Full Coverage: South West Asia

31.07.2006 PESHAWAR, Jul 31 (IPS) - Two Afghan journalists, who spent three years in the infamous United States military prison camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have released a new chronicle on life in the now famous iron cages.

28.07.2006 Western inattention after the Andijan massacre of May 2005 has granted Uzbekistan's president a green light to further repress freedoms, the country's opposition leaders told international human rights advocates this week.

26.07.2006 As the Aral Sea continues to shrink beyond recognition between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, millions have suffered from the after effects: the resulting toxic dust has contaminated drinking water and air, spreading cancer and tuberculosis throughout the region.

25.07.2006 Amnesty International is seeking clarification on why the Iranian government has ordered the activities of its Baha'i minority be scrutinized and reports sent to the armed forces.

25.07.2006 As Taliban attacks against women increase, concerned Americans are urging their congresspeople to support women-led nonprofits and other organizations that protect women's rights and provide urgently needed assistance to women and girls in Afghanistan.

21.07.2006 Disarmament activists want to put the nuclear genie back in the bottle. Many world leaders seem to want to pursue their own weapons programs while halting others'. Sarah Barr takes a look at the nuclear landscape confronting all of us today.

21.07.2006 SAN FRANCISCO, Jul 20 (OneWorld) - An Afghan government proposal to re-establish the notorious Department for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has raised concerns among U.S. human rights advocates.

20.07.2006 Though it may just be symbolic, Afghanistan's cabinet has agreed to re-establish the Department for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, notorious under the Taliban for, among other things, beating women for showing their wrists, hands, or ankles and beating men for trimming their beards.

19.07.2006 Escalating clashes between the Hezbollah militia and Israeli armed forces are raising concerns about whether Iran and Syria could become embroiled in the conflict, and if they do, what that would mean for a possible global escalation.

12.07.2006 Attacks by a resurgent Taliban and other groups are forcing the closure of many girls schools throughout the country. Nearly one-third of all Afghanistan districts have no girls' schools in operation.

11.07.2006 Escalating attacks on teachers, students and schools in Afghanistan are shutting down schools and depriving another generation of education, a leading rights group says in a new report today. Girls' schools have been hit particularly hard.

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07.07.2006 President Nursultan Nazarbayev has signed legislation that further restricts press freedom in Kazakhstan.

03.07.2006 The nightmare in the central Asian state of Turkmenistan is often treated as though it were comedy, with the country's autocratic leader changing the names of the months in honour of members of his own family and erecting a gold statue of himself that revolves so it always faces the sun. But it's no joke, says Rachel Denber.