The European Union should press for transparency and accountability following multiple violent suppressions of protests in Central Asia during 2022 in the upcoming meeting with foreign ministers from the region. The international human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a statement.
The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell is set to meet his counterparts from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan on November 17 and 18, 2022 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
As noted, in separate episodes of violence during 2022, scores of largely peaceful protesters died as the result of excessive force by security forces in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Dozens of civilians also died during armed clashes in September at the border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. There have been no genuine, independent investigations into human rights violations committed during these events.
«The EU rightly called for independent inquiries when civilians were killed, tortured, or detained by authorities in Central Asian countries, clamping down on dissent, but it should not silently stand-by when those calls are ignored,» said Philippe Dam, EU director at Human Rights Watch. «If the EU wants stable partners in Central Asia, it should demand that governments refrain from using excessive violence and that they ensure accountability for grave violations.»
In Kazakhstan, between January 4 and 6, hundreds of people died as the security forces responded to a wave of demonstrations. According to official figures, 238 people, including 19 security personnel, were killed during violent clashes.
In Tajikistan, authorities responded to protests in the Gorno-Badakhshan autonomous region in May with a violent crackdown and a special «anti-terrorism operation» that killed at least 40 people, and resulted in the arrest of at least 200 others throughout the summer months.
In Uzbekistan, security forces used lethal and other excessive force, such as the inappropriate use of small arms and various types of grenades, to disperse mainly peaceful demonstrators in early July in the Karakalpakstan autonomous region. At least 21 people, including 4 security officers, died in the violence.
The resumption of clashes at the border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in September should also raise EU concerns. At least 37 civilians, including 4 children, died during heavy clashes that began after Kyrgyz and Tajik border guards exchanged fire along a disputed border segment. Hundreds of homes, numerous markets and at least three schools were burned, damaged, and pillaged, and thousands of people were displaced.
Throughout Central Asia, governments continue to prosecute, arrest, or harass political critics, media professionals and civil society activists.
In Kyrgyzstan, authorities increased control and censorship of mass media amid a recent crackdown on free speech and civil society. In October, the government blocked Azattyk Media, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Kyrgyz service, for two months using its «false information» law. The authorities arrested at least 22 activists and human rights defenders on charges of preparing a mass unrest after protests over the impending transfer of an important dam to Uzbekistan.
In early November, the authorities proposed a new draft law on nongovernmental organizations that would increase government control over civil society through a cumbersome reregistration process and direct supervision of nongovernmental group activities.
On October 27, EU Council President Charles Michel participated in the first regional high-level meeting of Central Asian Heads of State in Astana. In a final statement, the six leaders stressed the importance of dialogue on the rule of law, human rights, but fell short of committing to ending grave violations in the region.
«The multiplication of violent crackdowns in Central Asian countries and the refusals by governments to genuinely investigate grave violations and hold those responsible accountable should be a warning sign for the EU,» Philippe Dam said. «The EU can only contribute to greater stability in the region if it truly promotes adherence to rights and combats impunity for abuses.»
