Human Rights Watch appealed to the President of the United States

The human rights organization Human Rights Watch has urged U.S. President Joe Biden to emphasize the importance of human rights during his meeting with the heads of Central Asian states.

In a statement published on the organization’s website on September 18, Human Rights Watch highlights that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has drawn increased attention to this strategically important and resource-rich region – Central Asia. However, this should not be a reason for President Joe Biden to ignore human rights issues in the region, the organization’s statement says.

It was previously reported that U.S. President Joe Biden sent official invitations to the presidents of Central Asian countries, including Emomali Rahmon, to participate in the C5+1 summit (five Central Asian countries + the U.S.), which will take place during the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The statement notes that both the U.S. and the European Union urge the governments of Central Asian countries to resist attempts by Russia to use trade routes through Central Asia to circumvent sanctions. However, as Iskra Kirova, advocacy director of HRW for Europe and Central Asia, emphasized, the authorities in the U.S. and EU should seek guarantees of fundamental standards of the rule of law and human rights.

“Biden should demand clear steps to end politically motivated persecution, suppression of freedom of speech, and impunity for torture and police brutality,” Kirova noted.

The organization’s statement mentions several examples of gross violations of human rights and freedoms in Central Asian countries. In particular, the organization noted the harsh suppression of protests in Kazakhstan in January 2022, the rapid decline of Kyrgyzstan from its previous status as the most dynamic space for civil society and media in Central Asia, that Turkmenistan remains one of the most closed and repressive countries in the world, and that in Uzbekistan the authorities no longer carry out a program of political reforms.

Experts from the human rights organization Human Rights Watch noted that the government of Tajikistan has intensified the suppression of human rights and fundamental freedoms. In particular, the authorities brutally suppressed peaceful protests in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) in 2021-2022, subjected human rights defenders, journalists, and activists to criminal prosecution on fabricated charges in retaliation for their professional activities, and massively liquidated a number of non-governmental organizations.

If the legitimate rights and freedoms of citizens in Central Asia are not guaranteed, this could threaten the long-term stability of the region, the organization’s statement notes.