Human rights in Central Asia

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The situation of human rights in Central Asia varies little between the region's countries, but are often reported to be a cause of concern among many outsider observers, governmental and non-governmental. Some of the legacy of human rights in the region derives from its history as part of the Soviet Union.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tajikistan</span> Landlocked country in Central Asia

Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. It has an area of 142,326 km2 (54,952 sq mi) and an estimated population of 9,750,065 people. Dushanbe is the country's capital and largest city. It is bordered by Afghanistan to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east. It is separated narrowly from Pakistan by Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor. Tajiks form the ethnic majority in the country and their national language is Persian. Their dialect is closely related to the mutually intelligible dialects of Farsi and Dari of Iran and Afghanistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Uzbekistan</span> Overview of the geography of Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan is a country in Central Asia, located north of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. With an area of 447,000 square kilometers, Uzbekistan stretches 1,425 km (885 mi) from west to east and 930 km (580 mi) from north to south. It borders Turkmenistan to the southwest, Kazakhstan to the north and Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to the south and east. Uzbekistan also has four small exclaves in Turkmenistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyrgyzstan</span> Country in Central Asia

Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia, lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the capital and largest city of the country. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and China to the east and southeast. With a population of 6.7 million, Kyrgyzstan is the 34th-most populous country in Asia, and the 4th-most populous country in Central Asia. Ethnic Kyrgyz make up the majority of the country's seven million people, followed by significant minorities of Uzbeks and Russians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gorno-Badakhshan</span> Autonomous region of Tajikistan

Gorno-Badakhshan, officially the Badakhshan Mountainous Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region in eastern Tajikistan, in the Pamir Mountains. It makes up nearly forty-five percent of the country's land area but only two percent of its population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tajikistani Civil War</span> Armed conflict

The Tajikistani Civil War, also known as the Tajik Civil War, began in May 1992 and ended in June 1997. Regional groups from the Garm and Gorno-Badakhshan regions of Tajikistan rose up against the newly-formed government of President Rahmon Nabiyev, which was dominated by people from the Khujand and Kulob regions. The rebel groups were led by a combination of liberal democratic reformers and Islamists, who would later organize under the banner of the United Tajik Opposition. The government was supported by Russian military and border guards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human rights in Tajikistan</span>

Human rights in Tajikistan, a country in Central Asia, have become an issue of international concern. The access to basic human rights remains limited, with corruption in the government and the systematic abuse of the human rights of its citizens slowing down the progress of democratic and social reform in the country.

The topic of human rights in Asia is one that encompasses an immense number of states, international governmental organizations, and non-governmental organizations. All these institutions contribute a variety of services and perspectives towards human rights, covering topics including the enforcement, monitoring, and criticisms of human rights in Asia. There is no single body that covers all of human rights in Asia, as such a diverse and widespread region requires a number of institutions to properly monitor the multitude of elements that fall under the scope of human rights. There have historically been numerous criticisms of human rights in Asia, but a variety of new treaties and conventions now strive to accomplish a level of human rights as they are known on the international stage. Human rights in Asia are monitored by many organizations, a few examples being the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) and Human Rights Watch. Tolerance of these organizations varies from state to state, with voluntary intergovernmental programs often seeing more state-cooperation than neutral non-governmental organizations would typically receive. The number of criticisms towards Asian states has dramatically increased in recent decades, with many human rights advocates calling for increased transparency and greater international pressure upon Asian states to refrain from any human rights infractions. Aforementioned calls for international pressure have gone unanswered, however, as most of the international community finds it increasingly difficult to challenge the actions of the growing Asian powers: particularly China. While states have put forward somewhat muted complaints in recent years, non-governmental organizations continue to 'name and shame' states that have shown themselves to be guilty of human rights infractions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rashid Kadyrov</span>

Kadyrov, Rashid (Rashitjon) Hamidovich – former prosecutor general of Uzbekistan, served as prosecutor general in the government of Uzbekistan in 2004. He was arrested on February 22, 2018 on suspicion of abuse of office, abuse of power and bribery. Human rights groups and organisations voiced their concern that since being detained he has been subjected to torture to force him to incriminate himself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States–Uzbekistan relations</span> Bilateral relations

U.S.–Uzbekistan relations formally began when the United States recognized the independence of Uzbekistan on December 25, 1991, and opened an embassy in Tashkent in March 1992. U.S.-Uzbekistan relations developed slowly and reached a peak following the U.S. decision to invade Afghanistan following the September 11, 2001 attacks. Relations cooled significantly following the "color revolutions" in the former Soviet republics of Georgia, Ukraine, and Kyrgyzstan in 2003–2005, and the Government of Uzbekistan sought to limit the influence of U.S. and other foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working on civil society, political reform, and human rights inside the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of Kyrgyzstan</span> Overview of and topical guide to Kyrgyzstan

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Kyrgyzstan: Kyrgyzstan – sovereign country located in Central Asia. Landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest, and China to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of Tajikistan</span> Overview of and topical guide to Tajikistan

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Tajikistan:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of Uzbekistan</span> Overview of and topical guide to Uzbekistan

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Uzbekistan:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health in Tajikistan</span> Overview of health in Tajikistan

The Tajikistan health system is influenced by the former Soviet legacy. It is ranked as the poorest country within the WHO European region, including the lowest total health expenditure per capita. Tajikistan is ranked 129th as Human Development Index of 188 countries, with an Index of 0.627 in 2016. In 2016, the SDG Index value was 56. In Tajikistan health indicators such as infant and maternal mortality rates are among the highest of the former Soviet republics. In the post-Soviet era, life expectancy has decreased because of poor nutrition, polluted water supplies, and increased incidence of cholera, malaria, tuberculosis, and typhoid. Because the health care system has deteriorated badly and receives insufficient funding and because sanitation and water supply systems are in declining condition, Tajikistan has a high risk of epidemic disease.

International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) is an international non-governmental human rights organization with its seat in Brussels, Belgium. It was established in the spring of 2008. It is a non-profit organization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China–Tajikistan relations</span> Bilateral relations

The People's Republic of China and the Republic of Tajikistan have friendly relations characterized by bilateral and multilateral collaboration.

Buzurgmehr Yorov is a Tajik human rights lawyer and member of the opposition Social Democratic Party of Tajikistan. Throughout the 2000s, serving as the head of the legal firm Sipar, Yorov was involved in a number of high-profile legal cases, representing individuals prosecuted by the government of Tajikistan on charges deemed politically motivated. In 2011, he represented prominent religious figure and former senator Hoji Akbar Turajonzoda when the latter sued the head of the state-backed Council of Ulems for defamation. The case occurred amidst a government-led crackdown against the Turajonzoda brothers who frequently criticized the state religion policy. In 2013, Yorov represented Muhiddin Kabiri, the leader of the Islamic Revival Party and member of the country's parliament who had been sued by the Dushanbe Mayor's Office for criticizing the practice of massive cutting of trees in the capital. In 2014, Yorov represented Fakhriddin Zokirov, another Tajik lawyer who had been arrested on forgery charges, apparently as a retaliation for representing Zayd Saidov, a businessman and politician. He also offered to represent Alexander Sodiqov, a Canada-based PhD student who had been detained by the authorities and charged with spying and treason while conducting research in Tajikistan in June 2014. Sodiqov's family declined the offer, fearing that the outspoken lawyer's affiliation with an opposition party might politicize the case.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corruption in Tajikistan</span> Institutional corruption in the country

Corruption in Tajikistan is a widespread phenomenon that is found in all spheres of Tajik society. The situation is essentially similar to that in the other former Soviet republics of Central Asia. Reliable specifics about corruption can be difficult to come by, however, as can hard information about the effectiveness of supposed anti-corruption initiatives.

Science and technology in Tajikistan examines government efforts to develop a national innovation system and the impact of these policies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Association for Human Rights in Central Asia</span> French human rights organization

The Association for Human Rights in Central Asia (Eng.), Association Droits de l’Homme en Asie Centrale (Fr.), Ассоциация "Права человека в Центральной Азии" (Rus.), AHRCA is an abbreviation used in official documents of the organization and the media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C5+1</span> Diplomatic summit

The C5+1 is a diplomatic summit that has been held every year since 2015 between the foreign ministers of the five Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, with the United States Secretary of State to discuss and work on common issues of concern to improve and strengthen the U.S. relationship with the five Central Asian states, but to also enhance the relations between the individual nations in Central Asia. The format is used to discuss regional issues such as the war in Afghanistan, the Syrian civil war, the War on terror, combatting drug and human trafficking, economic issues regarding trade relations, job growth in the region, and combatting environmental issues.