Uzbekistan Releases Jailed Rights Defenders

In a significant move last month, The Uzbek government, released several human rights defenders imprisoned on politically motivated charges. The releases were announced on the eve of a February 5 meeting between the Uzbek government and the European Union (EU). The releases are widely believed to be the result of the EU sanctions imposed on Uzbekistan in response to the May 2005 Andijan massacre, in which Uzbek security forces killed hundreds of mostly unarmed protesters, and the ensuing crackdown on civil society. The release of imprisoned rights defenders is among the human rights benchmarks the EU has set for reviewing the sanctions. Human Rights Watch has persistently urged the EU and other international bodies to insist on concrete human rights improvements, such as the release of activists, in their dealings with Uzbekistan, and will continue to do so as long human rights defenders remain imprisoned, nongovernmental organizations are restricted in their operations, and UN human rights monitors are stymied in their investigations. Learn more about human rights defenders in Uzbekistan.