Stories from Quick Reads
Teenager with Muslim background saved over 100 people in Moscow concert hall terrorist attack
Fifteen-year-old Islam Khalilov, who works part-time as a cloakroom attendant, led more than a hundred people out of Crocus Concert Hall during the terrorist attack
In Azerbaijan authorities remain silent over the murder of a trans woman
In general, for many LGBTQI+ individuals who face discrimination and violence, there is little recourse through the police or any official judicial channels.
Kyrgyzstan’s blockbuster film is a moving tale of the bond between a mother and son
According to the film’s director Ruslan Akun, its main goal is encouraging people to be merciful towards each other and do good deeds.
Lotteries, dressed-up figures, and other peculiar entertainment at the Putin's sham elections
Current regime needs people to come to the polls in order to show the regime's legitimacy inside the country. Authorities find ways of 'entertainment' that would attract people to vote.
In Georgia, a new political alliance looks to the future
The new political alliance was announced at a turbulent time. Since the previous parliamentary election in 2020, Georgian domestic politics have been engulfed in a political crisis.
Will President Erdoğan really stop running in Turkey's elections?
Months after the general elections, with the local elections just weeks away, President Erdoğan's remark about not running again ring hollow.
Women in Moldova are better educated but earn less and marry earlier
Some National Bureau of Statistics of Moldova's data about women living in Moldova today
Uzbekistan's recent anti-religious measures present a worrisome trend for its Muslims
This is not the first time Muslims in Uzbekistan, who make up 94 percent of the population, face persecution due to their beliefs.
Natural disasters in Mongolia grow worse and threaten the future of nomadic way of life
Although it is animals that die during dzud, these disasters affect the entire nation.
Palestinian writer Randa Jarrar dragged out of PEN America event for protesting
Palestinian American author Randa Jarrar was forcibly removed for disrupting ceasefire opponent Mayim Bialik by reading the names of Palestinian writers killed by Israeli forces in Gaza.
Presidential election in Azerbaijan show old habits die hard
This election was business as usual in Azerbaijan with manipulation and violations, including carousel voting, ballot stuffing, and aggressive behavior toward independent observers and journalists throughout the day.
The Baku Connection: Journalists across the world unite to support Azerbaijan's Abzas Media
Some 40 journalists from 15 media outlets have joined the project since its launch as Abzas Media team who started the investigations, await trial in Baku.
Tajikistan’s president’s son is the man behind the national football team’s success at the Asian Cup
The national team’s heroics will breathe confidence and optimism into everyone implementing the national football development program called “Orzu-2026” (Dream-2026).
In Moldova, asylum was denied to five representatives of the LGBTQ+ community from Russia
In all five responses published this week, Moldovan imigration agency claims that 'some individuals have certain obligations to protect their country, and their avoidance of military service in Russia does not pose a risk of persecution.'
Uzbekistan’s repression survivors tell their harrowing stories in a new documentary
This is one of the first attempts to tell the story of more than 18,000 people who were jailed on trumped-up charges and labelled “extremists” by Uzbekistan's Karimov government.
British journalist Myriam Francois hits back on Houthi bombings and Red Sea conflict
British journalist, filmmaker, and writer Myriam Francois strongly challenges the "insane" suggestion that bombing the Houthis in Yemen should have occurred earlier for economic reasons, in her interview on Sky News.
Uzbekistan is finally starting to address its air pollution problem
In December 2023, Tashkent recorded the second-highest air pollution levels, coming behind only India’s Delhi.
Belarusians returning home from immigration receive criminal charges
Human rights defenders say that despite the "agreements," criminal cases were initiated against people who believed the authorities and returned to Belarus.
Moldova chose finalists of the national selection for the Eurovision 2024
Among them, there are nine women and only two men, two songs called "Fever," and 10 out of 11 compositions are in English.
Kyrgyzstan’s self-proclaimed ‘new God’ and former presidential candidate found dead in prison
Abdyldaev’s death is another incident of the alarming trend that has been unfolding under the rule of the current president Sadyr Japarov.
In Georgia, controversy over a Stalin icon makes headlines at home and abroad
Georgia was thrown into controversy when worshipers found a painting of Saint Matrona of Moscow, a 20th-century Russian Orthodox Church saint, with a man who appears to be Joseph Stalin.