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 55 prisoners of conscience in the region, 38 of whom have been released. Our work in the region focuses on civil society restrictions, transnational repression, and prison conditions.
Enforcing the Rule of Law
- Petition to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on behalf of WhatsApp Group Members December 7, 2020
- Petition to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on behalf of Erzhan Elshibayev November 10, 2020
- Petition to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on behalf of Omruzak Omarkuliev May 29, 2020
- Petition to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on behalf of Daler Sharipov May 1, 2020
- Opinion of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on behalf of IRPT Leaders November 19, 2019
- Opinion of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on behalf of Buzurgmehr Yorov June 12, 2019
- Report to the UN Human Rights Committee on Tajikistan June 8, 2019
- Tajikistan's Cross-Border Human Rights Violations March 1, 2019
- Decision of the UN Human Rights Committee on behalf of Zayd Saidov July 16, 2018
- Opinion of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on behalf of Mahmadali Hayit May 10, 2018
- Repression Beyond Borders - Exiled Azerbaijanis in Georgia
September 29, 2017 - Breaking Point AzerbaijanMay 12, 2015
- Opinion of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on behalf of Gulgeldy Annaniyazov December 5, 2013
Fighting Wrongful Imprisonment
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Can you imagine a doctor being imprisoned just for treating a patient, or a journalist detained simply for publishing an article critical of his government?