By empty (7/10/2003 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Kazakh President Nazarbaev has signed a bill strengthening articles in the Criminal Code relating to trafficking in human beings, deputy head of the presidential administration Igor Rogov told Interfax Kazakhstan. The official said the problem has become acute in Kazakhstan because the country\'s citizens often fall into the hands of traffickers when they go abroad in search of work, and that Kazakhstan itself is a transit country for trafficked persons. Several articles of the Criminal Code are applicable to trafficking cases: Article 125 covers abduction, Article 126 deals with unlawful deprivation of freedom, Article 128 prohibits recruiting people for exploitative purposes, Article 133 prohibits trafficking in minors, and luring persons into prostitution and maintaining brothels are covered by articles 270 and 271, respectively.

By empty (7/9/2003 issue of the CACI Analyst)

The World Bank office in Tashkent has published the first analysis of living standards in Uzbekistan. The study found that more than one-quarter of the population is poor, with one-third of those are living in extreme poverty. A sharp decline in foreign investment was reported to be a major factor contributing to increased poverty.

By empty (7/9/2003 issue of the CACI Analyst)

The Russian-Turkmen intergovernmental commission set up to resolve problems resulting from the revocation of dual citizenship ended two days of negotiations on 9 July, with both sides giving upbeat assessments of the progress made. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksei Fedotov, who headed the Russian delegation, told journalists that the Turkmen side has officially promised that the rights of Russian citizens living in Turkmenistan and holding dual citizenship will not be infringed, which he said was the main Russian objective in the talks. The previous day, Interfax quoted Fedotov as saying the negotiations were \"difficult.