Stifled Voices: The Suppression Of Civic Space In Central Asia – Call For International Support Ahead Of OSCE Warsaw Conference – OpEd

Ahead of the 2025 Warsaw Human Dimension Conference, International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) urges OSCE participating States, institutions, and other actors engaging with the region to respond resolutely to the alarming deterioration of civic space in Central Asia.

Authorities across the region are tightening controls on civil society organisations, cracking down on independent media, suppressing peaceful protests, and persecuting critical voices. These practices violate OSCE human dimension commitments and key international human rights standards, while undermining democratic development, inclusive participation, and sustainable security.

International partners of Central Asian governments should use every opportunity to press for the reversal of repressive measures, accountability for violations, and the safeguarding of the freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly. They should also urgently step up support for the region’s civil society at a time of unprecedented challenges, when legal and political attacks are compounded by dwindling access to essential resources, undermining critical civil society efforts to promote human rights, justice and the rule of law.

A briefing paper compiled by IPHR for the Warsaw Conference, based on monitoring and documentation conducted with Central Asian partners, highlights pressing issues concerning civic space and fundamental freedoms in the five Central Asian countries. Entitled “Stifled Voices: The Suppression of Civic Space in Central Asia”, it is intended to inform discussions at this major human rights event, organised by the 2025 OSCE Finnish Chairpersonship with the support of ODIHR and bringing together representatives of OSCE participating States, OSCE institutions, civil society, and the wider international community.

Key issues covered in the briefing include:

Restrictions on civil society organisations (CSOs): Central Asian policymakers have used the debate surrounding the overhaul of US foreign assistance to intensify hostile rhetoric against foreign-funded CSOs and to propose new restrictive measures. CSOs that expose corruption, document abuse or promote equality and non-discrimination have been singled out for particular attacks. Although Kyrgyzstan’s 2024 “foreign representatives” law has not yet been enforced as harshly as feared, it has created a widespread climate of fear and remains a constant threat, with the Venice Commission warning its implementation could eliminate foreign-funded CSOs. While foreign-funded groups in Kazakhstan are already subject to a stigmatising reporting regime, draft NGO legislation now being elaborated could impose new excessive controls. CSOs in Uzbekistan face persistent registration barriers and restrictive procedures for accessing foreign funding, among other obstacles to human rights work. Hundreds of CSOs have been forced to close in Tajikistan in recent years, while remaining ones are subject to close scrutiny, including of their use of foreign grants. Turkmenistan’s political framework effectively prevents the operation of independent human rights groups, with registered organisations confined to strictly defined boundaries. Alongside government restrictions, CSOs experience declining funding opportunities throughout the region, leaving many struggling to sustain their work.

Crackdowns on independent media: Across Central Asia, independent media, journalists and bloggers face persistent pressure, with governments restricting free speech in violation of international obligations. In Kyrgyzstan, the media climate has sharply deteriorated in the past year:  Kloop and April TV have faced court-enforced closures in retaliation for their independent reporting, contributors to Kloop and Temirov Live have been prosecuted and imprisoned on flimsy charges, and the Kyrgyz service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) has faced sustained political attacks. A restrictive new media law adopted in summer 2025 has further raised fears of tighter control. In Kazakhstan, a 2024 media law has likewise sparked concern over growing obstacles to independent reporting, exemplified by the government’s recent refusal to renew accreditation for 16 journalists from the local RFE/RL service. In Uzbekistan, draft legislation could likewise result in new restrictions on media operations, while authorities increasingly prosecute critical journalists and bloggers. Tajikistan’s authorities continue to interfere heavily with the media, tightly controlling content, limiting access to information and imprisoning journalists. Turkmenistan’s fully state-controlled media provides only positive government coverage, while access to independent sources is restricted through pervasive internet censorship.  

Violations of protesters’ rights: Widespread impunity persists related to the use of excessive force, torture, and other serious violations committed during the 2022 suppression of mass protests in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan (Karakalpakstan), and Tajikistan (the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region – GBAO). The number of officials convicted for torture and other abuses during Kazakhstan’s ‘’Bloody January’’ events remains low given the scale of reported violations, penalties have often been lenient, and victims have received inadequate compensation. An official investigation in Uzbekistan concluded that the Karakalpakstan protests were lawfully dispersed and participants’ rights protected, with only a few officials held accountable, despite credible independent reports of widespread violations. Similarly, the lack of progress on ensuring accountability in GBAO in Tajikistan highlights the need for renewed international calls for impartial investigations, prosecutions of all perpetrators, and justice for victims of the 2022 dispersals of mass protests. Meanwhile, assembly rights continue to be curtailed in the region: a court-sanctioned ban on protests has repeatedly been extended in the capital of Kyrgyzstan; Kazakhstani authorities continue to arbitrarily deny permission for peaceful assemblies and detain activists before, during and after unsanctioned protests; and the practice of forcible mobilisation of citizens for state events persists in Turkmenistan.

Persecution of critical voices: Across the region, activists, human rights defenders, journalists and others who criticise government policies, expose violations and advocate for justice face persecution, including arrest, unfair trials, and politically motivated imprisonment. Charges are frequently based on overly broad criminal code provisions, and those convicted are often held in harsh detention conditions. Repression also extends beyond borders, with critics abroad increasingly targeted through transnational measures. The following cases, which are of particular concern to IPHR and partners, illustrate the broader pattern:

Kazakhstan

• Marat Zhylanbaev, is serving a seven-year prison sentence on extremism charges in retaliation for his peaceful opposition activities. He has repeatedly held hunger strikes to protest at his treatment, compounding concerns about his health and well-being.
• Similarly, journalist-activist Duman Mukhamedkarim was handed a seven-year prison sentence on spurious extremism charges following a closed 2024 trial. He was sent to serve it in a prison some 1,000 kilometres from his home region, in violation of legal requirements.
• After raising concerns about Zhylanbaev’s health on social media, human rights defender Bakhytzhan Toregozhina was fined for allegedly spreading ‘’false’’ information in July 2025. In another act of intimidation, she was later detained for questioning as an alleged witness in a criminal investigation.
• In April 2025, satirical blogger Temirlan Yensebek was sentenced to five years’ restricted freedom and banned from publishing on social media for allegedly inciting inter-ethnic discord by sharing a controversial but widely available song.
• Exiled women’s rights defender Dinara Smailova (also known as Dina Tansari) faces multiple charges in absentia for her activism against gender-based violence. Based on an extradition request from Kazakhstan, Montenegrin authorities briefly detained her in spring 2025 but subsequently granted her international protection and declined the request.
• There has been no meaningful progress in ensuring accountability for the July 2024 killing of opposition journalist Aidos Sadykov in Kyiv, with Kazakhstani authorities failing to cooperate with the Ukrainian investigation.

Kyrgyzstan

• Temirov Live journalist Makhabat Tazhibek Kyzy is serving a five-year prison sentence, issued in October 2024 on charges of calling for riots. Her sentence has been widely criticised as retaliation for her platform’s corruption investigations.
• In September 2025, former Kloop video operators Aleksander Aleksandrov and Joomart Duulatov were similarly sentenced to five years in prison for allegedly calling for riots, marking a new peak in the authorities’ crackdown on the independent platform.
• Journalist Kanyshay Mamyrkulova was sentenced to four years’ probation and extensive restrictions on her online activities in July 2025. She was convicted of calling for riots and inciting inter-ethnic discord after criticising the lack of transparency over a border deal with Tajikistan.
• Similarly, human rights defender Rita Karasartova was handed a probationary sentence in September 2025 following a closed trial. She was arrested and charged with organising riots and calling for the forceful seizure of power after sharing an appeal by a persecuted opposition activist on social media.
• Human rights defender Kamil Ruziev was arrested on extortion charges in September 2025, in what appeared to be a new act of retaliation for his human rights work. He previously faced trumped-up charges in a protracted criminal case, which ended in his acquittal in 2023.

Tajikistan

• Human rights defender Manuchehr Kholiqnazarov is serving a 16-year prison sentence in retaliation for his human rights work in GBAO. He was convicted of alleged participation in a banned organisation following an unfair, politically motivated trial in 2022. Serious concerns remain about his health and well-being in prison, with human rights groups and international experts repeatedly calling for his release.
• Journalists Abdullo Ghurbati and Daler Bobiev remain imprisoned on anti-state charges, having beenconvicted in 2022 after unfair trials. They were targeted for their critical and human rights focused reporting as part of a wider crackdown on dissent launched after the 2022 events in GBAO.
• In February 2025, journalist Rukhshona Khakimova was convicted on treason charges reportedly linked to her research into China’s influence in Tajikistan. Despite the fact that she has two young children, the Supreme Court issued an eight-year sentence, and ordered the seizure of her property, resulting in the confiscation of her bank savings.
• Human rights lawyer Buzurgmehr Yorov has been imprisoned for a decade, prompting a recent, renewed call for his release by human rights groups. After representing political opposition leaders, he was handed a 23-year sentence on extremism and other charges in 2015. Later his sentence was extended based on additional trumped-up charges.

Turkmenistan

• Journalist Soltan Achilova faces ongoing surveillance and intimidation. In November 2024, she was forcibly hospitalised, preventing her – for the second time – from travelling to Geneva for a human rights award ceremony. She also reported poisoning attempts, leading a UN expert to express concern for her right to life.
• Human rights activist Mansur Mingelov has been imprisoned for over a decade, convicted on multiple charges after exposing ill-treatment of the Baloch ethnic minority. Authorities have refused to release him, although he has suffered serious health problems in prison.
• Instead of being released when his unjust prison sentence ended in June 2025, civil society activist Murat Dushemov faced new spurious charges for allegedly injuring a co-prisoner. Following a closed trial, he was subsequently given another eight years in prison.
• Bloggers Alisher Sakhatov and Abdulla Orusov were detained in Turkey in April 2025 and ordered to be deported for allegedly threatening public security. While their appeals were still pending, they disappeared. Reports indicate they were forcibly returned to Turkmenistan with the involvement of Turkmenistani authorities, raising serious concerns for their safety.
• Similarly, activist-blogger Umida Bekchanova was detained in Turkey in May 2025 on charges of threatening public security. Given her criticism of the Turkmenistani government, she also faces a serious risk of torture and politically motivated imprisonment if returned to Turkmenistan.

Uzbekistan

• Lawyer Dauletmurat Tazhimuratov is serving a 16-year prison sentence on multiple charges initiated in retaliation for his peaceful participation in the 2022 Karakalpakstan protests. He has repeatedly been subjected to ill-treatment in prison, heightening concerns about his well-being. Both human rights defenders and international experts have criticised his imprisonment and called for his release.
• Rinat Utambetov, another Karakalpak activist, was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison for encroaching on the constitutional order and disseminating materials threatening public security after being extradited from Kazakhstan in December 2024. He was accused of sharing video appeals by Tazhimuratov and other public figures related to the July 2022 protests and is among many activists targeted in a broad crackdown on dissent following these events.
• Blogger and human rights defender Shahida Salomova has been forcibly confined to psychiatric care since 2023 after being arrested over allegedly defamatory social media posts about the president and his relatives. She has reportedly been medicated against her will and isolated from the outside world, with her health deteriorating in detention.

The decline in civic freedoms reflected in these recent trends has also affected the ratings of Central Asian countries on the CIVICUS Monitor, a global initiative that IPHR and its Central Asian partners cooperate with to track civic space in the region. All Central Asian countries now fall into the two lowest categories: Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan are classified as ‘’repressed’’, while Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan are rated as having a ‘’closed’’ civic space.

IPHR urges the authorities of Central Asia to take prompt and effective measures to halt the escalating attack on civil society, independent media, and peaceful dissent. They should repeal or amend restrictive laws, roll back non-transparent and discriminatory procedures, investigate and ensure accountability for violations, and end persecution of critical voices – particularly by quashing politically motivated charges and releasing those unjustly imprisoned. We also urge international partners of the Central Asian governments to urgently increase support for the region’s civil society, speak out on individual cases of persecution, and use all avenues of dialogue and cooperation to encourage governments to respect and protect civic freedoms.