By empty (7/1/2005 issue of the CACI Analyst)

The Kyrgyz Supreme Court issued a ruling on 30 June upholding the decision of the Central Election Commission to revoke the parliamentary mandate of former Kyrgyz President Askar Akaev\'s daughter Bermet Akaeva. The ruling marks the last in a series of appeals lodged by Akaeva, who protested the decision as \"a politically motivated ruling\" and vowed to \"appeal to an international court.\" She secured the parliamentary seat by a small margin during the second round of the March 2004 parliamentary election.

By empty (6/30/2005 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Almost all of the several hundred Avar villagers who fled last month from the Chechen village of Borozdinovskaya to neighboring Daghestan following a sweep operation by unidentified security forces returned to their homes on 29 June. The villagers were transported in a convoy organized by Chechen First Deputy Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov, whose security force has been tasked with guarding the village. Pro-Moscow Chechen administration head Alu Alkhanov has pledged that \"everything will be done\" to locate the 11 villagers abducted during the 4 June sweep operation.

By empty (6/30/2005 issue of the CACI Analyst)

The lower house of the Kazakh parliament on 29 June passed several new amendments to the Kazakh law on national security. The amendments imposed new restrictions in several areas, including the Criminal Code and the laws regulating the activities of religious groups, the media and political parties. Some of the more controversial amendments include criminal penalties for \"foreign citizens\" engaging in the \"financing\" of political parties or conducting \"activities to promote candidates and political parties\" throughout the electoral process.