Olaf Scholz urged to talk to Rahmon about human rights

The international human rights organization called on Olaf Scholz to raise the issue of human rights compliance during his meeting with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon.

On September 17, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will attend a summit with leaders from Central Asia. This visit is being described as historic, as it marks the first visit by a German chancellor to Central Asia. The main goal of the visit is to strengthen economic relations between the countries.

The international human rights organization Human Rights Watch, in its statement on September 12, urged Scholz to “focus on improving human rights, which are not only crucial in themselves but also key to the common interests of the new ‘partnership.’

The geopolitical and economic context for closer relations between Germany and the Central Asian states has changed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. For Germany, this region now offers access to alternative energy sources. Germany is also trying to prevent Russia from circumventing economic sanctions through imports via Central Asia.

The organization emphasized that serious human rights violations are observed throughout the region, including the suppression of the right to participate in protests and freedom of expression, including online, imprisonment of activists, torture of detainees, suppression of civil society, and violence against women.

Human Rights Watch noted that as long as human rights issues remain unresolved, progress on economic and geopolitical matters is impossible.

“It is impossible to ‘revive’ increased investments from Germany, sustainable development in Central Asia, or serious personal contacts between partner countries if international human rights standards and the rule of law are not upheld,” the statement said.

The first summit in the “Central Asia – Germany” format took place on September 29, 2023, in Berlin.

At that time, the leaders of Central Asian countries — the presidents of Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan — arrived in Germany at the official invitation of the German authorities.

Against the backdrop of President Emomali Rahmon’s visit to Germany, on September 28 and 29, the Tajik opposition organized protests in front of the Tajik Embassy in Germany and the residence of the German president in Berlin.

On September 29, as the convoy of authoritarian President Emomali Rahmon was heading towards the German president’s residence, members of the political movement “Group 24” shouted “dictator” and threw eggs at his car.

After this, Tajik law enforcement agencies detained and pressured dozens of relatives of the opposition members.