Europe and Central Asia

The fall of the Soviet Union spawned newly independent states from the Baltic Sea in the west to the Tian Shan mountains in the east. While the region experienced tremendous change in recent years, authoritarianism still casts a long shadow. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan both underwent leadership changes, replacing Soviet-era rulers with close confidants. While the change was welcomed by the international community, human rights reforms have been marginal. For example, Kazakhstan has revised laws related to defamation and freedom of assembly, but continues to imprison activists for allegedly violating these laws.

Meanwhile, in Azerbaijan, Belarus, and Tajikistan, leaders have tightened their grip on power, devastating civil society through new arrests and restrictive laws. For example, in Belarus, President Alexander Lukashenko was elected to a sixth term in August 2020 after all his opponents were imprisoned.

Freedom Now has advocated for the release of 69 prisoners of conscience in the region, 42 of whom have been released. Our work in the region focuses on civil society restrictions, transnational repression, and prison conditions.

In January 2022, we published Oppression by Design: Authoritarian Governance and Obstacles to Human Rights Reform in Eurasia, a comprehensive report which detailed the political and human rights environment in the region. To learn more about the specific countries featured in the report, please visit one of following briefs:

• Azerbaijan
• Kazakhstan
• Tajikistan
• Turkmenistan
• Uzbekistan