On Monday, Amnesty International urged Central Asian and EU nations to focus on actively protecting human rights and civil society space during the upcoming EU-Central Asia Summit. The summit will be held on April 3 and 4, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director, said:

If Central Asian governments and the EU, its institutions and national governments are truly committed to human rights, the path forward lies not in stifling civil society but in empowering it – by committing to human rights due diligence, fostering open dialogue, building trust between the state and the public and ensuring a safe environment for civil society to thrive. The European Union and Central Asian governments must ensure that human rights remain a core pillar of their enhanced cooperation.

Many of these nations, including Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, are considering or have already passed “foreign agent” laws that target organizations critical of the governmental regimes and receiving foreign funding.

Struthers further said:

Across Central Asia, Eastern Europe and in the European Union (EU), government responses to concerns about national security or public morality have led to increased repression. Wherever “foreign agent” legislation has been enacted, it has led to the stigmatization of NGOs, the intimidation of activists and the slow suffocation of a vibrant civil society.

There has been a crackdown on freedom of press, belief, speech, association, and assembly in several Central Asia countries. In Kazakhstan, persons from independent media expressing dissent with the government through means like satire have been criminally charged. Similarly, in Kyrgyzstan, investigative journalism is being stifled, and new laws limiting freedom of belief and religion have been passed. Uzbekistan’s state control over social media platforms and the internet has increased alarmingly over the years.