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Human rights

EU Urges Tajikistan to Investigate Human Rights Violations

The European Union has once again called on the Tajik authorities to investigate human rights violations thoroughly and expressed concern about imprisoned human rights defenders, journalists, and bloggers. This was announced at the eleventh annual meeting of the European Union-Tajikistan Cooperation Committee held in Dushanbe. “An independent and active civil society together with free media is essential for developing a democratic society,” the EU Delegation in Tajikistan stated. Between 2022 and 2023, eight independent Tajik journalists and bloggers were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 7 to 21 years. Several human rights defenders and civil activists were also convicted during this period. Neither statements by international organizations and human rights defenders, individual appeals to the president, nor public outcry saved them from imprisonment. The authorities found them guilty of collaborating with banned organizations, but the journalists themselves confessed under pressure and torture. The EU report also mentions the May 2022 events in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast, when 34 people were killed following widespread protests and the response by security forces, where dozens of people, including civil activists, were detained and thrown behind bars for long terms. Authorities call them “members of criminal groups,” but relatives of the victims say most of them were simple civilians who had no weapons. Western organizations and countries believe that Tajik authorities violated human rights in suppressing the rally. The EU said that during the discussions, both sides exchanged views on regional and international interest issues, including the situation in Afghanistan, the increased threat of global terrorism and violent extremism, the environment, energy, trade, and other regional priorities.

2 months ago

Society

Turkmenistan Unblocks 3 Billion IP Addresses — But Why?

The news portal “Turmen.News” is reporting that internet blocking has been eased in Turkmenistan since the beginning of July. Access to 3 billion IPs has been restored in the country for users of Turkmentelecom and Ashgabat city telephone network providers. However, restrictions are still in place for the mobile operator Altyn Asyr (Golden Age). Internet restrictions are usually partially lifted in Turkmenistan while distinguished guests are in the country. This is usually done locally: in a hotel where foreign guests stay or, as a last resort, throughout the city. Turmen.News has speculated on three possible theories to explain the removal of restrictions on internet access. The first theory is that the easing of restrictions is connected with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's visit to the country. However, Guterres arrived in the country on July 5 and left the next day. More than ten days have passed, but the internet in Turkmenistan is still more accessible than ever. The other theory, which the publication lists as more probable than the visit of the UN Secretary-General, is that Turkmenistan's president Serdar Berdimuhamedov gave instructions to the Ministry of National Security to lift senseless internet blocks. The final theory is that intelligence agencies and communications experts in Turkmenistan are testing a new firewall for internet traffic. After the test, blocking and filters may be restored.

2 months ago

Migration Human Trafficking Human rights Legislation Rule of law Security Central Asia Culture Education

Kazakhstan Weighs Down on Human Trafficking

In response to data issued by international experts citing the current level of human trafficking in Kazakhstan, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has just signed a law to address the situation. First and foremost, the new law aims to protect and provide social support for victims, the majority of whom are migrant workers, people with disabilities, solitary pensioners, young women and children. Referencing statistics, First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Marat Kozhaev announced that 19 criminal cases were opened in Kazakhstan for child trafficking in 2023, with an additional six already logged this year. He explained that most of the children are sold within the country to meet the demand of people unable to have their own. Such cases involve staff from perinatal centers and orphanages, as well as people with unwanted pregnancies. Child trafficking is a lucrative business which continues apace despite the threat of a jail sentence of up to 18 years. According to the police, there were cases this year of parents asking for between KZT100,000 to KZT2 million, equivalent to 208 -4,168 US$, for their new-borns. Young mothers often look for potential buyers online, even while pregnant. Under the recent law, the Criminal Code has been amended to include “crimes related to trafficking in persons”, covering kidnapping, unlawful confinement, human trafficking (including trafficking minors), prostitution, etc. Amendments have also been made to the Administrative Code aimed at preventing the sale of children, including new-borns, through the introduction of the clause: “Failure of officials to report incidents of abandonment of new-borns, admission and delivery of orphans and children without parental care.” Incidents of human trafficking are invariably tragic. In most cases, the victims usually poor or homeless, are taken by force or deception to remote corners of the country, where forced to work on peasant farms, they are subjected to backbreaking labor, beatings, and a lack of medical care for months or years. The situation becomes more complicated if the victim is a migrant from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, or Turkmenistan. Such workers often without the documentation to work legally, are attracted by promises of decent pay and then literally put in chains. Another illegal business is begging. Not long ago, on a street in Almaty, volunteers rescued a lone, elderly person who had been forced through beatings and starvation to beg for several months. As a result of the beggar's testimony, a gang of slave traders was arrested the following day. Enforced prostitution is also common, particularly amongst low-income families and orphans. International experts have repeatedly warned Kazakh authorities of the need to increase its legal levers to tackle human trafficking. In 2020, the US placed Kazakhstan on its watch list which as Kazakhstan’s commissioner for human rights Elvira Azimova, said at the time, was a direct response to the country's number of victims. “The official numbers of identified cases of human trafficking and criminal prosecution in Kazakhstan are significantly lower than in neighbouring countries - including Kyrgyzstan and Uzbkistan - for whose population Kazakhstan is a destination. This may...

2 months ago

Tourism

Uzbekistan Opens New Credit Line for Tourism Projects

It is being reported that a separate credit line worth $50 million is being opened from the Uzbekistan Fund for Reconstruction and Development (UFRD) to provide tourism organizations with working capital to attract foreign tourists to the country. This year, 100 billion Uzbek som ($7,948,950) will be allocated from the country's budget to improve the tourist infrastructure in priority regions. Each will also attract an investment of $50 million. Several reliefs are to be provided for entrepreneurs in the tourism field. Among them are measures such as exempting buses and minibuses from customs duties, covering 50% of the expenses of tour operators and craftsmen at international fairs, and reducing the profit tax by 50% for entrepreneurs who organize business events with the participation of foreign guests. Uzbekistan's president Shavkat Mirziyoyev has emphasized the need to create a national tourism brand for Uzbekistan. Accordingly, content about the types of tourism in the country is being created based on the requirements of target markets. These are then promoted on international and social media platforms and at world sports and art events. Foreign journalists, bloggers, and influencers with a large audience are also involved in Uzbekistan's tourism marketing. To make tourism more convenient, a single online platform will be launched to provide information about all air, railway, and bus routes and to purchase tickets for prospective tourists. A system of selling air, railway, and bus tickets at least six months in advance will also be introduced.

2 months ago

Nature

Facing Pressures, Koytendag Nature Refuge in Turkmenistan Aims for UNESCO Status

Limestone canyons and grassy plateaus. Vultures, lynx and markhor, a wild goat known for its corkscrew-style horns. Pistachio trees and juniper forests. The fossilized footprints of dinosaurs and a cave that runs three kilometers into the ground. The Koytendag State Nature Reserve and surrounding areas in eastern Turkmenistan are a stunning refuge of biodiversity next to Uzbekistan and near Afghanistan. The ecosystem includes river valley plains as well as Ayrybaba, Turkmenistan’s highest mountain at 3,137 meters. Some 50,000 people live in the area. Conservationists are assessing whether the region, which faces pressures such as agricultural encroachment, illegal hunting and unregulated tourism, can become a UNESCO natural world heritage site. [caption id="attachment_20918" align="aligncenter" width="551"] Researchers at the mouth of Koytendag’s Kaptarkhana cave (Image: CLLC)[/caption] There are efforts to reframe the bid for UNESCO status as a “transnational nomination” that pairs Koytendag with Uzbekistan’s adjoining Surkhan State Nature Reserve and could reduce barriers to the movement of wildlife between the two areas. The Koytendag reserve encompasses about 27,000 hectares and the total area of the proposed heritage space in Turkmenistan is 122,000 hectares, according to UNESCO. The U.N. agency says Koytendag is somewhat similar to other mountainous reserves in Central Asia - Chatkal in Uzbekistan, Aksu-Dzhabagly in Kazakhstan and Sary-Chelek in Kyrgyzstan – “but unlike them has a number of highly distinctive geological features.” Turkmenistan’s “system of protected areas,” which includes mountain, desert and marine ecosystems, covers 4.38% of the country, or just over 2,150,000 hectares, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said. Turkmen officials have been working with international conservation groups to protect and restore biodiversity. Conservation X Labs, or CXL, has outfitted some Turkmen rangers with new field uniforms, including those at Koytendag reserve, according to Tatjana Rosen, director of Central Asia Programs for the U.S.-based group. [caption id="attachment_20920" align="aligncenter" width="533"] Panoramic view of the Koytendag reserve (Image: CLLC)[/caption] Rosen also said CXL and another group, the Center for Large Landscape Conservation, hired an international expert in SMART conservation technology and bought rugged Blackview phones where the SMART software is downloaded. Koytendag rangers have the devices and can use the technology to collect, analyze and report data from the field. Integrating the technology at the national level is ongoing. Another international donor active at Koytendag is the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, which has funded the conservation of pistachio orchards, the improvement of water supply, the education of local communities about the environment and other projects. Last year, national and international conservationists conducted a weeklong field mission in Koytendag, surveying flora and fauna and also talking to local communities. At one point, the team chatted with shepherds tending their flocks about sustainable use of pastures and other employment options. “Overall, it was noted that jobs are scarce in the villages and the demand for shepherding continues to increase,” the Center for Large Landscape Conservation said in a report on the trip. A meeting of conservationists followed soon after in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan’s capital. Speleologists have been interested in Koytendag's elaborate cave...

2 months ago