By empty (1/7/2004 issue of the CACI Analyst)

The governor of southern Kyrgyzstan\'s Djalal-Abad Oblast, Zhusupbek Sharipov, has ordered that the families of the five demonstrators who were killed by police in March 2002 in the oblast\'s Aksy Raion receive 1,000 soms ($23) each, RFE/RL\'s Kyrgyz Service reported on 5 January. Twenty-five residents of the raion who were wounded in the police attack will also receive 1,000 soms. One of the grievances frequently voiced by the victims of the assault has been the failure of the authorities to provide compensation.

By empty (1/6/2004 issue of the CACI Analyst)

The Prosecutor-General\'s Office has rejected an appeal by parliament deputies representing the opposition Azerbaijan Popular Front Party for the release on bail of dozens of opposition activists arrested following the clashes in Baku in the wake of the disputed 15 October presidential election. The deputies argued that the detainees -- including Democratic Party of Azerbaijan General Secretary Sardar Djalaloglu; People\'s Party of Azerbaijan Chairman Panakh Huseinov; and Rauf Arifoglu, editor of the opposition newspaper \"Yeni Musavat\" -- do not pose a threat to society and would not attempt to flee the country if released pending trial. The prosecutor-general\'s refusal branded the appeal slanderous and inaccurate.

By empty (1/5/2004 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Russia has decided to write off $10 billion in Mongolian debt, the lion\'s share of that country\'s indebtedness to Moscow that was accumulated during 70 years as a Soviet satellite. Mongolia was Russia\'s third-largest debtor after Cuba and Syria, and the amount of the forgiven debt is about 10 times the country\'s annual GDP, polit.ru reported.