Chronology: January 16, 2013 – April 15, 2013

Abbreviations

• AJE, Al Jazeera English

• AP, Associated Press

• BBC

• CNN

• Daily Star (Lebanon)

• Tribune, The Express Tribune (Pakistan)

• France24

• The Guardian

• Haaretz

• LA Times

• NPR, National Public Radio

• NYT, The New York Times

• RFE/RL, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

• Reuters

• VOA, Voice of America

• WSJ, The Wall Street Journal

• WP, The Washington Post

Arab-Israeli Conflict

See also Egypt, Turkey

Feb. 23:

‘Arafat Jaradat, a Palestinian from the West Bank city of Hebron died in the Megiddo Prison in northern Israel. Palestinians blamed Israel for the death, claiming Jaradat had been tortured. Israel officials stated Jaradat had been sick previous to his February 18 arrest for participation in a protest against the treatment of Palestinian prisoners. [AJE, 1/24]

Feb. 26:

A rocket attack from Gaza into Israel on February 26 broke a November 21 truce between Israel and Gaza. The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack, which followed the death of ‘Arafat Jaradat, a Palestinian prisoner. [Reuters, 2/26]

Feb. 27:

Two Palestinian prisoners paused their hunger strike after Israel agreed to release them on May 21 following massive protests on February 23 in the West Bank. This decision followed the death of detained Palestinian prisoner, Jaradat. The two were among 178 suspected militants jailed without trial in Israel. [Reuters, 2/27]

Central Asia

See also Iran

Jan. 21:

Hundreds of Georgians rallied in Tblisi to demand President Mikheil Saakashvili’s resignation. According to the Georgian constitution, Saakashvili’s five-year term ended on January 21. However, elections were not scheduled until October. [Reuters, 1/20]

Jan. 24:

Mass protests erupted in the town of İsmayıllı, Azerbaijan, after a brawl erupted into calls for the governor’s resignation. About 3,000 rioters torched a hotel and numerous cars before police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd. The protesters expressed frustration with unemployment and poverty. [Reuters, 1/24]

Jan. 26:

Hundreds of protesters gathered in Azerbijan’s capital, Baku, to express solidarity with the protesters in Ismayilli, who clashed with police on January 24. Protesters called for the resignation of President Ilham Aliyev, whom rights groups criticized for his authoritarianism. Police arrested about 40 activists. [Reuters, 1/26]

Jan. 29:

Kazakh National Security Committee officers detained Major General Almaz Asenov based on suspicions that he accepted a $200,000 bribe. Asenov served as the chief of the Kazakh Directorate for Arms, which purchased weapons for the defense ministry. [RFE/RL, 1/31]

Jan. 31:

An unknown gunman shot Armenia’s opposition presidential candidate Paruyr Hayrikyan in the capital of Yerevan. Despite fears, the injury did not delay the presidential election. [RFE/RL, 2/1]

About 700 protesters gathered in the Kyrgyz city of Jalalabat to demand a fair trial for three leaders of opposition party, Ata-Jurt arrested in October for allegedly inciting unrest and attempting to overthrow the government. The protesters demanded house arrest instead of jail time for the defendants, and the immediate dissolution of parliament. [RFE/RL, 1/31]

Feb. 5:

Former Tajik prime minister Abdumalik Abdullojonov was detained in Ukraine on an international arrest warrant. Abdullojonov allegedly participated in the 1996 assassination attempt on Tajik president Emomali Rahmon. [RFE/RL, 2/6]

Feb. 6:

Physicians examined Armenian presidential candidate Andrias Ghukasyan 17 days after he began a hunger strike in downtown Yerevan, but refused to be hospitalized. Ghukasyan protested against the Central Election Comission’s registration of incumbent and expected victor, President Serzh Sargsyan, for reelection. [RFE/RL, 2/6]

Feb. 8:

One day after the Georgian parliament voted to postpone the president’s annual speech, President Saakashvili gave the speech from his office in Tbilisi. Georgia faced a political crisis due to disagreements about the government’s balance of power between the president and parliament. Hundreds of activists also staged protests accusing Saakashvili of human rights abuses. [Reuters, 2/8]

Feb. 11:

Armenian presidential candidate Hayrikyan withdrew his February 11 request to delay elections. His request came four days after Armenia’s National Security Service arrested two suspects for the January 31 shooting at Hayrikyan’s home that resulted in a shoulder injury. Hayrikyan later said...