By empty (3/1/2006 issue of the CACI Analyst)

In a statement on March 1, Darigha Nazarbaeva, the daughter of President Nursultan Nazarbaev and head of the Asar Party, criticized press reports about members of her family that have appeared since the murder of opposition leader Altynbek Sarsenbaev. Nazarbaeva said that various media \"are knowingly disseminating false information about the involvement of close relatives of the president in this crime.\" She said that the publications, \"in addition to ridiculous accusations, [contain] direct threats toward members of my family.

By empty (3/1/2006 issue of the CACI Analyst)

A court in Tashkent sentenced Nodira Hidoyatova, coordinator of the opposition Sunshine coalition, on March 1 to a 10-year prison term for a variety of economic crimes. Hidoyatova, who maintained her innocence, was convicted of membership of a \"criminal group\" along with the brothers Abror and Sanjar Umarov. Sanjar Umarov, leader of the Sunshine coalition, is also on trial for economic crimes; he is expected to be sentenced in the coming days.

By empty (3/1/2006 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Mikheil Saakashvili has denied in an interview with Ekho Moskvy that Georgia paid $250 per 1,000 cubic meters for the gas it imported from Iran in late January while gas supplies from Russia were temporarily disrupted after the main Russia-Georgia gas pipeline was blown up. Georgian Energy Minister Nika Gilauri and Economic Development Minister Irakli Chogovadze both declined on 1 February to specify the exact price paid for the Iranian gas; they and other government ministers ignored a subsequent request from parliament to clarify the issue, \"Akhali taoba\" reported on 17 February. Saakashvili said in his Russian radio interview that the price was lower than the $110 Tbilisi previously paid for Russian gas.