special security] officers with weapons stopped him and took him away in their car. Our lawyers tell us now that they have taken him to the administrative courthouse in Almaty. After that [Tokhtasynov's detention] happened, all the telephone lines and electricity were immediately cut off in our office, that is why I am speaking to you via mobile phone now."
The Kazakh Service provided comprehensive coverage of Secretary Rice's October 13 official meetings in Astana with local students, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and with opposition figures. The service was the only source in Kazakhstan reporting on the pointed questions asked of President Nazarbayev by a CNN reporter regarding his methods of rule -- Nazarbayev's response and Rice's comments could only be heard in Kazakhstan on Kazakh Service broadcasts (in Kazakh: http://www.azattyq.org/rubrics/domestic/ka/2005/10/47D91C10-D9DE-40D0-8A19-FD3511B2B37D.ASP; http://www.azattyq.org/rubrics/domestic/ka/2005/10/08D6473A-4BE2-4045-B710-2A4F5734F40F.ASP; in English: http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/E6D5FBF5-0D9F-4506-B88D-2C382CFEBD99.html).
The final stop on Secretary Rice's tour of Central Asia was Tajikistan, where she arrived on October 13. RFE/RL's Tajik Service aired special reports on Rice's meeting with Tajik President Imomali Rahmanov, her meeting at the central Mosque in Dushanbe, her joint press conference with Tajik Foreign Minister Talbak Nazarov, and her meeting with Tajik political party representatives at the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe. The service also provided listeners and website visitors with several analyses of relations between the U.S. and Tajikistan, the rivalry between the U.S. and Russia over Tajikistan, the economic advantages being offered to Tajikistan by both the U.S. and Russia and the effect of this rivalry on the balance of powers in the region. Although Rice's primary theme during her visit to Tajikistan was security and drug smuggling from Afghanistan, she also placed strong emphasis on the need to create a more open society and to hold free and fair elections in the country -- factors Rice said were a prerequisite for U.S. cooperation (in Tajik: http://www.ozodi.org/reportsarticle/2005/10/2A50331B-613E-47EB-854A-FE263BE7BE44.html; in English, http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/893BE8D3-8741-4472-A5FE-0824BDB0B31B.html).
On October 14, Central News correspondent Bruce Pannier produced a wrap-up of the visit for all RFE/RL services to use, which featured reporting by the Kazakh, Kyrgyz and Tajik Services (http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/7CB54F16-96AF-4241-86B6-D073E8BF4D82.html).
** The Director of RFE/RL's Central News department, Kestutis Girnius, may be reached by email at <girniusk@rferl.org>; the Acting Director of Radio Free Afghanistan, Alexander Lukashuk, may be reached by email at <lukashuka@rferl.org>; the Director of RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, Merhat Sharipzhan, may be reached by email at <sharipzhanm@rferl.org>; the Director of RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, Tyntchtykbek Tchoroev, may be reached by email at <tchoroevt@rferl.org>;the Director of RFE/RL's Tajik Service, Massoumeh Torfeh, may be reached by email at <torfehm@rferl.org>.
U.S. AMBASSADOR KHALILZAD TELLS RADIO FREE IRAQ: "NATIONAL PACT" NEEDED TO DEFEAT INSURGENCY "For success in Iraq there is a need for Iraqi communities to come together and for Iraq to have a kind of national pact about the future," according to U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad, who was interviewed by Radio Free Iraq correspondent Nabil Al-Haidari on October 14. Khalilzad continued: "The recent changes in the draft constitution (that allowed participation of some Sunnis in the referendum and further political process) provide a very welcome opportunity for Iraqis to move in this direction. Without a political process that brings more people together, the insurgency cannot be defeated."
Responding to a question about his views concerning the Iraqi opposition, Amb. Khalilzad said that there are foreign elements among the opposition forces that do not care about Iraq's future, as they see the country as one of several theaters where the war between the Muslim world and the rest of the world is being waged. Khalilzad added that there are also other forces involved in the opposition who want the old Ba'athist regime to return -- and that cannot happen. But, according to the Ambassador, there are some who joined the opposition for a variety of other reasons and who need to be included in the political process. These people need to be held accountable for their actions, but also be protected from terrorism and other factors to ensure their inclusion into the general political process.
During the interview, Amb. Khalilzad promised Iraqis that the U.S. will not abandon them while national Iraqi institutions are being built -- but assured them as well that the U.S. wants to leave Iraq as soon the Iraqis can take full responsibility for their country. Khalilzad pointed out that those who demand the Coalition's immediate withdrawal from Iraq or those who carry out hostile actions against Coalition forces are actually slowing down the process of withdrawal.
Concerning the U.S. view of the role being played in Iraq by Syria and Iran, Amb. Khalilzad said that the U.S. wants Iraq to establish good relations with its neighbors, but that those neighbors should also understand their responsibility and not exploit the complex situation to interfere in Iraqi affairs. Khalilzad stressed that the differences the U.S. has with both countries on some issues play no role in how the U.S. views the situation in Iraq.
When asked to consider the issues facing the region in light of his personal attachment to it -- having been born and raised in Afghanistan and worked extensively there -- Amb. Khalilzad said that Islamic civilization is now undergoing a crisis "about the right direction for the future, but also about what has gone wrong in the past." Khalilzad said that new ideas are being generated now to safeguard the Islamic identity of the peoples of the region and allow their countries to become prosperous, secure, and democratic and play an important, constructive role in regional affairs. Amb. Khalilzad said that he feels "fortunate, as an individual Muslim, to play a role in this critical time in assisting in the transition of some key countries from a difficult situation to a better situation."
Streaming audio of Radio Free Iraq's interview with Amb. Khalilzad is available on the RFI website, at http://www.iraqhurr.org/realaudio/talks/2005/10/20051014181318.ram
** The Acting Director of Radio Free Iraq, Sergey Danilochkin, may be reached by email at <danilochkins@rferl.org>. Radio Free Iraq's website is at http://www.iraqhurr.org/; English-language news about events in Iraq can be found at http://www.rferl.org/featuresarchive/country/iraq.html
RADIO FREE IRAQ DOUBLES BROADCASTS ON REFERENDUM DAY On October 15, the day of the constitutional referendum in Iraq, Radio Free Iraq doubled its original broadcast hours to 10, in order to cover the vote and analyze the events for its listeners.
The first part of the coverage started at 9:00AM Baghdad time, with live discussion between RFI broadcasters in Prague and at the service's bureau in Baghdad regarding the mood in Iraq on election day and the security situation. RFI correspondent Ahmad Al-Zubaidi was dispatched to the Green Zone, where he managed to interview President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Ibrahim Al-Jaafari as they cast their ballots. Among the politicians and officials who were interviewed by RFI correspondents during the 5-hour morning show were government spokesman Laith Kubba, chief election official Adil al-Lami, the head of the National Assembly's Security and Defense Committee, Jawad al- Maliki, Transparency Commission chairman Radi al-Radi, and Minister of State for Women's Affairs Azhar al-Shaykhli. Seventeen RFI correspondents located in various parts of Iraq took part in a live conversation with a Prague-based moderator on the situation and major events that occurred at polling stations they had visited -- in locations such as the predominantly Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City in Baghdad, the predominantly Sunni governorate of Salah al-Din and the cities of Najaf, Baqouba, Babylon, Basra, Kirkuk, Mosul, Suleimaniya and Irbil.
Radio Free Iraq's evening coverage began at 5:00PM Baghdad time, the time polling stations were scheduled to close. RFI's team of broadcasters and correspondents sought to summarize the events of the day and put the referendum into the perspective, with 23 reports and interviews reviewing the situation in various parts of Iraq, as well as international reaction to the referendum. Iraqi election officials, politicians and monitors interviewed by RFI offered their comments on the election process, while voters were interviewed at polling stations throughout the day, to get their thoughts and experiences concerning the referendum.
** The Acting Director of Radio Free Iraq, Sergey Danilochkin, may be reached by email at <danilochkins@rferl.org>. Radio Free Iraq's website is at http://www.iraqhurr.org/; English-language news about events in Iraq can be found at http://www.rferl.org/featuresarchive/country/iraq.html
NORTH CAUCASUS SERVICE ON THE SCENE AT NALCHIK ATTACKS RFE/RL's North Caucasus Service has provided continuing coverage of the armed clashes in Nalchik, the capital of Russia's Kabardino-Balkaria Republic, since October 13. Two service correspondents have been on the scene in Nalchik since the day of the first raid, where they were able to gain unprecedented interviews with representatives of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) who were in the FSB's office in Nalchik when it was attacked. The correspondents also talked with eyewitnesses to the raids, to the head physician and nurse at the city and republican hospitals in Nalchik, and to ordinary people willing to speak in Nalchik and in surrounding villages.
Among other interviews secured by the correspondents in Nalchik was one with the mother of a student killed in the raid, who had left behind a note at home with the request that, if he were to be killed, he wanted to be buried as a jihadi, unwashed and wearing the clothes he died in.
The service also interviewed Chechen resistance representative Akhmed Zakaev and Russian military commentator Pavel Felgenhauer, as well as other Russian military observers and journalists who had recently visited Kabardino-Balkaria (http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/37E825D0-05B8-4428-B73E-18326EDACB33.html).
** The Director of RFE/RL's North Caucasus Service, Aslan Doukaev, may be reached by email at <doukaeva@rferl.org>. English-language news about events in the North Caucasus region can be found at http://www.rferl.org/featuresarchive/subregion/northcaucasus.html
UZBEK SERVICE COVERS ANDIJON TRIAL, STUNNING TESTIMONY OF GOVERNMENT BRUTALITY RFE/RL's Uzbek Service has been providing daily coverage of the trial before the Supreme Court of Uzbekistan of 15 defendants accused of involvement in the May 12-13 uprising in Andijon, where government troops are alleged to have opened fire on unarmed protesters, leading to the deaths of hundreds of civilians according to human rights groups; the Uzbek government claims a death toll of 187, mostly Islamic insurgents. Since the trial opened on September 20, an Uzbek Service correspondent has been one of the few reporters and observers allowed to cover the trial, via television monitor from a room adjacent to the courtroom.
Perhaps the most stunning testimony offered during the trial came on October 14, when a 33-year old woman, Mahbuba Zokirova, testified that she saw government forces open fire on the crowd of people she was with in Andijon, as well as on refugees trying to flee to Kyrgyzstan to escape the violence in the town of Teshiktosh. The service interviewed Zokirova on October 14 (http://ozodlik.org/domesticreports/society/uz/2005/10/F5458510-E14A-471F-87CD-93D3D18E849E.asp); a full transcript of Zokirova's testimony was posted to the Uzbek Service's website on October 16 (http://ozodlik.org/domesticreports/policy/uz/2005/10/5C751293-FB7B-4F7A-A8DE-81FA165A4B17.asp); an English-language analysis of the significance of the testimony, by RFE/RL Central Asia analyst Daniel Kimmage, was posted on October 23 (http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/6569C618-6C56-40D6-A76A-6CE6CAC0C681.html).
Throughout the trial period, the service has enhanced its coverage with independent analyses and reactions from some of the people whose names have been mentioned in testimony, prepared by Prague staff. Those interviewed include ordinary residents of Andijon who witnessed the bloodshed; participants in the May 13 demonstration, who found refuge in Kyrgyzstan and, eventually, in Romania; human rights defenders Dilshod Tillakhodjayev, Ismoil Dadajonov, Bahrom Hamroyev and Mo'tabar Tojiboyeva, who launched their own investigations of the Andijon events and later had to flee the country or have been jailed; journalists Galima Bukharbaeva and Matluba Azamatova, who reported for foreign media outlets from the scene of the massacre and whose names have been regularly mentioned in witness testimonies; representatives of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders; Uzbek democratic opposition leaders; former Uzbek judges and prosecutors; and foreign analysts such Christopher Langton, Michael Hall, Filip Noubel, Paul Bergne, Vitaliy Ponomaryov and Vitaliy Portnikov. In addition, several of the Uzbek Service's weekly and bi- weekly programs, such as Qurultoy (Congress), Manzara (Insight Central Asia) and Jamiyat va qonun (Society and Law) produced special programs devoted to the trial.
The Uzbek Ser vice has posted daily summaries and reactions to the trial to its webpage, www.ozodlik.org. Some of the most dramatic testimony took place on October 21, when the tape of a telephone conversation between Interior Minister Zokir Almatov and the alleged leader of Islamic militants involved in the May 13 events, Qobiljon Parpiev, was played; a full transcript of that call can be read (in Uzbek) at http://ozodlik.org/domesticreports/policy/uz/2005/10/772D54B9-1B29-4C2F-B9C8-1F539622D551.asp
** The Acting Director of RFE/RL's Uzbek Service, Sojida Djakhfarova, may be reached by email at <djakhfarovas@rferl.org>. The Uzbek Service's website is at http://www.ozodlik.org/; English-language news about events in Uzbekistan can be found at http://www.rferl.org/featuresarchive/country/uzbekistan.html
KYRGYZ SERVICE COVERS PRISON RIOTS, MURDER OF DEPUTY RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service provided its listeners comprehensive coverage of the October 19-20 riots at Novo Pokrovka and Moldavanovka prisons near Bishkek and the latest anti-government rallies in connection with the death of a deputy who was killed while trying to negotiate with rioting inmates.
One day after inmates killed two of their number during rioting at Novo Pokrovka prison, prisoners demanding better living conditions also rioted October 20 at Moldavanovka prison. These prisoners were met by negotiators led by parliament deputy Tynychbek Akmatbayev; the delegation was later taken hostage, and Akmatbayev and his bodyguard were killed. Akmatbayev is the third lawmaker to be killed since the "Tulip Revolution" of March 24, 2005.
Kyrgyz Service correspondents were at the prison as the hostage crisis unfolded, interviewing prison officials, human right activists, government officials and lawmakers. The service also broke the news to its audience that Prime Minister Felix Kulov had gone personally to Moldavanovka to negotiate with the prisoners for the bodies of the murdered deputy and bodyguard and secure the freedom of the other hostages.
The next day, October 21, rallies organized by the murdered deputy's brother, reputed crime lord Rysbek Akmatbayev broke out in Bishkek that demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Kulov; more rallies took place on October 22 and 23 in Bishkek and the southern Kyrgyz city of Osh, where demonstrators called for both Kulov and parliament speaker Omurbek Tekebayev to step down (http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/7813E951-CE87-493C-99A5-2514403C5BEA.html). At the same time, NGO leaders, human right activists and several political leaders supported Kulov and called on the government to maintain security and order (Central News correspondent Bruce Pannier examined the issue in his article "Kyrgyzstan: Prison Riots, Protests, Parliament, And The Prime Minister," available on RFE/RL's website at http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/3E586D00-49B2-4D8F-AA64-8A54CA9C8165.html)
Dignity Party leader Emil Aliev, presidential human rights commission chairman Tursunbek Akun and other activists interviewed by the Kyrgyz Service expressed support for the Prime Minister. On the other hand, the murdered deputy's father-in-law, Freedom Party leader Topchubek Turgunaliev, accused Prime Minister Kulov of attempting to put himself into the president's office. Turgunaliev's comments were aired during the same program as those of Emil Aliev.
To give listeners some context for the entire episode, the service aired several interviews and analytical features on topics such as "Who is behind the latest rallies against the prime minister? Are there any officials involved?" Former parliamentarian Alisher Abdymomunov accused "high power circles" of organizing the rallies against Prime Minister Kulov. Doolot Nusupov of Asaba (Flag) National Revival Party told the service that President Kurmanbek Bakiev still supports Prime Minister Kulov as his tandem-mate (both politicians ran on a joint ticket during the 2005 presidential elections).
For more Kyrgyz Service coverage of the crisis, see http://www.azattyk.org/rubrics/politics/ky/2005/10/7A840F8D-D8C6-4401-AA47-477022EE0A74.asp; http://www.azattyk.org/rubrics/politics/ky/2005/10/D8ECD45D-03B6-4BAC-BBCF-2E82031BA35F.asp; http://www.azattyk.org/rubrics/politics/ky/2005/10/42D628CE-177A-40A0-BBA7-7C0E9B39E59F.asp; http://www.azattyk.org/rubrics/politics/ky/2005/10/4A219C2C-9BAB-44B2-936B-BADFA2BBA90E.asp; http://www.azattyk.org/rubrics/politics/ky/2005/10/5112710E-A9D7-4A72-909E-FADA132D1B53.asp; http://www.azattyk.org/rubrics/politics/ky/2005/10/B36800A2-FC9A-4B6A-AB2B-A33C7A9DFFE5.asp; http://www.azattyk.org/rubrics/politics/ky/2005/10/C2A6F08E-F2D6-4021-8E37-46B77988F1B7.asp; http://www.azattyk.org/rubrics/politics/ky/2005/10/6A60BAF8-BEC5-4D0C-B43D-DC05073CAF34.asp http://www.azattyk.org/news/domestic/ru/
** The Director of RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, Tyntchtykbek Tchoroev, may be reached by email at <tchoroevt@rferl.org>. The Kyrgyz Service's website is at http://www. azattyk.org/; English-language news about events in Kyrgyzstan can be found at http://www.rferl.org/featuresarchive/country/kyrgyzstan.html
TAJIK SERVICE REPORTS ON PRESIDENTIAL STATE VISIT TO FRANCE RFE/RL Tajik Service broadcaster Khiromon Bakoeva was in Paris from October 9-11 to cover the visit of a high level, 100-member delegation led by Tajik President Imomali Rahmanov to France. Bakoeva reported on a meeting between Rahmanov and EU special representative for Central Asia, Jan Kubis as well as on a special UNESCO Cultural Day for Tajikistan on October 10 that included a special exhibition of Tajik paintings and photographs by top Tajik artists such as Sohrob and Zaur Dakhte. UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura's meeting with Rahmanov, in the context of a special "Tajikistan Day" organized on the margins of the 33rd UNESCO General Conference, as well as President Rahmanov's speech to the conference were all reported immediately for the service's audience in Tajikistan (http://www.ozodi.org/news/2005/10/10.html).
While in Paris, Bakoeva also got several interviews with Tajik cultural celebrities such as Tajik Writers Union head Mehmon Bakhti, Tajik Philharmonic Hall director Talab Sattorov, Musicians Union of Tajikistan head Asliddin Nizomov, Shashmaqom Academy director Abduvali Abdurashidov, and Rustam Duloev and Mirali Dostiev of the Tajik Opera Theater. Since the Tajik Service's Bakoeva was the only Tajik media representative on the scene during President Rahmanov's entire three- day visit, almost all Tajik news agencies including state television and radio and the independent news agencies based their reports about the Rahmanov trip on Tajik Service reports, which were all posted to the service's website in full with photos. Bakoeva was also the first Tajik media representative to report on French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie's agreement to visit Tajikistan in December (http://www.ozodi.org/reportsarticle/2005/10/E6C4224F-579E-474A-9FCD-261313A60245.html)
The Tajik Service was also the first to report that two famed masters of Tajik music, Falak Ensemble head Davlatmand Kholov and Abduvali Abdurashidov of the Shashmaqom Ensemble of Tajikistan both received medals from President Jacques Chirac of France for their contributions to world culture. The medals -- the Order of the Republic of France for Art and Literature -- are the France's highest recognition for international contributions to culture, with only 20 given every year by the French President. The service broadcast reports and posted articles and photos about the high honors to its website (http://www.ozodi.org/news/2005/10/11.html), and fielded requests for assistance from official Tajik media outlets for more news about the awards. The head of Radio TV Tajikistan, Assadullah Rahmanov, expressed his thanks to the Tajik Service for its cooperation.
** The Director of RFE/RL's Tajik Service, Massoumeh Torfeh, may be reached by email at <torfehm@rferl.org>. The Tajik Service's website is at http://www.ozodi.org/; English-language news about events in Tajikistan can be found at http://www.rferl.org/featuresarchive/country/tajikistan.html
OPPOSITION LEADER'S ATTEMPT TO RETURN TO AZERBAIJAN THE FOCUS OF AZERBAIJANI SERVICE PROGRAMMING RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service provided extensive coverage of exiled opposition leader Rasul Guliyev's efforts to return to Baku in time for the November 6 parliamentary election. Guliyev, who is the head of the Azerbaijan Democratic Party, is a registered candidate in the election. General Prosecutor Zakir Garalov has threatened to arrest Guliyev and strip him of his legal immunity should he return, due to indictment for embezzlement that has been leveled against Guliyev.
Before departing from London on October 17, Guliyev granted RFE/RL an interview, during which he stated his intent to return to Azerbaijan and contest the elections (http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/26025C2E-490C-4BC7-B9A0-A61E5472A171.html). The Government responded to his planned arrival with a show of force, positioning armored vehicles and troops around important buildings and the airport. Mass arrests ensued, that were also covered by RFERL. In the end, Guliyev's plane, which he claims was denied permission to land in Baku, landed in the Ukrainian city of Simferopol, where he was detained by local police on an Interpol warrant (http://www.azadses.org/corresreports/domestic/az/2005/10/423AA0E6-C743-4F69-BC51-BA81C3D2E29B.asp).
The Azeri government has accused Guliyev of embezzlement while he managed an oil refinery in Baku -- charges Guliyev denies and calls politically motivated. To clarify the events around his return, the Azerbaijani Service interviewed Robert Stuart, a former UN Commander of Peacekeeping Forces in Bosnia in 1992-93, who accompanied Guliyev on his return flight. Stuart told RFERL that, "After receiving reports that Guliyev's supporters were being beaten at the airport and denied permission to land, the decision was made to land and refuel in Simferopol, where Guliyev was then detained" (http://www.azadses.org/corresreports/domestic/az/2005/10/4A102D47-5A97-4DF2-9903-662BB3515929.asp).
After holding Guliyev for two days, a court in Simferopol rejected the Azeri government's extradition request and released him. According to Guliyev and his lawyer, who were interviewed by the service, the judge found the extradition request baseless. Guliyev had been granted political asylum in the United States in 1997 (http://www.azadses.org/corresreports/domestic/az/2005/10/8B001347-F0DE-4529-9045-20533F898D77.asp).
** The Director of RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service, Abbas Djavadi, may be reached by email at <djavadia@rferl.org>. The Azerbaijani Service's website is at http://www.azadses.org/; English-language news about events in Azerbaijan can be found at http://www.rferl.org/featuresarchive/country/azerbaijan.html
UKRAINIAN SERVICE COVERS NATO SECRETARY GENERAL VISIT... RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reported on and discussed extensively the visit to Ukraine on October 18-20 by a delegation of NATO ambassadors headed by NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer (http://www.radiosvoboda.org/article/2005/10/FFF11FC3-C45D-4BB0-9D13-F194E4B31D0C.html, http://www.radiosvoboda.org/article/2005/10/B5C3E06E-ABC0-4F9B-BF2B-F7AA5C90EA5B.html). In an exclusive interview, NATO Spokesman James Appathurai told the service that "NATO will be able to provide the Ukrainian authorities more detail as they move towards meeting the NATO standards for membership -- what those standards are and how they can be met."
RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service also covered the NATO delegation's visit to the Ukrainian cities of Donetsk, Odessa (http://www.radiosvoboda.org/article/2005/10/3C61A3FB-85CB-4054-96BB-D9FFDBF83640.html) and Kharkiv.
Guests on the October 19 edition of the Ukrainian Service's "Evening Liberty" program included the director of the Institute of the Euro Atlantic Integration Olexander Sushko, the president of the Fund "Democratic Initiative" Ilko Kucheriv and Maxim Strikha, the head of programs at the Institute for Open Policies. The topics discussed included Ukraine's policies for integrating into Euro-Atlantic structures and the negative perception of NATO held by citizens, especially in eastern and southern Ukraine (http://www.radiosvoboda.org/article/2005/10/77b4d3a5-6718-4d0c-a3e6-b19c52ee584f.html).
** The Director of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, Olga Buriak, may be reached by email at <buriako@rferl.org>. The Ukrainian Service's website is at http://www.radiosvoboda.org/; English-language news about events in Ukraine can be found at http://www.rferl.org/featuresarchive/country/ukraine.html
...FIRING OF PROSECUTOR GENERAL The Ukrainian Service also focused on the firing of Prosecutor General Sviatoslav Piskun and the potential impact of this act on the resolution of long-unsolved crimes, such as the 2000 murder of journalist Georgii Gongadze.
On October 14, the political and prosecutorial fallout of Piskun's firing was analyzed on the service's "Evening Liberty" roundtable by parliamentarian Viktor Korol' (Our Ukraine Party), parliamentarian Mykhajlo Volynets (Yuliya Tymoshenko bloc) and attorney Mykola Poliud'onnyi (adviser to President Viktor Yushchenko). The roundtable guests also took questions from call-in listeners (http://www.radiosvoboda.org/article/2005/10/3665d8f4-2008-4db7-9a76-d7269d537509.html).
Fired Prosecutor General Sviatoslav Piskun was a telephone guest on the October 21 edition of "Evening Liberty," where he was joined by a judge involved in the case, Yurii Vasylenko. The main topic discussed by the roundtable guests was the collusion of politics and law in the efforts to solve criminal cases in Ukraine (http://www.radiosvoboda.org/article/2005/10/57a88e5f-f0e6-4565-8da6-d6c1fa110876.html).
** The Director of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, Olga Buriak, may be reached by email at <buriako@rferl.org>. The Ukrainian Service's website is at http://www.radiosvoboda.org/; English-language news about events in Ukraine can be found at http://www.rferl.org/featuresarchive/country/ukraine.html
FORUM 2000 COVERED BY RFE/RL RFE/RL provided extensive, comprehensive coverage of this year's Forum 2000 conference, held on October 9-10 in Prague: 14 language services did reports on the conference or aired interviews with conference participants, while similar stories, features and interviews related to the conference appeared on the websites of seven broadcast services as well as on the flagship www.rferl.org English site (see below for links to website coverage of the conference).
The Forum 2000 conference -- first convened in 1996 as a joint initiative of then-Czech President Vaclav Havel, Japanese philanthropist Yohei Sasakawa, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel -- is to "explore ways in which to prevent escalation of conflicts that have religion, culture or ethnicity as their primary components [...] and promote democracy in non-democratic countries." This year's conference, with the theme "Our Global Co-Existence: Challenges and Hopes for the 21st Century," featured presentations by international opinion leaders such as former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, former Lebanese Culture Minister Ghassan Salame, former CIA Director James Woolsey, former Polish Foreign Minister Bronislaw Geremek, former Russian Commissioner for Human Rights Sergey Kovalyov, Slovak Deputy Prime Minister Pal Csaky, Belarusian opposition presidential candidate Aleksander Milinkevich, French philosopher and human rights activist Andre Glucksmann, and Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan.
RFE/RL is a longtime media partner of Forum 2000.
* English website (www.rferl.org): http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/DA54C58B-CDB2-48C7-BC3D-E76411017016.html; http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/28A8CA06-CA15-4A77-B54D-387DD9CEFD04.html; http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/B66993E2-B0D1-401B-A947-7C282C5D1384.html; http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/9C31E3FD-2034-4351-97CF-8C8A531FAA28.html
* Albanian Subunit webpage (www.europaelire.org): http://www.europaelire.org/programs/interview/2005/10/20051011133121.asp
* Belarusian service webpage (www.svaboda.org): http://www.svaboda.org/articlesfeatures/politics/2005/10/58FC1448-AF7D-433C-A3A7-7B321A131E44.html; http://www.svaboda.org/articlesfeatures/politics/2005/10/cd632792-b940-4f21-8f6f-6a5bbf4e5646.html
* Georgian Service webpage (www.tavisupleba.org): http://www.tavisupleba.org/programs/neweurope/2005/10/20051011053744.asp
* Romanian Service website (audio; www.europalibera.org): http://www.europalibera.org/analysis/ro/2005/10/F09E6BF7-C1C7-4BE8-98EF-2EC81FC2613C_1630970.RAM; http://www.europalibera.org/analysis/ro/2005/10/005B1735-32CD-43F3-8870-1B8BB367AA3C_1634556.RAM
* Russian Service website (www.svoboda.org): http://www.svoboda.org/programs/tw/2005/tw.101105.asp
* Tatar-Bashkir Service website (www. azatliq.org) http://www.azatliq.org/news/international/tb/archives/2005/10/10.ASP; http://www.azatliq.org/analysis/analysis/tb/2005/10/78C1979D-5167-4AAC-84C8-B677C735F3D7.asp
* Ukrainian service website (www.radiosvoboda.org) http://www.radiosvoboda.org/article/2005/10/592337ff-7d8f-4cb5-a218-ea30b749e617.html
** The Media Relations Coordinator in Prague, Anna Rausova, may be reached by email at <rausovaa@rferl.org>.
RFE/RL In The News
SSALS STARTS JOINT SHOW WITH BOSNIAN PUBLIC SERVICE TELEVISION On October 9, 2005 Bosnian Public Service Television (BHT1) and RFE/RL's Sarajevo bureau aired their new television program, "Open Parliament" ("Otvoreni Parlament"). The one-hour show features a group of Bosnian parliamentarians discussing controversial political issues in front of a live audience. For the inaugural program, the audience consisted of some one hundred youngsters, from all parts of Bosnia, sitting in the parliament benches of the main hall of the Bosnian State Parliament and actively participating in the discussion.
"Open Parliament" will air every Sunday at 14:00, as a joint program of Bosnian Public Service Television (BHT1), the RFE/RL Sarajevo bureau, RFE/RL's Marketing and Affiliate Development Department (Prague) and the Organization for European Security and Cooperation. The BHT1 signal is available throughout Bosnia; "Open Parliament" can also be seen worldwide via satellite or on the Internet, at http://www.pbsbih.ba/real/otvoreniparlament.ram
** The Director of RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service (SSALS), Omer Karabeg, may be reached by email at <karabego@rferl.org>. The SSALS website in Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian is located at http://www.slobodnaevropa.org, in Albanian at http://www.europaelire.org and in Macedonian at http://www.makdenes.org; English-language news about events in Bosnia- Herzegovina can be found at http://www.rferl.org/featuresarchive/country/bosnia-herzegovina.html
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Copyright (c) 2005. RFE/RL, Inc. All rights reserved. "RFE/RL Review" is a weekly compilation of the best programming produced by the 19 services of the RFE/RL broadcast network. RFE/RL broadcasts more than 1,000 hours of programming a week in 28 languages to 20 countries in Eastern Europe, Russia, the Caucasus, and Central and Southwestern Asia.
Managing Editor: Sonia Winter <winters@rferl.org>
For more information about any of the stories mentioned in "RFE/RL Review," or to learn more about RFE/RL, please contact Martins Zvaners at <zvanersm@rferl.org> or by calling +1-202-457-6948.
RFE/RL REVIEW
The Best of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Reporting
-----------------
October 8-21, 2005
U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE RICE'S CENTRAL ASIA TRIP FEATURED IN RFE/RL BROADCASTS U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's October 11-13 visits to Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan were a prime topic for programming by nearly all of RFE/RL's broadcast services, especially those in the five Central Asian republics (including the countries Rice did not visit, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) and Radio Free Afghanistan.
Central News correspondent Gulnoza Saidazimova was in Bishkek on October 11 for the first stop in Secretary Rice's tour, where she filed a report on the Kyrgyz leg of the visit (http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/3E5FF2E2-EDD3-4B8D-AC62-B22B568643AD.html). Kyrgyz Service Bishkek Bureau chief Kubat Otorbayev was given the opportunity, along with a colleague with the BBC, to interview Rice -- audio from the interview was made available to all services and posted to RFE/RL's website, along with a transcript and report on what Secretary Rice said (report: http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/56A30EBE-7B7B-4635-86B4-000F886A9CFC.html; transcript: http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/7C7272F9-22BE-4686-9FAA-92CDA18F865B.html; audio: https://realaudio.rferl.org/Online/OL1110/Condolezza_Rice.rm or mms://realaudio.rferl.org/Online/OL1110/Condolezza_Rice.wma).
Radio Free Afghanistan's Pashto-language newscaster announced at 9:00AM Kabul time that Secretary Rice would be in Afghanistan for talks with government leaders; the service's first live report of the visit was at 1:30PM local time, after Secretary Rice's joint press conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. In the following hours, Radio Free Afghanistan reported extensively on the visit and Secretary Rice's pledges of continued U.S. support for Afghanistan in its anti- insurgency and anti-drug efforts (http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/B83624EB-86AC-45D6-8ABC-467DF46617A3.html).
RFE/RL's Kazakh Service broadcast news of Secretary Rice's visits to Afghanistan and Pakistan live, in preparation for her expected arrival later on October 12 in the Kazakh capital of Astana. The service also interviewed Kazakh political observers, politicians, parliament members and opposition leaders about the visit. The service was the only broadcast media outlet in Kazakhstan to report on the detention in Almaty of prominent Kazakh opposition figure Tolen Tokhtasynov who was on his way to meet Secretary Rice in Astana (in Kazakh: http://www.azattyq.org/rubrics/domestic/ka/2005/10/707AB2DA-142F-4BFB-9F17-95F3D18FB898.ASP; in English, http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/16553DD6-E6C1-4EFE-8601-7088C8905089.html). Republican People's Party leader Amirzhan Qosanov, who witnessed Tokhtasynov's detention, told RFE/RL in a report aired by the Kazakh Service just minutes after the detention: "About 30 minutes ago Tolen Tokhtasynov was on his way to Almaty airport, because together with other representatives of our democratic forces, he had been invited to the meeting with Condoleezza Rice in Astana. On his way, about 20 OMON [special security] officers with weapons stopped him and took him away in their car. Our lawyers tell us now that they have taken him to the administrative courthouse in Almaty. After that [Tokhtasynov's detention] happened, all the telephone lines and electricity were immediately cut off in our office, that is why I am speaking to you via mobile phone now."
The Kazakh Service provided comprehensive coverage of Secretary Rice's October 13 official meetings in Astana with local students, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and with opposition figures. The service was the only source in Kazakhstan reporting on the pointed questions asked of President Nazarbayev by a CNN reporter regarding his methods of rule -- Nazarbayev's response and Rice's comments could only be heard in Kazakhstan on Kazakh Service broadcasts (in Kazakh: http://www.azattyq.org/rubrics/domestic/ka/2005/10/47D91C10-D9DE-40D0-8A19-FD3511B2B37D.ASP; http://www.azattyq.org/rubrics/domestic/ka/2005/10/08D6473A-4BE2-4045-B710-2A4F5734F40F.ASP; in English: http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/E6D5FBF5-0D9F-4506-B88D-2C382CFEBD99.html).
The final stop on Secretary Rice's tour of Central Asia was Tajikistan, where she arrived on October 13. RFE/RL's Tajik Service aired special reports on Rice's meeting with Tajik President Imomali Rahmanov, her meeting at the central Mosque in Dushanbe, her joint press conference with Tajik Foreign Minister Talbak Nazarov, and her meeting with Tajik political party representatives at the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe. The service also provided listeners and website visitors with several analyses of relations between the U.S. and Tajikistan, the rivalry between the U.S. and Russia over Tajikistan, the economic advantages being offered to Tajikistan by both the U.S. and Russia and the effect of this rivalry on the balance of powers in the region. Although Rice's primary theme during her visit to Tajikistan was security and drug smuggling from Afghanistan, she also placed strong emphasis on the need to create a more open society and to hold free and fair elections in the country -- factors Rice said were a prerequisite for U.S. cooperation (in Tajik: http://www.ozodi.org/reportsarticle/2005/10/2A50331B-613E-47EB-854A-FE263BE7BE44.html; in English, http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/893BE8D3-8741-4472-A5FE-0824BDB0B31B.html).
On October 14, Central News correspondent Bruce Pannier produced a wrap-up of the visit for all RFE/RL services to use, which featured reporting by the Kazakh, Kyrgyz and Tajik Services (http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/7CB54F16-96AF-4241-86B6-D073E8BF4D82.html).
** The Director of RFE/RL's Central News department, Kestutis Girnius, may be reached by email at <girniusk@rferl.org>; the Acting Director of Radio Free Afghanistan, Alexander Lukashuk, may be reached by email at <lukashuka@rferl.org>; the Director of RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, Merhat Sharipzhan, may be reached by email at <sharipzhanm@rferl.org>; the Director of RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, Tyntchtykbek Tchoroev, may be reached by email at <tchoroevt@rferl.org>;the Director of RFE/RL's Tajik Service, Massoumeh Torfeh, may be reached by email at <torfehm@rferl.org>.
U.S. AMBASSADOR KHALILZAD TELLS RADIO FREE IRAQ: "NATIONAL PACT" NEEDED TO DEFEAT INSURGENCY "For success in Iraq there is a need for Iraqi communities to come together and for Iraq to have a kind of national pact about the future," according to U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad, who was interviewed by Radio Free Iraq correspondent Nabil Al-Haidari on October 14. Khalilzad continued: "The recent changes in the draft constitution (that allowed participation of some Sunnis in the referendum and further political process) provide a very welcome opportunity for Iraqis to move in this direction. Without a political process that brings more people together, the insurgency cannot be defeated."
Responding to a question about his views concerning the Iraqi opposition, Amb. Khalilzad said that there are foreign elements among the opposition forces that do not care about Iraq's future, as they see the country as one of several theaters where the war between the Muslim world and the rest of the world is being waged. Khalilzad added that there are also other forces involved in the opposition who want the old Ba'athist regime to return -- and that cannot happen. But, according to the Ambassador, there are some who joined the opposition for a variety of other reasons and who need to be included in the political process. These people need to be held accountable for their actions, but also be protected from terrorism and other factors to ensure their inclusion into the general political process.
During the interview, Amb. Khalilzad promised Iraqis that the U.S. will not abandon them while national Iraqi institutions are being built -- but assured them as well that the U.S. wants to leave Iraq as soon the Iraqis can take full responsibility for their country. Khalilzad pointed out that those who demand the Coalition's immediate withdrawal from Iraq or those who carry out hostile actions against Coalition forces are actually slowing down the process of withdrawal.
Concerning the U.S. view of the role being played in Iraq by Syria and Iran, Amb. Khalilzad said that the U.S. wants Iraq to establish good relations with its neighbors, but that those neighbors should also understand their responsibility and not exploit the complex situation to interfere in Iraqi affairs. Khalilzad stressed that the differences the U.S. has with both countries on some issues play no role in how the U.S. views the situation in Iraq.
When asked to consider the issues facing the region in light of his personal attachment to it -- having been born and raised in Afghanistan and worked extensively there -- Amb. Khalilzad said that Islamic civilization is now undergoing a crisis "about the right direction for the future, but also about what has gone wrong in the past." Khalilzad said that new ideas are being generated now to safeguard the Islamic identity of the peoples of the region and allow their countries to become prosperous, secure, and democratic and play an important, constructive role in regional affairs. Amb. Khalilzad said that he feels "fortunate, as an individual Muslim, to play a role in this critical time in assisting in the transition of some key countries from a difficult situation to a better situation."
Streaming audio of Radio Free Iraq's interview with Amb. Khalilzad is available on the RFI website, at http://www.iraqhurr.org/realaudio/talks/2005/10/20051014181318.ram
** The Acting Director of Radio Free Iraq, Sergey Danilochkin, may be reached by email at <danilochkins@rferl.org>. Radio Free Iraq's website is at http://www.iraqhurr.org/; English-language news about events in Iraq can be found at http://www.rferl.org/featuresarchive/country/iraq.html
RADIO FREE IRAQ DOUBLES BROADCASTS ON REFERENDUM DAY On October 15, the day of the constitutional referendum in Iraq, Radio Free Iraq doubled its original broadcast hours to 10, in order to cover the vote and analyze the events for its listeners.
The first part of the coverage started at 9:00AM Baghdad time, with live discussion between RFI broadcasters in Prague and at the service's bureau in Baghdad regarding the mood in Iraq on election day and the security situation. RFI correspondent Ahmad Al-Zubaidi was dispatched to the Green Zone, where he managed to interview President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Ibrahim Al-Jaafari as they cast their ballots. Among the politicians and officials who were interviewed by RFI correspondents during the 5-hour morning show were government spokesman Laith Kubba, chief election official Adil al-Lami, the head of the National Assembly's Security and Defense Committee, Jawad al- Maliki, Transparency Commission chairman Radi al-Radi, and Minister of State for Women's Affairs Azhar al-Shaykhli. Seventeen RFI correspondents located in various parts of Iraq took part in a live conversation with a Prague-based moderator on the situation and major events that occurred at polling stations they had visited -- in locations such as the predominantly Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City in Baghdad, the predominantly Sunni governorate of Salah al-Din and the cities of Najaf, Baqouba, Babylon, Basra, Kirkuk, Mosul, Suleimaniya and Irbil.
Radio Free Iraq's evening coverage began at 5:00PM Baghdad time, the time polling stations were scheduled to close. RFI's team of broadcasters and correspondents sought to summarize the events of the day and put the referendum into the perspective, with 23 reports and interviews reviewing the situation in various parts of Iraq, as well as international reaction to the referendum. Iraqi election officials, politicians and monitors interviewed by RFI offered their comments on the election process, while voters were interviewed at polling stations throughout the day, to get their thoughts and experiences concerning the referendum.
** The Acting Director of Radio Free Iraq, Sergey Danilochkin, may be reached by email at <danilochkins@rferl.org>. Radio Free Iraq's website is at http://www.iraqhurr.org/; English-language news about events in Iraq can be found at http://www.rferl.org/featuresarchive/country/iraq.html
NORTH CAUCASUS SERVICE ON THE SCENE AT NALCHIK ATTACKS RFE/RL's North Caucasus Service has provided continuing coverage of the armed clashes in Nalchik, the capital of Russia's Kabardino-Balkaria Republic, since October 13. Two service correspondents have been on the scene in Nalchik since the day of the first raid, where they were able to gain unprecedented interviews with representatives of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) who were in the FSB's office in Nalchik when it was attacked. The correspondents also talked with eyewitnesses to the raids, to the head physician and nurse at the city and republican hospitals in Nalchik, and to ordinary people willing to speak in Nalchik and in surrounding villages.
Among other interviews secured by the correspondents in Nalchik was one with the mother of a student killed in the raid, who had left behind a note at home with the request that, if he were to be killed, he wanted to be buried as a jihadi, unwashed and wearing the clothes he died in.
The service also interviewed Chechen resistance representative Akhmed Zakaev and Russian military commentator Pavel Felgenhauer, as well as other Russian military observers and journalists who had recently visited Kabardino-Balkaria (http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/37E825D0-05B8-4428-B73E-18326EDACB33.html).
** The Director of RFE/RL's North Caucasus Service, Aslan Doukaev, may be reached by email at <doukaeva@rferl.org>. English-language news about events in the North Caucasus region can be found at http://www.rferl.org/featuresarchive/subregion/northcaucasus.html
UZBEK SERVICE COVERS ANDIJON TRIAL, STUNNING TESTIMONY OF GOVERNMENT BRUTALITY RFE/RL's Uzbek Service has been providing daily coverage of the trial before the Supreme Court of Uzbekistan of 15 defendants accused of involvement in the May 12-13 uprising in Andijon, where government troops are alleged to have opened fire on unarmed protesters, leading to the deaths of hundreds of civilians according to human rights groups; the Uzbek government claims a death toll of 187, mostly Islamic insurgents. Since the trial opened on September 20, an Uzbek Service correspondent has been one of the few reporters and observers allowed to cover the trial, via television monitor from a room adjacent to the courtroom.
Perhaps the most stunning testimony offered during the trial came on October 14, when a 33-year old woman, Mahbuba Zokirova, testified that she saw government forces open fire on the crowd of people she was with in Andijon, as well as on refugees trying to flee to Kyrgyzstan to escape the violence in the town of Teshiktosh. The service interviewed Zokirova on October 14 (http://ozodlik.org/domesticreports/society/uz/2005/10/F5458510-E14A-471F-87CD-93D3D18E849E.asp); a full transcript of Zokirova's testimony was posted to the Uzbek Service's website on October 16 (http://ozodlik.org/domesticreports/policy/uz/2005/10/5C751293-FB7B-4F7A-A8DE-81FA165A4B17.asp); an English-language analysis of the significance of the testimony, by RFE/RL Central Asia analyst Daniel Kimmage, was posted on October 23 (http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/6569C618-6C56-40D6-A76A-6CE6CAC0C681.html).
Throughout the trial period, the service has enhanced its coverage with independent analyses and reactions from some of the people whose names have been mentioned in testimony, prepared by Prague staff. Those interviewed include ordinary residents of Andijon who witnessed the bloodshed; participants in the May 13 demonstration, who found refuge in Kyrgyzstan and, eventually, in Romania; human rights defenders Dilshod Tillakhodjayev, Ismoil Dadajonov, Bahrom Hamroyev and Mo'tabar Tojiboyeva, who launched their own investigations of the Andijon events and later had to flee the country or have been jailed; journalists Galima Bukharbaeva and Matluba Azamatova, who reported for foreign media outlets from the scene of the massacre and whose names have been regularly mentioned in witness testimonies; representatives of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders; Uzbek democratic opposition leaders; former Uzbek judges and prosecutors; and foreign analysts such Christopher Langton, Michael Hall, Filip Noubel, Paul Bergne, Vitaliy Ponomaryov and Vitaliy Portnikov. In addition, several of the Uzbek Service's weekly and bi- weekly programs, such as Qurultoy (Congress), Manzara (Insight Central Asia) and Jamiyat va qonun (Society and Law) produced special programs devoted to the trial.
The Uzbek Ser vice has posted daily summaries and reactions to the trial to its webpage, www.ozodlik.org. Some of the most dramatic testimony took place on October 21, when the tape of a telephone conversation between Interior Minister Zokir Almatov and the alleged leader of Islamic militants involved in the May 13 events, Qobiljon Parpiev, was played; a full transcript of that call can be read (in Uzbek) at http://ozodlik.org/domesticreports/policy/uz/2005/10/772D54B9-1B29-4C2F-B9C8-1F539622D551.asp
** The Acting Director of RFE/RL's Uzbek Service, Sojida Djakhfarova, may be reached by email at <djakhfarovas@rferl.org>. The Uzbek Service's website is at http://www.ozodlik.org/; English-language news about events in Uzbekistan can be found at http://www.rferl.org/featuresarchive/country/uzbekistan.html
KYRGYZ SERVICE COVERS PRISON RIOTS, MURDER OF DEPUTY RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service provided its listeners comprehensive coverage of the October 19-20 riots at Novo Pokrovka and Moldavanovka prisons near Bishkek and the latest anti-government rallies in connection with the death of a deputy who was killed while trying to negotiate with rioting inmates.
One day after inmates killed two of their number during rioting at Novo Pokrovka prison, prisoners demanding better living conditions also rioted October 20 at Moldavanovka prison. These prisoners were met by negotiators led by parliament deputy Tynychbek Akmatbayev; the delegation was later taken hostage, and Akmatbayev and his bodyguard were killed. Akmatbayev is the third lawmaker to be killed since the "Tulip Revolution" of March 24, 2005.
Kyrgyz Service correspondents were at the prison as the hostage crisis unfolded, interviewing prison officials, human right activists, government officials and lawmakers. The service also broke the news to its audience that Prime Minister Felix Kulov had gone personally to Moldavanovka to negotiate with the prisoners for the bodies of the murdered deputy and bodyguard and secure the freedom of the other hostages.
The next day, October 21, rallies organized by the murdered deputy's brother, reputed crime lord Rysbek Akmatbayev broke out in Bishkek that demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Kulov; more rallies took place on October 22 and 23 in Bishkek and the southern Kyrgyz city of Osh, where demonstrators called for both Kulov and parliament speaker Omurbek Tekebayev to step down (http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/7813E951-CE87-493C-99A5-2514403C5BEA.html). At the same time, NGO leaders, human right activists and several political leaders supported Kulov and called on the government to maintain security and order (Central News correspondent Bruce Pannier examined the issue in his article "Kyrgyzstan: Prison Riots, Protests, Parliament, And The Prime Minister," available on RFE/RL's website at http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/3E586D00-49B2-4D8F-AA64-8A54CA9C8165.html)
Dignity Party leader Emil Aliev, presidential human rights commission chairman Tursunbek Akun and other activists interviewed by the Kyrgyz Service expressed support for the Prime Minister. On the other hand, the murdered deputy's father-in-law, Freedom Party leader Topchubek Turgunaliev, accused Prime Minister Kulov of attempting to put himself into the president's office. Turgunaliev's comments were aired during the same program as those of Emil Aliev.
To give listeners some context for the entire episode, the service aired several interviews and analytical features on topics such as "Who is behind the latest rallies against the prime minister? Are there any officials involved?" Former parliamentarian Alisher Abdymomunov accused "high power circles" of organizing the rallies against Prime Minister Kulov. Doolot Nusupov of Asaba (Flag) National Revival Party told the service that President Kurmanbek Bakiev still supports Prime Minister Kulov as his tandem-mate (both politicians ran on a joint ticket during the 2005 presidential elections).
For more Kyrgyz Service coverage of the crisis, see http://www.azattyk.org/rubrics/politics/ky/2005/10/7A840F8D-D8C6-4401-AA47-477022EE0A74.asp; http://www.azattyk.org/rubrics/politics/ky/2005/10/D8ECD45D-03B6-4BAC-BBCF-2E82031BA35F.asp; http://www.azattyk.org/rubrics/politics/ky/2005/10/42D628CE-177A-40A0-BBA7-7C0E9B39E59F.asp; http://www.azattyk.org/rubrics/politics/ky/2005/10/4A219C2C-9BAB-44B2-936B-BADFA2BBA90E.asp; http://www.azattyk.org/rubrics/politics/ky/2005/10/5112710E-A9D7-4A72-909E-FADA132D1B53.asp; http://www.azattyk.org/rubrics/politics/ky/2005/10/B36800A2-FC9A-4B6A-AB2B-A33C7A9DFFE5.asp; http://www.azattyk.org/rubrics/politics/ky/2005/10/C2A6F08E-F2D6-4021-8E37-46B77988F1B7.asp; http://www.azattyk.org/rubrics/politics/ky/2005/10/6A60BAF8-BEC5-4D0C-B43D-DC05073CAF34.asp http://www.azattyk.org/news/domestic/ru/
** The Director of RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, Tyntchtykbek Tchoroev, may be reached by email at <tchoroevt@rferl.org>. The Kyrgyz Service's website is at http://www. azattyk.org/; English-language news about events in Kyrgyzstan can be found at http://www.rferl.org/featuresarchive/country/kyrgyzstan.html
TAJIK SERVICE REPORTS ON PRESIDENTIAL STATE VISIT TO FRANCE RFE/RL Tajik Service broadcaster Khiromon Bakoeva was in Paris from October 9-11 to cover the visit of a high level, 100-member delegation led by Tajik President Imomali Rahmanov to France. Bakoeva reported on a meeting between Rahmanov and EU special representative for Central Asia, Jan Kubis as well as on a special UNESCO Cultural Day for Tajikistan on October 10 that included a special exhibition of Tajik paintings and photographs by top Tajik artists such as Sohrob and Zaur Dakhte. UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura's meeting with Rahmanov, in the context of a special "Tajikistan Day" organized on the margins of the 33rd UNESCO General Conference, as well as President Rahmanov's speech to the conference were all reported immediately for the service's audience in Tajikistan (http://www.ozodi.org/news/2005/10/10.html).
While in Paris, Bakoeva also got several interviews with Tajik cultural celebrities such as Tajik Writers Union head Mehmon Bakhti, Tajik Philharmonic Hall director Talab Sattorov, Musicians Union of Tajikistan head Asliddin Nizomov, Shashmaqom Academy director Abduvali Abdurashidov, and Rustam Duloev and Mirali Dostiev of the Tajik Opera Theater. Since the Tajik Service's Bakoeva was the only Tajik media representative on the scene during President Rahmanov's entire three- day visit, almost all Tajik news agencies including state television and radio and the independent news agencies based their reports about the Rahmanov trip on Tajik Service reports, which were all posted to the service's website in full with photos. Bakoeva was also the first Tajik media representative to report on French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie's agreement to visit Tajikistan in December (http://www.ozodi.org/reportsarticle/2005/10/E6C4224F-579E-474A-9FCD-261313A60245.html)
The Tajik Service was also the first to report that two famed masters of Tajik music, Falak Ensemble head Davlatmand Kholov and Abduvali Abdurashidov of the Shashmaqom Ensemble of Tajikistan both received medals from President Jacques Chirac of France for their contributions to world culture. The medals -- the Order of the Republic of France for Art and Literature -- are the France's highest recognition for international contributions to culture, with only 20 given every year by the French President. The service broadcast reports and posted articles and photos about the high honors to its website (http://www.ozodi.org/news/2005/10/11.html), and fielded requests for assistance from official Tajik media outlets for more news about the awards. The head of Radio TV Tajikistan, Assadullah Rahmanov, expressed his thanks to the Tajik Service for its cooperation.
** The Director of RFE/RL's Tajik Service, Massoumeh Torfeh, may be reached by email at <torfehm@rferl.org>. The Tajik Service's website is at http://www.ozodi.org/; English-language news about events in Tajikistan can be found at http://www.rferl.org/featuresarchive/country/tajikistan.html
OPPOSITION LEADER'S ATTEMPT TO RETURN TO AZERBAIJAN THE FOCUS OF AZERBAIJANI SERVICE PROGRAMMING RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service provided extensive coverage of exiled opposition leader Rasul Guliyev's efforts to return to Baku in time for the November 6 parliamentary election. Guliyev, who is the head of the Azerbaijan Democratic Party, is a registered candidate in the election. General Prosecutor Zakir Garalov has threatened to arrest Guliyev and strip him of his legal immunity should he return, due to indictment for embezzlement that has been leveled against Guliyev.
Before departing from London on October 17, Guliyev granted RFE/RL an interview, during which he stated his intent to return to Azerbaijan and contest the elections (http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/26025C2E-490C-4BC7-B9A0-A61E5472A171.html). The Government responded to his planned arrival with a show of force, positioning armored vehicles and troops around important buildings and the airport. Mass arrests ensued, that were also covered by RFERL. In the end, Guliyev's plane, which he claims was denied permission to land in Baku, landed in the Ukrainian city of Simferopol, where he was detained by local police on an Interpol warrant (http://www.azadses.org/corresreports/domestic/az/2005/10/423AA0E6-C743-4F69-BC51-BA81C3D2E29B.asp).
The Azeri government has accused Guliyev of embezzlement while he managed an oil refinery in Baku -- charges Guliyev denies and calls politically motivated. To clarify the events around his return, the Azerbaijani Service interviewed Robert Stuart, a former UN Commander of Peacekeeping Forces in Bosnia in 1992-93, who accompanied Guliyev on his return flight. Stuart told RFERL that, "After receiving reports that Guliyev's supporters were being beaten at the airport and denied permission to land, the decision was made to land and refuel in Simferopol, where Guliyev was then detained" (http://www.azadses.org/corresreports/domestic/az/2005/10/4A102D47-5A97-4DF2-9903-662BB3515929.asp).
After holding Guliyev for two days, a court in Simferopol rejected the Azeri government's extradition request and released him. According to Guliyev and his lawyer, who were interviewed by the service, the judge found the extradition request baseless. Guliyev had been granted political asylum in the United States in 1997 (http://www.azadses.org/corresreports/domestic/az/2005/10/8B001347-F0DE-4529-9045-20533F898D77.asp).
** The Director of RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service, Abbas Djavadi, may be reached by email at <djavadia@rferl.org>. The Azerbaijani Service's website is at http://www.azadses.org/; English-language news about events in Azerbaijan can be found at http://www.rferl.org/featuresarchive/country/azerbaijan.html
UKRAINIAN SERVICE COVERS NATO SECRETARY GENERAL VISIT... RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reported on and discussed extensively the visit to Ukraine on October 18-20 by a delegation of NATO ambassadors headed by NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer (http://www.radiosvoboda.org/article/2005/10/FFF11FC3-C45D-4BB0-9D13-F194E4B31D0C.html, http://www.radiosvoboda.org/article/2005/10/B5C3E06E-ABC0-4F9B-BF2B-F7AA5C90EA5B.html). In an exclusive interview, NATO Spokesman James Appathurai told the service that "NATO will be able to provide the Ukrainian authorities more detail as they move towards meeting the NATO standards for membership -- what those standards are and how they can be met."
RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service also covered the NATO delegation's visit to the Ukrainian cities of Donetsk, Odessa (http://www.radiosvoboda.org/article/2005/10/3C61A3FB-85CB-4054-96BB-D9FFDBF83640.html) and Kharkiv.
Guests on the October 19 edition of the Ukrainian Service's "Evening Liberty" program included the director of the Institute of the Euro Atlantic Integration Olexander Sushko, the president of the Fund "Democratic Initiative" Ilko Kucheriv and Maxim Strikha, the head of programs at the Institute for Open Policies. The topics discussed included Ukraine's policies for integrating into Euro-Atlantic structures and the negative perception of NATO held by citizens, especially in eastern and southern Ukraine (http://www.radiosvoboda.org/article/2005/10/77b4d3a5-6718-4d0c-a3e6-b19c52ee584f.html).
** The Director of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, Olga Buriak, may be reached by email at <buriako@rferl.org>. The Ukrainian Service's website is at http://www.radiosvoboda.org/; English-language news about events in Ukraine can be found at http://www.rferl.org/featuresarchive/country/ukraine.html
...FIRING OF PROSECUTOR GENERAL The Ukrainian Service also focused on the firing of Prosecutor General Sviatoslav Piskun and the potential impact of this act on the resolution of long-unsolved crimes, such as the 2000 murder of journalist Georgii Gongadze.
On October 14, the political and prosecutorial fallout of Piskun's firing was analyzed on the service's "Evening Liberty" roundtable by parliamentarian Viktor Korol' (Our Ukraine Party), parliamentarian Mykhajlo Volynets (Yuliya Tymoshenko bloc) and attorney Mykola Poliud'onnyi (adviser to President Viktor Yushchenko). The roundtable guests also took questions from call-in listeners (http://www.radiosvoboda.org/article/2005/10/3665d8f4-2008-4db7-9a76-d7269d537509.html).
Fired Prosecutor General Sviatoslav Piskun was a telephone guest on the October 21 edition of "Evening Liberty," where he was joined by a judge involved in the case, Yurii Vasylenko. The main topic discussed by the roundtable guests was the collusion of politics and law in the efforts to solve criminal cases in Ukraine (http://www.radiosvoboda.org/article/2005/10/57a88e5f-f0e6-4565-8da6-d6c1fa110876.html).
** The Director of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, Olga Buriak, may be reached by email at <buriako@rferl.org>. The Ukrainian Service's website is at http://www.radiosvoboda.org/; English-language news about events in Ukraine can be found at http://www.rferl.org/featuresarchive/country/ukraine.html
FORUM 2000 COVERED BY RFE/RL RFE/RL provided extensive, comprehensive coverage of this year's Forum 2000 conference, held on October 9-10 in Prague: 14 language services did reports on the conference or aired interviews with conference participants, while similar stories, features and interviews related to the conference appeared on the websites of seven broadcast services as well as on the flagship www.rferl.org English site (see below for links to website coverage of the conference).
The Forum 2000 conference -- first convened in 1996 as a joint initiative of then-Czech President Vaclav Havel, Japanese philanthropist Yohei Sasakawa, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel -- is to "explore ways in which to prevent escalation of conflicts that have religion, culture or ethnicity as their primary components [...] and promote democracy in non-democratic countries." This year's conference, with the theme "Our Global Co-Existence: Challenges and Hopes for the 21st Century," featured presentations by international opinion leaders such as former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, former Lebanese Culture Minister Ghassan Salame, former CIA Director James Woolsey, former Polish Foreign Minister Bronislaw Geremek, former Russian Commissioner for Human Rights Sergey Kovalyov, Slovak Deputy Prime Minister Pal Csaky, Belarusian opposition presidential candidate Aleksander Milinkevich, French philosopher and human rights activist Andre Glucksmann, and Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan.
RFE/RL is a longtime media partner of Forum 2000.
* English website (www.rferl.org): http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/DA54C58B-CDB2-48C7-BC3D-E76411017016.html; http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/28A8CA06-CA15-4A77-B54D-387DD9CEFD04.html; http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/B66993E2-B0D1-401B-A947-7C282C5D1384.html; http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/9C31E3FD-2034-4351-97CF-8C8A531FAA28.html
* Albanian Subunit webpage (www.europaelire.org): http://www.europaelire.org/programs/interview/2005/10/20051011133121.asp
* Belarusian service webpage (www.svaboda.org): http://www.svaboda.org/articlesfeatures/politics/2005/10/58FC1448-AF7D-433C-A3A7-7B321A131E44.html; http://www.svaboda.org/articlesfeatures/politics/2005/10/cd632792-b940-4f21-8f6f-6a5bbf4e5646.html
* Georgian Service webpage (www.tavisupleba.org): http://www.tavisupleba.org/programs/neweurope/2005/10/20051011053744.asp
* Romanian Service website (audio; www.europalibera.org): http://www.europalibera.org/analysis/ro/2005/10/F09E6BF7-C1C7-4BE8-98EF-2EC81FC2613C_1630970.RAM; http://www.europalibera.org/analysis/ro/2005/10/005B1735-32CD-43F3-8870-1B8BB367AA3C_1634556.RAM
* Russian Service website (www.svoboda.org): http://www.svoboda.org/programs/tw/2005/tw.101105.asp
* Tatar-Bashkir Service website (www. azatliq.org) http://www.azatliq.org/news/international/tb/archives/2005/10/10.ASP; http://www.azatliq.org/analysis/analysis/tb/2005/10/78C1979D-5167-4AAC-84C8-B677C735F3D7.asp
* Ukrainian service website (www.radiosvoboda.org) http://www.radiosvoboda.org/article/2005/10/592337ff-7d8f-4cb5-a218-ea30b749e617.html
** The Media Relations Coordinator in Prague, Anna Rausova, may be reached by email at <rausovaa@rferl.org>.
RFE/RL In The News
SSALS STARTS JOINT SHOW WITH BOSNIAN PUBLIC SERVICE TELEVISION On October 9, 2005 Bosnian Public Service Television (BHT1) and RFE/RL's Sarajevo bureau aired their new television program, "Open Parliament" ("Otvoreni Parlament"). The one-hour show features a group of Bosnian parliamentarians discussing controversial political issues in front of a live audience. For the inaugural program, the audience consisted of some one hundred youngsters, from all parts of Bosnia, sitting in the parliament benches of the main hall of the Bosnian State Parliament and actively participating in the discussion.
"Open Parliament" will air every Sunday at 14:00, as a joint program of Bosnian Public Service Television (BHT1), the RFE/RL Sarajevo bureau, RFE/RL's Marketing and Affiliate Development Department (Prague) and the Organization for European Security and Cooperation. The BHT1 signal is available throughout Bosnia; "Open Parliament" can also be seen worldwide via satellite or on the Internet, at http://www.pbsbih.ba/real/otvoreniparlament.ram
** The Director of RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service (SSALS), Omer Karabeg, may be reached by email at <karabego@rferl.org>. The SSALS website in Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian is located at http://www.slobodnaevropa.org, in Albanian at http://www.europaelire.org and in Macedonian at http://www.makdenes.org; English-language news about events in Bosnia- Herzegovina can be found at http://www.rferl.org/featuresarchive/country/bosnia-herzegovina.html
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Copyright (c) 2005. RFE/RL, Inc. All rights reserved. "RFE/RL Review" is a weekly compilation of the best programming produced by the 19 services of the RFE/RL broadcast network. RFE/RL broadcasts more than 1,000 hours of programming a week in 28 languages to 20 countries in Eastern Europe, Russia, the Caucasus, and Central and Southwestern Asia.
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