Also, I don’t really see how Tajikistan is more free than Kazakhstan, though I admit I do not have any first hand knowledge of the latter. Freedom House rankings can be a little skewed, as they sometimes don’t take into account people’s actual ability to function in their society. So, while Kazakhstan may not be moving in the right direction with its politics, people are still increasing certain freedoms, like the ability to consume foreign media, or travel outside the country, because they are so much better off than citizens in truly impoverished nations. Like Tajikistan.

That being said, these results confirm a lot of what our writers seem to be observing on the ground here.