6. Combating backsliding of Human Rights in Central Asia
In Central Asia, we have seen a continued backsliding in human rights and democracy. Our Central Asia Office works with and supports local civil society and human rights defenders across the region.
The NHC’s Central Asia Representative Office, located in Almaty, Kazakhstan, was established in 2006 to support civil society and monitor the human rights situation in the entire region. Our three staff members at the office continuously observe the human rights situation and ongoing political developments in the region.
From our vantage point in Central Asia, we have observed how states tightened control over civil society while clamping down on dissent and repressing independent media and journalists. In several countries, repressive legislation was introduced in 2024, which will further hamper civil society and free media. For example, the new law on ‘foreign representatives’ came into force in Kyrgyzstan last year, resulting in the self-liquidation and curtailing of activities of numerous civil society organisations. Authorities in the region also imprisoned peaceful activists, journalists and human rights defenders on bogus and trumped-up charges, while others were subjected to harassment and intimidation.
While authorities in Kazakhstan tightened control over the media landscape, Kyrgyz authorities continued a renewed crackdown on dissent, civil society and freedom of expression. In Tajikistan, the abysmal human rights situation continued worsening with the continued imprisonment of peaceful critics. It forced the closure of hundreds of civil society organisations, while Uzbekistan’s human rights record regressed further with renewed pressure on journalists, bloggers and rights activists. Turkmenistan remains one of the world’s most closed-off and isolated countries.
Ultimately, only local actors and domestic civil society groups can truly be drivers for sustainable change and democratic progress. With human rights under increased pressure across the region, it is crucial to support civil society in Central Asia.
‘I would like to thank your representative in Central Asia Mr. Marius Fossum for his persistent efforts to improve the situations of Tajik political prisoners and express appreciation for his courage and dedication regarding the human rights situation in Tajikistan.’
Muhiddin Kabiri, Chairperson of the National Alliance of Tajikistan (NAT)
We work with numerous partners across the regions who were all pushing back against repression and human rights abuses. With funding and guidance from the NHC, our partner Freedom for Eurasia meticulously documented evidence of crimes against humanity perpetrated in Tajikistan and has a comprehensive dossier detailing systemic human rights abuses, now prepared for submission to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Last year, we also worked with partners who systematically monitored and visited prisons and detention centres in the region, where they documented rights abuses and provided assistance to victims and their family members. Other partners have provided psychosocial support, including psychological counselling, to victims of human rights abuses, while others have provided legal aid to activists prosecuted on politically motivated charges. We have supported independent media initiatives and bloggers who have brought attention to corruption, human rights abuses, domestic violence, press freedom and other topics. Our partners worked with and protected victims of gender-based violence, monitored attacks on journalists and bloggers, documented gross human rights violations, and organized training sessions and discussion clubs for activists and journalists.
The Central Asia office also conducted international advocacy and provided emergency support through urgent legal aid, relocation assistance and medical assistance to human rights defenders, journalists, and activists from and in Central Asia.