• Human Rights in Tajikistan

    Tajikistan’s government persists with enforcing a repressive law on religion and in 2011 introduced new legislation further restricting religious expression and education. Authorities exercise strict control over media freedoms, and journalists are targeted for their work; in October 2011 BBC correspondent Urunboy Usmonov was found guilty on politically-motivated charges of complicity in the activities of a banned religious extremist organization.In January 2011, authorities prosecuted and convicted two law enforcement officers after a man died in custody, but torture remains an enduring problem in Tajikistan. Domestic violence against women also continues to be a serious problem in Tajik society.

  • Central Asia: Ashton Should Urge Release of Activists
    Nov 22, 2012
    European Union High Representative Catherine Ashton should meet with human rights defenders and publicly call for the release of wrongfully imprisoned activists during her upcoming visit to Central Asia.
  • Tajikistan: Rights Group Forced to Close
    Oct 25, 2012
    A court’s decision on October 24, 2012 to close a leading human rights organization in Tajikistan is a serious blow to the country’s civil society and should be reconsidered in line with Tajikistan’s international obligations to uphold the freedom of association.
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Tajikistan

  • A human-rights cold room - Catherine Ashton to visit Central Asia
    Nov 24, 2012
    At the height of summer, when foreign ministers adopted the European Union's new human-rights strategy, Catherine Ashton, the high representative for foreign affairs, was eloquent in promising to make these issues a core ingredient in the EU's foreign relations.
  • Central Asia: Ashton Should Urge Release of Activists
    Nov 22, 2012
    European Union High Representative Catherine Ashton should meet with human rights defenders and publicly call for the release of wrongfully imprisoned activists during her upcoming visit to Central Asia.
  • Central Asia: letter to the High Representative of the European Union Catherine Ashton
    Nov 15, 2012
  • Central Asia: Overview of Key Human Rights Concerns and Recommendations
    Nov 15, 2012
  • Tajikistan: Rights Group Forced to Close
    Oct 25, 2012
    A court’s decision on October 24, 2012 to close a leading human rights organization in Tajikistan is a serious blow to the country’s civil society and should be reconsidered in line with Tajikistan’s international obligations to uphold the freedom of association.
  • Tajikistan: Ensure Free Flow of Information
    Jul 31, 2012
    The Global Network Initiative (GNI) is concerned by the restrictions on the right to freedom of expression imposed by the Government of Tajikistan following violence in the region of Gorno-Badakhshan. Last week the government mandated the blocking of video-sharing website YouTube and reportedly shut down communications networks in Gorno-Badakhshan, severely restricting the free flow of information. A number of news sites, including the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), have also been reported blocked.
  • Tajikistan: Respect Rights in Security Operations
    Jul 30, 2012
    Tajik authorities should respect human rights during a security operation in Gorno Badakhshan, a semi-autonomous region of eastern Tajikistan.
  • An EU Central Asia Strategy with Teeth (and Heart)
    Jun 26, 2012
    I cannot help but wonder what Azimjon Askarov would say in reaction to this week's EU foreign ministers' statement "welcom[ing] the progress" in implementing the European Union's strategy for Central Asia.
  • Central Asia: Five Years of EU Engagement
    Jun 20, 2012
    The European Union’s (EU) effectiveness to promote rights improvements in Central Asia is hampered by its reticence to articulate clear expectations for reform and follow through with policy consequences when those expectations are not met.
  • Central Asia: Overview of Key Human Rights Concerns and Recommendations
    Jun 20, 2012
    In the first two years following the introduction of the EU’s Central Asia strategy in 2007 there were a few halting improvements in Kazakhstan’s human rights record, most evidently in the lead up to Kazakhstan’s chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which it held in 2010. Responding to international concerns voiced at the time, the government in 2009 adopted reforms in media and election law.
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