North Korea,New Zealand,Thailand,Kazakhstan,Iran
Complex International Web Entangles Weapon Cargo Seized In Thailand
Associated Press
22 January 2010
SHYMKENT, Kazakhstan - The trail of the plane seized in Thailand last month for reportedly smuggling North Korean weapons to Iran leads back to a small air freight company housed near an old Soviet airfield on the edge of the Kazakh steppe. The aging Russian plane's odyssey took it through a web of companies, financiers and air cargo carriers with addresses stretching from New York through the Persian Gulf to New Zealand, an Associated... ( gunpolicy.org )
Belarus,North Korea,Kazakhstan,Ukraine,Serbia,Russia
Ex-Soviet Pilots, Aircraft Ship Weapons for Global Gun Running Networks
Time (USA)
17 December 2009
KIEV -- It was no ordinary smuggling bust. On Dec. 11, an old Russian plane landed in Thailand to refuel after taking off hours earlier from Pyongyang, North Korea. In its hull, police found 35 tons of explosives, rocket-propelled grenades and components for surface-to-air missiles, all being transported from North Korea in breach of U.N. sanctions. The captain and his crew were promptly arrested and charged with illegally transporting arms.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Tajikistan
Police Seize 186 Illegal Firearms Since January in Northern Tajikistan
Asia-Plus Online (Dushanbe)
12 September 2009
KHUJAND -- A total of 186 firearms have been seized in (northern) Sughd Region since the beginning of this year. The regional interior department told the Asia-Plus news agency that 180 pieces of firearms were seized during the same period of the last year. The source said that the weapons were seized from illegal circulation by police officers and voluntarily handed over by the residents of northern Tajikistan. "The... ( gunpolicy.org )
Georgia, Russia
South Ossetia Tries to Disarm Its Citizens with Amnesty, Buyback
New York Times
15 August 2009
TSKHINVALI, Georgia -- For years, there was not much difference between a civilian and a soldier in South Ossetia, which was embroiled in a long struggle to separate from Georgia. David G. Sanakoyev, for example, wore a tie during the day. As South Ossetia's ombudsman for human rights, he handled complaints about prison conditions or unlawful firings. Three times a week, after work, he changed into camouflage and took up a position... ( gunpolicy.org )
Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan
Belarus Ratifies CIS Accord on Illegal Gun, Ammunition Trade
BBC Worldwide Monitoring / Belapan (Minsk), Transcript
30 May 2009
MINSK -- Belarusian MPs have agreed to ratify the agreement on cooperation between the CIS member-states in counteracting illegal production and sales of firearms, ammunition, explosive substances and devices. Belarusian Deputy Interior Minister Syarhey Hureyew said that the agreement was signed on 14 November 2008 in Chisinau by Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to ensure effective joint... ( gunpolicy.org )
Azerbaijan
Man with Legal Handgun Killed 13 'For Pleasure' at Azerbaijan College
Agence France Presse
16 May 2009
A man who shot 12 people dead at a university in Azerbaijan before killing himself left messages saying he would "experience the pleasure of killing", police and prosecutors say. Farda Gadirov, 29, described himself as a "lone wolf", a joint statement from the general prosecutor's office and interior ministry said on Friday. Investigators had found photographs and messages in which he had anticipated his shooting spree,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Azerbaijan
Foreign Experts Not Invited to Investigate Mass Shooting in Azerbaijan
Turkish Weekly (Ankara) / Trend News
5 May 2009
BAKU, Azerbaijan -- Foreign experts and specialists have not been invited to investigate the lawsuit on the armed attack at the Azerbaijani university. As highly-qualified specialists have been involved in the investigation-operation group to reveal the crime as soon as possible, there is no need to invite any foreign specialists and experts, the Prosecutor General's Office Press Secretary Eldar Sultanov told Trend News on May 5.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Azerbaijan
Mass Shooting in Azerbaijan Oil University Leaves 13 Dead, 10 Wounded
Agence France Presse
1 May 2009
A gunman shot 12 people dead on Thursday before killing himself at a university in the oil-rich Caspian state of Azerbaijan, officials said. The massacre at the Azerbaijan State Oil Academy stunned the small mainly Muslim country, which has never before seen the kind of public shooting rampages that have plagued some Western countries in recent years. The ex-Soviet republic's interior ministry said in a statement that the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Azerbaijan
Man Kills 12, Wounds 13, Kills Himself with Pistol in Azerbaijan Academy
Fineko/abc.az
30 April 2009
BAKU, Azerbaijan -- Azerbaijan Republic Ministry of Internal Affairs and General Office of Public Prosecutor made official statement on the occasion of today's public crime committed at 9.30 am in one of the higher educational institutions of Baku. The statement says: a stranger entered the Azerbaijan State Oil Academy's 2nd building (also known as "new building") located at 227, D.Aliyeva Street, which is the location of such departments... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kazakhstan
Inspection of Licensed Kazakh Gun Owners Yields 747 Illegal Weapons
BBC Worldwide Monitoring / Interfax (Kazakhstan)
7 April 2009
During the Karu (Weapon) operation, the police seized 747 weapons kept illegally by people in Kazakhstan, the Kazakh Interior Ministry's press service has said. In particular, the police seized 49 rifled weapons, including 39 rifles and 4 pistols, as well as 547 smooth-bore weapons, including 98 "sawn-off shotguns", says a report issued by the press service today. A total of 40 gas-spray guns, 60 traumatic weapons, 23 home-made... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kazakhstan
60 Guns Seized, 600 Violations Found Among 6,000 Kazakh Gun Owners
BBC Worldwide Monitoring / Kazakhstan Today, Transcript
12 September 2008
A total of 60 pieces of illegal firearms have been seized in Almaty during the preventive operation "Karu", Kazakhstan Today news agency reports, with reference to the press service of the Almaty internal affairs department. According to the press service, during preventive operations codenamed "Karu", the police check all those who posses registered guns, as well as specialized shops and security firms. The so called criminal elements... ( gunpolicy.org )
Germany, Georgia
Georgians Illegally Armed with German Assault Rifles, Says TV Report
Deutsche Presse-Agentur
17 August 2008
Georgian elite forces fighting Russia in the breakaway region of South Ossetia were illegally armed with German assault rifles in a blatant violation of Germany's arms export laws, according to a TV report. The report by German public broadcaster ARD, which was to be aired late on Sunday, claims that Georgian elite forces in the rebel province of South Ossetia were supplied with German weapons manufactured by arms company Heckler... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan, Tajikistan
Central Asia's Guns-for-drugs Trade Helps Arm Insurgents Worldwide
Rome News-Tribune (Georgia) / McClatchy-Tribune News Service
7 July 2008
BADAKHSHAN, Afghanistan -- The bazaar sits on a small island in the middle of the Panj River, the shallow waterway that serves as the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan. On either side loom the Pamir Mountains, a range of high peaks that cuts the region off from the rest of the world. When the bazaar first opened five years ago, people on both sides of the border cheered the opportunity for commerce to flourish between the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kazakhstan
Unregistered Rifles, Pistols Collected in North Kazakhstan Gun Buyback
BBC Worldwide Monitoring (Astana) / Kazinform, Transcript
11 May 2008
During a campaign to voluntarily hand in unregistered rifles, pistols and explosives to police in [Kazakhstan's northern] Pavlodar Region, people brought 611 weapons, a Kazinform [news agency] correspondent has reported. Police valued the arsenal at 3.79m tenge [over 30,000 dollars], Maskhat Yeshmuratov, deputy head of the public security directorate of the [regional] interior affairs department, said. The explosives, which were... ( gunpolicy.org )
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan
Former Soviet States Plan Database of Gun Runners, Illicit Arms Dealers
BBC Worldwide Monitoring / Interfax, Transcript
11 April 2008
A joint CIS database of transnational criminal groups involved in illegal arms trafficking will be created, the press service of the Minsk-based CIS Executive Committee has told Interfax. "This is stipulated by a draft agreement on cooperation in combating the illegal manufacturing and sale of firearms, ammunition, explosives and explosive devices, which has been discussed by the committee's expert group," the press service said.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Georgia
Pro-American Georgia Ditches Kalashnikov AK-47 for US M4 Assault Rifle
Agence France Presse
19 January 2008
TBILISI -- Ex-Soviet Georgia's army began yesterday to switch from the Russian-designed Kalashnikov to the modern US M4 rifle, pro-Western president-elect Mikheil Saakashvili announced. "Today is a historic day for the Georgian armed forces: we start to switch to Western armament. From today, we will use the best weapon in the world-the M4 assault rifle," Saakashvili told troops at a new military base at Gori, in the north of the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan Legislates for Gun, Ammunition Amnesty, Buyback, Destruction
BBC Worldwide Monitoring / Interfax, Transcript
15 January 2008
The law on buying firearms, ammunition and explosives that are in illegal possession of population, if people voluntarily hand over these weapons, comes into force as of 1 January 2008, the head of the Kazakh Interior Ministry's press service, Bagdat Kozhakhmetov has said. "With the aim of ensuring public safety and preventing crimes committed with the use of firearms, the law stipulating buying firearms, ammunition and explosives... ( gunpolicy.org )
Tajikistan
Tajikistan Reports Over 200 Guns Seized in Tajik North in First Half of 2007
BBC Worldwide Monitoring / Asia Plus News, Transcript
22 July 2007
Internal affairs officers in [northern] Sughd Region have confiscated 205 firearms from local residents in the first half of this year. A source in the regional internal affairs directorate told Asia-Plus that the figure was less by 10 compared to the same period of 2006 (215). The source said that among 205 firearms there were three assault rifles, six pistols, nine rifled-barrel guns and 187 smooth-bore guns. "Furthermore,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kyrgyzstan
Small Arms in Kyrgyzstan: Post-revolutionary Gun Trade and Proliferation
ReliefWeb / Small Arms Survey, Web Page
20 March 2007
The ousting of President Askar Akaev from power in March 2005 has resulted in a deteriorating security situation and an increase in the demand for and use of small arms in Kyrgyzstan. The Small Arms Survey study published in 2004 (MacFarlane and Torjesen, 2004) found that small arms were less of a problem in Kyrgyzstan than commonly assumed: few families owned arms; demand was limited; and trafficking was modest. While the proliferation... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyz Lawmakers Pass Bill Allowing Themselves to Carry Guns
Itar-Tass (Russia)
14 December 2006
BISHKEK -- Kyrgyz lawmakers on Thursday approved a law allowing them to possess firearms. Most of the deputies believe that they need arms for self-defense. Opposition lawmakers repeatedly stated that they had been often threatened by unidentified persons. The law provides for lawmakers' keeping firearms after quitting office. President Kurmanbek Bakiyev refused to sign the bill several days ago, but the parliamentarians... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan Loosens Gun Law, Allows Shooting to Protect Private Property
Institute for War and Peace Reporting
16 November 2006
Businessmen in Kyrgyzstan have welcomed a new law making it legal for them to use weapons to defend their property. However, there are a number of grey areas in the law which NBCentralAsia commentators say need to be defined more clearly -- including what actually constitutes property, and what the police and courts should do when a violent incident takes place. On November 14, the Kyrgyz parliament passed a bill amending current... ( gunpolicy.org )
Somalia, Kazakhstan
Somali Leader Orders Surrender of 'Every Single Gun' as More Arrive by Air
Associated Press
1 August 2006
BAIDOA, Somalia -- Somalia's president told residents of the only town his government controls Tuesday that they have a week to give up their weapons or "every single gun" would be seized by force. President Abdullahi Yusuf said his government would pay people for any arms surrendered and that details of the disarmament plan would be released Wednesday. He did not say why his government decided on the measure, but two lawmakers... ( gunpolicy.org )
Somalia, Kazakhstan
Somalis Watch Helplessly as Kazakhstan Cargo Plane Flies in More Guns
Associated Press
26 July 2006
MOGADISHU, Somalia -- Somalia's virtually powerless government said a cargo plane that landed at the capital's airport Wednesday morning was carrying weapons for Islamic militants who have seized control of much of southern Somalia. The Ilyushin-76 was only the second aircraft to land at Mogadishu International Airport in more than a decade of anarchy here, demonstrating the Islamic militia's total control of the capital. A... ( gunpolicy.org )
Georgia
Conference Looks at Staunching the Flow of Small Arms Into Georgia
Messenger (Tbilisi)
12 June 2006
Parliamentarians from all over the world met in Tbilisi last week to discuss issues of illegal arms trafficking in the CIS and how to develop measures that will reduce this destructive phenomenon. The two-day seminar entitled "Parliamentary Workshop on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SA/LW) in the Commonwealth of Independent States Region" which was held at the Georgian Parliament on June 9-10 hosted visiting parliamentarians primarily... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kyrgyzstan
Small Arms Race in Kyrgyzstan is a Growing Concern for Authorities
IRIN (UN News)
8 June 2006
OSH, Kyrgyzstan -- The spread of small arms in Kyrgyzstan has become a growing concern for government officials and law enforcement agencies responsible for combating rising crime in the Central Asian state. "The problem is clear: illegal proliferation of small arms has a tendency to grow. This becomes a threat to public order and results in the growth of criminal incidents and assassinations," said Col. Ravshan Abdukarimov, deputy... ( gunpolicy.org )
Georgia, United Nations
Tbilisi, Georgia to Host UN Conference on Illicit Arms Trade
Civil Georgia (Tbilisi)
6 June 2006
Parliamentarians from around the world, as well as officials from the UN and European Commission will gather in Tbilisi on June 9-10 to discuss challenges within the CIS in implementing the 2001 UN Program Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons. The Parliamentary Workshop on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SA/LW) in the CIS Region will be held with the support of the Office of Weapons... ( gunpolicy.org )
Armenia
Embarrassed Armenian PM Promises Stricter Gun Control
Radio Free Europe
6 October 2005
Prime Minister Andranik Markarian pledged late Wednesday to be more careful in presenting government officials and friends with firearms and effectively admitted that one of those "gifts" was used in a recent high-profile murder. He said he asked the Armenian police to screen prospective recipients of such presents "more strictly." Markarian has faced embarrassing questions about his weapons-giving practices since an extraordinary... ( gunpolicy.org )
Georgia, Russia
Sham Disarmament, Say Georgian Officials
Messenger (Georgia)
21 July 2004
Russia is shipping useless ammunition and arms from different military bases to the Tskhinvali region in a ploy to challenge Georgia, officials in Tbilisi claim. Deputy Minister of State Security Gigi Ugulava stated at a briefing on Tuesday that Russia is sending mainly useless firearms and other military equipment. They will be first delivered to the Tskhinvali population and then withdrawn from them by the de facto government.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kyrgyzstan
Hunting Guns: A Country Awash With Guns?
Transitions Online
9 March 2004
It is commonly believed that Central Asia is awash with arms and that gun possession and trading is linked to other security problems in the region: trafficking in drugs and people, the criminalization of the police and security forces, religious fundamentalism, and ethnic rivalries. One influential report, published in 2002 by the UN's Institute for Disarmament Research, suggested that "the existence of a considerable infrastructure for... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kyrgyzstan
New Report Shoots Down Assumptions About Gun Proliferation
Times of Central Asia
1 March 2004
KYRGYZSTAN -- A new report counters preconceptions that Central Asia is a "hotbed of gun proliferation and misuse." The study uses Kyrgyzstan as a case study and finds that, despite suffering from socio-economic problems and ethnic tensions, there is little evidence that this has led to increasing violence and gun proliferation. Neil MacFarlane is a professor of international relations at Oxford University in Britain and the co-author of... ( gunpolicy.org )
Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan
New Report Shoots Down Assumptions About Arms Proliferation
Radio Free Europe (Czech Republic)
27 February 2004
PRAGUE -- A new report counters preconceptions that Central Asia is a "hotbed of gun proliferation and misuse." The study uses Kyrgyzstan as a case study and finds that, despite suffering from socio-economic problems and ethnic tensions, there is little evidence that this has led to increasing violence and gun proliferation. "Some states are better than others at controlling small arms. But they are nonetheless vulnerable in key... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kyrgyzstan
Study Finds Less Small Arms in Kyrgyzstan Than Previously Thought
News Central Asia
19 February 2004
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan -- A report released yesterday by Small Arms Survey, a Geneva based study group, shows that small arms are less prevalent in Kyrgyzstan than in neighboring countries, countering the conventional wisdom that the entire Central Asian region is a hotbed of gun proliferation and misuse. According to "Kyrgyzstan: A Small Arms Anomaly in Central Asia?", Kyrgyzstan experiences low levels of civilian gun violence, has... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kyrgyzstan
Gun Ownership Less Serious Than Previously Believed
Eurasia Net
19 February 2004
A new survey on gun ownership in Kyrgyzstan raises questions about widely held assumptions concerning Central Asian security conditions. The study found that guns are less prevalent in Kyrgyz society than previously believed. The findings suggest that Kyrgyzstan should not be lumped together with "its friction-prone neighbors" when considering the potential for conflict in the region. "Small arms are less of a problem in Kyrgyzstan... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations, United States, Russia, Europe, China, Central Asia, South Asia, South East Asia
World's Trigger-Happy Population Keeps Growing
Asia Times (Hong Kong)
29 July 2003
The international stockpile of small arms continues to grow, according to the latest edition of an annual yearbook, the Small Arms Survey group, based in Geneva. About 7 million mostly civilian small arms are produced annually, far exceeding the amount of arms removed from the weapons supply. The survey said its estimate of the global value of small-arms production remains unchanged at about US$7.4 billion -- with the United States... ( gunpolicy.org )
Central Asia, South Asia, United Nations
Dealing With the Problem of Small Arms
Dawn (Karachi)
31 July 2001
The UN conference on the problem of proliferation of small arms and light weapons held in New York from July 9-20 ended with the UN member states finally agreeing to a political rather than a legally binding document to deal with the scourge and the impact of the spread of such weapons. This was a conference at which civil society organizations and activists were allowed to lobby. The hope of the non-governmental organizations and individuals... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan Says There is No Inventory of Country's Weapons
Baltimore Sun
15 June 2000
ASTANA, Kazakhstan -- Kazakhstan, hit by an arms export scandal last year involving MiG-21 jet fighters sold to North Korea, said yesterday it did not know exactly what weapons it owned. "Unfortunately, up to now we do not have a full inventory and do not know how many arms we own, not to mention what condition they are in," Defense Minister Sat Tokpakbayev told reporters. His comments were likely to add to Western concerns... ( gunpolicy.org )
Georgia, Russia
Five Killed at Georgian Opposition Funeral
Reuters
5 April 1998
TBILISI -- Five mourners were killed and eight wounded in former Soviet Georgia on Sunday when gunmen opened fire on a funeral procession for an opposition figure who took several United Nations personnel hostage a month ago. A Georgian police spokesman told Reuters in the capital Tbilisi they had no indication of the identity of the attackers, who strafed the procession at Zugdidi in western Georgia with automatic weapons and also... ( gunpolicy.org )
Georgia, Russia
4 Killed, 7 Wounded in Shooting in Western Georgia
Itar-Tass
5 April 1998
TBILISI -- Four people were killed and seven wounded in Zugdidi, western Georgia, on Sunday when an unidentified man opened sub-machine gun fire at a funeral procession. It was the burial of Gocha Esebua, the 29-years-old head of a terrorist group that took hostage U.N. officers in February 1998. According to information of the Zugdidi police, the procession came under fire several hundreds of meters away from the cemetery. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
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