Azaristan

"Not to be confused with Azara (country) or ." Azaristan (Azaristani: Azáristan Jumhuriya) is a country in Central Asia, bordered to Iran in the west and Turkmenistan in the east. Rúqepe is the capital and largest city of the country. The population was 3,626,136 in 2020, making it the least populated out of Central Asia. Citizens in Azaristan are called Azaristanis.

Azaristan was ruled by the Persian Empire starting in 550 BC. Persia maintained the territory until it was forced to cede present-day Azaristan to the Russian Empire during the in 1825. It later became part of the Soviet Union as the Azaristani Soviet Socialist Republic in 1925, until Azaristan became independent on November 18, 1991. Harekedev Yúqekada ruled Azaristan from its independence to his death in 2003. Biśdolgun Kavratut was elected after his death (he was vice president previously).

Azaristan has one of the poorest human rights records in the world. Notable issues are discrimination against minorities, extremely harsh press penalties, suppression of religious freedom, and physical integrity violations.

History
The history of Azaristan begins with the collaps of the Achaemid Empire. Later, in the 8th century AD, Turkic-speaking Oghuz tribes moved from Mongolia into present-day Central Asia. Part of a powerful confederation of tribes, these Oghuz formed the ethnic basis of the modern Azaristani population. In the 10th century, the name "Azaristan" was first applied to Oghuz groups that accepted Islam and began to occupy present-day Azaristan.

In the 12th century, tribes overthrew the Seljuk Empire. A century later, the Mongols invaded and occupied the land where Azaristanis lived, destroying the tribes. However, when the Mongols lost control, the tribes grew again, until Persia annexed the tribes in the 1501.

Russian forces began to settle in Azaristan the 19th century. Persia and the local tribes were outraged, so much that Russia started an invasion of Azaristan. By 1825, the last tribal settlement was crushed at the battle of Dogamaśke, placing Azaria under complete Russian control. Although the Russian Revolution of 1917 had little direct impact, the Azaristanis joined the Turkmens, Kazakhs, Kirghizians, and Uzbeks in the Basmachi Rebellion against the policies of the Soviet Union. The rebellion continued until it was supressed by the Soviets in 1920. The Azarian Soviet Socialist Republic (Azári Sovyet Sośalista Jumhuriya, abbreviated as ASSJ) was formed in 1925. The Bayśaher earthquake of 1930 killed 81,446 people, which was a about third of the city's population.

During the second half of the 20th century, the Azarian governors wanted to preserve the Soviet Union, but economic exploitation by the Soviets caused Azaristani nationalism to rise. A 1991 referendum granted independence to Azaristan in November 18. The Soviet Union would later cease to exist on December 26 of the same year.

After an assasination attempt on Yúqekada occured in 1994, Yúqekada placed tight restrictions on civil liberties, and reformed electoral laws so he could be president for life. He offered support to the military campaign against the Taliban after 9/11. The sudden death of Harekedev Yúqekada created a vaccum of power, and his handpicked successor, Biśdolgun Kavratut took office. He was re-elected in 2007, 2011, 2015, and 2019.

Government
After being part of the Russian Empire and Soviet Union for 166 years, Azaristan became independent on November 18, 1991. Harekedev Yúqekada ruled the country from its independence to his death in 2003. Biśdolgun Kavratut took over after Yúqekada's sudden death.

Azaristan is a one-party state. The President is the head of government and the head of state. The President is appointed by the legislature and exercises executive power.

Until Kavratut took power, political parties were outlawed. Kavratut passed electoral reforms that allowed political parties, but all opposition parties are banned from participating.

The judiciary is not independent. Under the 1991 Constitution, the executive has the power to appoint and dismiss judges without prior consent from the legislature.

Regions
Azaristan is divided into 7 administrative regions. Unlike most other countries, each administrative region does not have an elected governor or legislature.
 * Rúqepe (AJ-R)
 * Bayśaher (AJ-B)
 * Dogamaśke (AJ-D)
 * Tomurğacuk (AJ-T)
 * Yúkopri (AJ-Y)
 * Ardímgúr (AJ-A)
 * Pitúylorta (AJ-P)

Foreign relations
The foreign relations of Azaristan are handled by the Ministry of Foriegn Affairs. It is a member of and it is a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Commonwealth of Independent States, Organization of Islamic Corporation, Asian Development Bank, and the United Nations.

Human rights
Azaristan has consistently failed to uphold human rights. It has placed severe restrictions on foreign travel, being open to only the CIS members and Turkmenistan. According to RSF, Azaristan ranked last in its Worldwide Press Freedom Index for 2021, with a score of 82.16. All privately owned media are outlawed, only limited to state-owned media. Islam is the state religion and the Penal Code assigns criminal penalties for practicing other religions.