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Tajik Migrants

Tajik Migrant in Russia Receives Nearly $15,000 in Unpaid Wages After Government Intervention

A Tajik labor migrant working in Russia has received nearly $15,000 in unpaid wages following an intervention by Tajikistan’s Ministry of Labor, Migration and Employment, the ministry said. According to the ministry’s representative office in Russia, the worker approached officials in May, alleging that a private Russian company had failed to pay his salary. The office then contacted the employer, which later settled the debt in full. The worker received 1.065 million rubles, or about $14,800, according to the ministry. The company was not named. The ministry urged Tajik citizens seeking employment in Russia to sign formal labor contracts and retain copies of the documents, saying the absence of written agreements often complicates efforts to recover unpaid wages and protect workers’ rights. Officials said migrants can also seek assistance from the ministry’s representative office in Russia on employment issues and labor disputes. Labor migration remains one of Tajikistan’s main sources of household income, with remittances sent home by migrants, most of them employed in Russia, supporting many families across the country. World Bank estimates show that remittance inflows reached 49% of Tajikistan’s GDP in 2024, up from 39% a year earlier. Tajik labor officials have said almost all citizens who leave Tajikistan for work go to Russia, making wage disputes there a direct concern for household income at home. The ministry said its representative office has previously helped Tajik migrants recover more than $3.4 million in unpaid wages from employers in Russia. In cases where employment relationships are not formally documented, the authorities often have to pursue claims through the courts, although most such cases are resolved in favor of workers, according to the ministry.

KazZinc

Kazakhstan Says Violation of Production Procedures Preliminary Cause of Deadly Kazzinc Blast

A fatal explosion at a Kazzinc plant in eastern Kazakhstan was preliminarily caused by a violation of technological procedures, Emergency Situations Minister Chingis Arinov said on Monday, as authorities continue to investigate the incident that killed three workers. The blast occurred on May 5 at a processing workshop in Ust-Kamenogorsk, where a dust-collection unit exploded, triggering a fire and the partial collapse of the facility. Two employees were killed at the scene, while a third later died in hospital from injuries sustained in the accident. Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov placed the investigation under his personal supervision following the incident. “The preliminary cause of the explosion at the Kazzinc plant was a violation of the technological process,” Arinov told a government meeting. He said previous inspections had identified multiple industrial safety violations at the facility, including discrepancies in technical documentation, missing assessments required to extend the service life of equipment, deviations from approved engineering designs, weak production controls, and delays in replacing worn-out machinery. Arinov said the investigation remains ongoing and that several expert examinations have been commissioned. A decision on any company liability will be made once the review is completed. The minister also outlined preliminary findings from a separate fatal accident at the Artemyevskaya mine, operated by Vostoktsvetmet, a subsidiary of KAZ Minerals. A rockfall at the mine on May 30 killed one worker. According to Arinov, investigators believe the accident was linked to mining operations conducted in violation of project documentation and inadequate worksite management. Speaking at the same meeting, Labor and Social Protection Minister Askarbek Yertayev said the authorities had recorded 39 cases this year in which employers allegedly concealed workplace injuries. The highest number of cases was reported in the services sector, with 18 incidents, followed by manufacturing and construction, with five cases each. Regionally, the largest numbers were recorded in Atyrau Region, Astana, and Akmola Region, he said. Yertayev said the practice allows employers to avoid liability while depriving injured workers of compensation and social benefits. According to government data, about 479,000 people in Kazakhstan currently work in hazardous or harmful conditions. The industrial sector accounts for 295,000 of those workers, including 173,000 in mining and 122,000 in manufacturing. The largest concentrations of workers employed in hazardous conditions are in Karaganda Region, followed by Pavlodar, Mangystau, and East Kazakhstan regions. The figures add to wider concerns over enforcement in Kazakhstan’s heavy industries, where aging equipment, subcontracting chains, and pressure to maintain production can make safety oversight difficult. Kazakhstan has faced increased scrutiny over industrial safety standards following a series of deadly accidents in the mining and metals sectors. Last year, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev ordered a nationwide review of industrial facilities to assess compliance with safety regulations.

Human Rights

Rights Groups Urge EU to Tie Turkmenistan Relations to Human Rights Progress

Rights groups have urged the European Union to take a tougher line on Turkmenistan, warning that closer ties with Ashgabat should be tied to measurable progress on human rights. The call came in a briefing by the International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) and the Turkmen Initiative for Human Rights (TIHR) ahead of the EU-Turkmenistan Human Rights Dialogue, scheduled for June 22, 2026, in Ashgabat. The organizations called on European institutions to press Turkmen authorities to take concrete steps to improve civil liberties, freedom of expression, and human rights protections. Turkmenistan remains one of the world’s most closed and repressive states, according to the briefing. It highlights severe restrictions on independent media, expanding internet censorship, the absence of independent civic space, persecution of government critics, transnational repression, impunity for torture and enforced disappearances, and continuing violations of women’s rights. The groups urged the EU to link any further development of relations with Turkmenistan, including ratification of the pending Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, to measurable progress on human rights. They also called on European officials to demand regular reporting from Turkmen authorities on the implementation of international recommendations and to share this information with independent civil society representatives. Media freedom is a central focus of the briefing. According to the 2026 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders, Turkmenistan ranked 173rd out of 180 countries. The authors state that state-controlled media continue to function primarily as propaganda outlets, promoting an official image of prosperity despite economic hardship and systemic human rights violations. Access to alternative sources of information remains heavily restricted because of extensive internet censorship. The briefing also references cases involving the blocking of circumvention tools and raids targeting owners of Starlink satellite equipment. Rights advocates further argue that civic space in Turkmenistan is effectively closed to independent activity. Much of the public sector is controlled by government-linked structures, while many public-sector employees and students are pressured into financially supporting pro-government organizations. The briefing also highlights the continued practice of forced mobilization for mass state events. According to the organizations, civil servants, university students, and even children are regularly compelled to participate in large-scale public campaigns and rehearsals that can last for extended periods, raising concerns about health and safety. Despite official pledges to cooperate with international institutions, Turkmen authorities continue to restrict access to the country for independent observers and UN experts, the briefing says. It also lists cases of pressure and intimidation targeting journalists, activists, and human rights defenders. The organizations also expressed concern over discrimination against women, entrenched patriarchal practices, and the effects of the country’s prolonged socioeconomic crisis, which they say disproportionately affects women, labor migrants.

Prisons

Uzbek Diplomats Visit Prisoners in Russia’s Sakhalin Region

Officials from Uzbekistan’s Consulate General have visited Uzbek nationals serving prison sentences in Russia’s Sakhalin region to discuss their living conditions, health, and requests for transfer back to Uzbekistan, according to Uzbekistan’s state-run news agency Dunyo. The meeting took place at Correctional Institution No. 1 in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk during a working visit by consular staff. Dunyo reported that eleven Uzbek citizens are currently incarcerated at the facility after being convicted under various articles of Russia’s Criminal Code. During the visit, consular representatives inspected residential quarters, dining areas, and recreation facilities before holding a group meeting with the prisoners. Discussions focused on detention conditions and inmates’ well-being. According to the report, Uzbek officials also warned prisoners that joining foreign military formations could lead to criminal liability under Uzbek law. The issue has drawn attention since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, amid repeated warnings to Central Asian migrants against joining foreign military units. The incarcerated Uzbek citizens reportedly said they were generally satisfied with prison conditions. However, many expressed concerns over prolonged separation from family members and requested assistance in being transferred to Uzbekistan to serve the remainder of their sentences closer to home. Consular staff provided contact details for the Uzbek diplomatic mission and told inmates they could seek support if problems arose during detention. The visit comes amid broader discussions over the transfer of foreign prisoners between Russia and Central Asian countries. Earlier, Russia’s Human Rights Commissioner, Tatyana Moskalkova, said Moscow was prepared to facilitate the transfer of more than 3,000 Uzbek citizens convicted in Russia. However, she noted that the process remains blocked because Uzbekistan has not ratified the 1998 Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons. The issue extends beyond Uzbekistan. Last month, Moskalkova said she had received a positive response from the Tajik authorities, including President Emomali Rahmon, regarding the possible transfer of around 200 Tajik women serving prison terms in Russia on humanitarian grounds. Labor migration from Central Asia to Russia has created a growing number of cases involving citizens imprisoned abroad, increasing pressure on governments in the region to improve legal assistance, consular access, and mechanisms for prisoner transfers. The visit shows Uzbekistan is maintaining consular access to citizens held in Russian prisons, even as a broader transfer mechanism remains unresolved.

Rule of Law

American Professor and Longtime Central Asia Researcher Denied Entry to Kyrgyzstan

Professor Steve Swerdlow of the University of Southern California (USC) arrived at the Bishkek airport at 4:30 am on May 19, leading a group of 16 students for a trip of a lifetime: two weeks in Kyrgyzstan and two weeks in Kazakhstan. Swerdlow, a veteran Central Asian researcher who had previously worked for Human Rights Watch in Uzbekistan (2010), Kazakhstan (2011), and Kyrgyzstan (2012-2019), had led similar trips to Kyrgyzstan with USC students in 2022 and 2024. This time, however, there were problems immediately upon his arrival at Bishkek. “I was taken out of line at passport control and whisked away to the departure area, and then taken to a little room,” Swerdlow told TCA. “There were three guys there and they said, almost with a smirk, that we only work here and were told not to allow you into the country.” Swerdlow attempted to get clarification as to why he was being denied entry to Kyrgyzstan, but the border officials merely said their instructions were that Swerdlow was not to be admitted. They told him that an official letter stating the reason for the denial of entry would come, but Swerdlow said he was never given such a document. The border officials said he was to be deported on a plane to Istanbul that was due to leave at 10:00 am. The officials gave Swerdlow his passport with a letter in it addressed to the people at Turkish Airlines, who later showed Swerdlow the contents. It said only that Swerdlow was being denied entry to Kyrgyzstan because entry to Kyrgyzstan was “closed” to him. Swerdlow’s passport was returned to him when he reached Istanbul, but there was another complication. Kyrgyz border control officers had told Turkish Airlines that Swerdlow was being sent all the way back to Los Angeles, so his luggage was transferred at Istanbul to a flight preparing to leave for California. He managed to retrieve his luggage from that flight but remains in Istanbul, where he is trying to coordinate with his students, USC, and officials in Kyrgyzstan. The students are Swerdlow’s main concern. The trip was organized with help from the American University of Central Asia in Bishkek, so the students have accommodation, and there are people who speak English helping them. During previous trips, students met with people from Kyrgyzstan’s presidential administration, the human rights ombudsman, and visited parliament. It is unclear if this group will now be able to do the same. Some parts of the trip will almost surely be canceled. Swerdlow mentioned that the group had yurts reserved at Tamga on the shore of Issyk-Kul, the immense alpine lake that is Kyrgyzstan’s premier tourist attraction. “It was going to be a cultural event,” Swerdlow said. “We were going to watch a kok-boru match, attend some cooking classes for local dishes, and a reading of Manas.” Kok-boru is a national sport in Kyrgyzstan, something like polo with players on horseback trying to drag a replicated sheep carcass to goals at either end...

Forced Labor

Turkmen State Employees Forced Back Into Cotton Harvest Campaign

The authorities in Turkmenistan have again mobilized public-sector employees for the annual cotton harvest, forcing teachers, doctors, municipal workers, and other state employees either to work in the fields or pay for replacement laborers from their own salaries. The renewed campaign comes as international brands continue to face growing risks that what activists describe as “toxic” Turkmen cotton may still be entering global supply chains. According to Dialectic, the authorities have abandoned even the limited relaxations introduced in some regions during previous harvest seasons. Cotton remains one of Turkmenistan’s key export commodities. Each year, the state sets a harvest target of roughly 1.25 million tons of raw cotton from approximately 580,000 hectares of farmland. State procurement prices for farmers remain extremely low. The government currently pays around 5,000 manat per ton of first-pass medium-fiber cotton, about $256 using the unofficial exchange rate. Against a backdrop of deteriorating agricultural infrastructure, soil degradation, and declining yields, the authorities are continuing to compensate for structural problems in the sector through the mobilization of state employees. According to the report, the system remains largely unchanged. Employees of schools, hospitals, utility services and cultural institutions are ordered either to participate personally in the cotton harvest or hire replacement workers using their own wages. Refusal, sources say, can result in dismissal, financial penalties, or other administrative consequences. Monitors also report the continued use of child labor. Although Turkmen law prohibits involving anyone under the age of 18 in cotton harvesting, poverty and quota pressure push some families to bring children into the fields. The harvested cotton subsequently enters international supply chains through third countries. Turkey and Pakistan remain the largest transit and processing hubs for Turkmen cotton products. According to the publication, Turkish enterprises alone imported $96.6 million worth of Turkmen cotton products in 2024, while Pakistani companies imported an additional $33.8 million. After processing, both raw materials and finished textile products are exported to European Union markets, including Italy, Poland, Portugal, and Bulgaria. International experts say this stage of the supply chain presents the greatest risks for global apparel brands. Despite commitments by more than 140 international companies to avoid Turkmen cotton, products made with such raw materials may still be entering the supply chains of some of the world’s largest clothing manufacturers. The government in Ashgabat continues to deny allegations of forced mobilization, insisting that participation in the cotton harvest is voluntary. However, according to the report, attempts by the International Labour Organization (ILO) to conduct independent monitoring during 2024-2025 were accompanied by route restrictions and carefully staged official demonstrations. International pressure on Turkmenistan’s cotton sector has nevertheless continued to increase. The United States banned imports of Turkmen cotton and cotton products in 2018. In addition, the EU’s Forced Labour Regulation is due to apply from December 2027, banning products made with forced labor from the EU market regardless of origin. Inside Turkmenistan, however, little appears to be changing for public-sector workers. The annual autumn cotton campaign remains a heavy burden for those forced...