CIVIL SOCIETY
Human rights, environmental, and cultural issues

Kyrgyzstan: 1,500 Attend Anti-Government Rally
An anti-government protest in Kyrgyzstan on November 18 drew a crowd of about 1,500. Organizers asserted that in the days leading up to the rally, authorities used violence and intimidation in an attempt to foil the event.

Afghanistan: Refugee Returns Should No Longer Be a Cause for Celebration in Kabul
A EURASIANET COMMENTARY BY AUNOHITA MOJUMDAR
Afghanistan lately boasts few reasons for optimism. But on the short list that international community representatives and Afghan government officials regularly point to as cause for optimism, one holds pride of place: the fact that 5 million refugees have returned to their homeland since 2001.

Uzbekistan: Islamic Radical Cell Broken Up in Tashkent
The Uzbek Interior Ministry has announced the break-up of an all-female Islamic radical cell that had been operating in Tashkent.

Georgia: A Tiny Village Emerges as a Potential Flashpoint
BY MOLLY CORSO
The tenuous security situation in the Georgian village of Perevi has exposed a conundrum for both Georgia and European Union. Both want Moscow to fully withdraw its forces from the town, but they have been forced to tacitly acknowledge that an abrupt Russian departure could result in a renewal of fighting between Georgians and Ossetians.