Washington ProFile - International News & Information Agency - Law and Criminal Justice

Belarus Expresses Concern over “Polish Card”

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:19:10 -0500

The Belarusian delegation expressed its serious concern about the Pole Card Law adopted in Poland, which they said directly affects the interests of many Belarusian citizens and was passed by the Sejm, the lower house of Poland’s parliament, without preliminary consultations with the Belarusian government.

Georgia to Tighten Visa Regime upon EU, IOM Recommendations

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:12:13 -0500

Following recommendations of the European Union and the International Organization of Migration, Georgia is set to change its visa regime.

Kyrgyz Embassy Sends Moscow Note Regarding Rising Crime Rates against its Citizens in Russia

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 17:59:17 -0500

The Embassy of Kyrgyzstan in Moscow addressed an official note to the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of the Interior and the Prosecutor General’s Office about the recent murders of Kyrgyz citizens.

Wide-Ranging Amnesty Declared on Turkmen Holiday

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 16:13:22 -0500

In honor of the Day of the Government Flag of Turkmenistan, celebrated annually on February 19, Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedow signed an order pardoning many who had been incarcerated in the country.

Georgian Court Sentences Patarkatsishvili to Two Months in Jail

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 17:21:16 -0500

A Tbilisi court announced a sentence of two months imprisonment for the former presidential candidate and businessman Badri Patarkatsishvili, who now lives in London.

Iran Prepared to File Suit Against Turkmenistan

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 16:52:57 -0500

The leader of Iran’s parliamentary commission on energy, Kamal Daneshyar, revealed on January 15 that Tehran is prepared to lodge a judicial suit against Turkmenistan in connection with the termination of delivery of Turkmen gas to the Islamic Republic.

Tashkent: Battle with Violations of Intellectual Property Rights to Continue

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 16:46:46 -0500

Uzbekistan is conducting a massive operation to secure the protection of authors’ and intellectual property rights and engaging with regional and international organizations including UNESCO, the World Organization of Intellectual Property, and the World Trade Organization.

Report: Armenia Losing Fight Against Corruption

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 15:34:25 -0400

According to the director of the Transparency International Yerevan office, Amalya Kostanyan, Armenia has not decreased its corruption levels in 2007 and is still in 82-nd place in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), the organization’s global corruption ranking.

U.S. to Provide Aid to Armenian Law Enforcement Agencies

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 15:32:25 -0400

On September 24, the General Prosecutor of Armenia Aghvan Hovsepyan and the U.S. Charge d’Affairs in Armenia Rudolph Ferina signed the sixth bilateral U.S.-Armenian agreement on the control and monitoring of narcotics and law enforcement cooperation.

BELARUS: Opposition Activist Jailed on “Bogus Charges”

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 12:28:12 -0400

On September 24, a district court in Minsk sentenced opposition activist Leanid Navitski to 10 days in jail after finding him guilty of "petty hooliganism".

GEORGIA: Former DM Accuses Saakashvili of Political Assassinations, Gets Arrested

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 12:23:27 -0400

Irakli Okruashvili, the former defense minister of Georgia, was arrested late on September 27 on suspicions of “extortion, money laundering, misuse of power and criminal negligence”.

GEORGIA: Presidential Speaker Accused of Corruption Comes Clean

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 12:21:30 -0400

The Secretary of the Georgian Parliament and Presidential Press-Speaker Dmitriy Kitoshvili was arrested on suspicion of corruption and extortion on September 25 and later confessed to having participated in unauthorized negotiations over a deal to resell the shares of the Georgian mobile giant GeoCell.

KAZAKHSTAN: Astana Gains Power to Terminate Contracts at Will

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 12:09:09 -0400

According to CentrAsia, as of September 26, Kazakh authorities have the right to unilaterally refuse to honor any contract, including ones that have already been signed. A new amendment to this end was made to the Law on Mineral Resources and their Utilization and was unanimously adopted by the Kazakh parliament.

Shadows of the Global Economy

Fri, 28 Sep 2007 15:30:03 -0400

A conversation with Moisés Naím about his latest book, Illicit: How Smugglers, Traffickers and Copycats Are Hijacking the Global Economy.

Report: Shadow Economy in Tajikistan Overarching

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 13:01:40 -0400

According to a new report published by the Tajik “Shark” research center, the volume of the shadow economy in Tajikistan comprises more than 60 percent of official GDP.