Human rights - The Times Of Central Asia

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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...

Prisons

Russia Seeks Transfer of 200 Tajik Women Prisoners After Dushanbe Approval

Russia’s human rights commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova has received a positive response from Emomali Rahmon regarding the possible transfer of around 200 Tajik women currently serving sentences in Russian prisons, according to TASS. Moskalkova said she had written to the Tajik president requesting that the women be allowed to continue serving their sentences in Tajikistan on humanitarian grounds. “In each case, we must carefully weigh issues of justice, mercy, and humanism,” she said in an interview with TASS. She noted that while most cases confirm that crimes were committed, the severity of punishment should not always be maximal. “Sometimes leniency helps a person reform, repent, and change for the better. That is why we try in each case to find arguments that could support leniency, especially for women,” she said. According to Moskalkova, foreign women prisoners face additional challenges, including limited access to family visits and difficulties receiving parcels from relatives. These factors were among the reasons behind her appeal to Tajik authorities. She also pointed to broader policy developments in Russia’s penal system, citing improvements in detention conditions under the country’s penal reform strategy through 2030. Moskalkova highlighted recent legislation limiting pretrial detention for women with young children who have committed non-violent offenses. In addition, she said she has repeatedly asked courts to grant deferrals of sentences for women with children under the age of 14, thanking the judiciary for what she described as “understanding and positive decisions” in such cases. Earlier this month, Moskalkova said Russia was prepared to facilitate the transfer of more than 3,000 Uzbek nationals convicted in Russia to serve their sentences in Uzbekistan. However, she noted that the process remains stalled due to legal constraints, including Uzbekistan’s failure to ratify the 1998 Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons.

prisoner transfer

Russia Ready to Transfer Over 3,000 Uzbek Prisoners

Russia is prepared to facilitate the transfer of more than 3,000 Uzbek citizens convicted on its territory to serve their sentences in Uzbekistan, but the process remains stalled due to legal obstacles, Kommersant reported, citing Russia’s Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova. Speaking at a meeting of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Human Rights Commission, Moskalkova said Russia is willing to support the transfer mechanism. However, she noted that Uzbekistan cannot currently accept the prisoners because it has not ratified the 1998 Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons. “Russia is ready to assist, but the country of citizenship cannot accept them due to the lack of ratification of the convention,” she said, according to RIA Novosti. The agreement allows individuals convicted in one participating country to serve their sentences in their home country. It is intended to support rehabilitation and improve humanitarian conditions by allowing individuals to remain closer to their families and social environment. Russia ratified the convention in 1998, and it is also in force in several countries in the region, including Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Armenia. For Uzbek nationals, however, Uzbekistan’s absence from the treaty has prevented similar transfers. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, in 2025, 191 Uzbek citizens applied for asylum in Russia, highlighting shifting migration patterns and increasing pressure on legal and humanitarian systems in the region.

Kazakhstan Referendum

Kazakhstan Faces Landmark Constitutional Referendum

On March 15, citizens will vote in a nationwide referendum on sweeping constitutional amendments that could significantly reshape Kazakhstan’s political system. Kazakhstan’s Constitution has undergone periodic revision since independence, with changes adopted in 1998, 2007, 2011, 2017, 2019, and most recently in 2022, when 56 amendments to the basic law were approved in a national referendum. According to official statements, the proposed draft would affect about 84% of the Constitution, making it the most extensive revision in the country’s modern history. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has described the proposed document as “essentially a new Constitution.” At the same time, the draft retains several core principles. Kazakhstan would continue to be defined as a secular, democratic, unitary state, with the people recognized as the sole source of state power. Attempts to overthrow the constitutional order would remain punishable by law. The draft also proposes the creation of a new representative body, the Kurultai, which would replace the current bicameral parliament, consisting of the Mazhilis (lower house) and the Senate (upper house), with a unicameral legislature. The scale of the proposed reforms has generated significant public attention. The draft Constitution has been widely debated, and the referendum campaign has been accompanied by a large-scale public information effort. Supporters argue that the changes could streamline governance and modernize political institutions, while critics have raised concerns about the concentration of authority and the pace of reform. Rights and Freedoms The current Constitution states that human rights and freedoms must not infringe on the rights of others, the constitutional order, or public morality. The new draft expands this provision, specifying that the exercise of rights and freedoms must not violate the rights or restrict the freedoms of other individuals, undermine the constitutional order, disrupt public order, threaten public health, or contradict societal morality. The document continues to guarantee freedom of speech and prohibit censorship, stating, “Freedom of speech and scientific, technical, and artistic creativity is guaranteed.” It also introduces an additional clause stipulating that the dissemination of information must not infringe upon the honor and dignity of others, public health, or public order. The list of prohibited forms of propaganda is also broadened. It includes advocacy for violent changes to the constitutional order, violations of territorial integrity and sovereignty, threats to national security, incitement to war or armed conflict, and the promotion of social, racial, national, ethnic, or religious superiority or discord, as well as the glorification of cruelty and violence. Supporters of the draft say these provisions are intended to strengthen social stability and national security. However, some observers note that broader restrictions linked to public order or morality may raise questions about how such norms would be interpreted and applied in practice. In family law, the draft specifies that marriage is defined as a voluntary and equal union between a man and a woman, registered by the state in accordance with the law. President and Vice President Proposed changes to the structure of executive power have been among the most widely discussed aspects of the...

Agriculture

Farmers, Courts, and Investors: Examining Recent Land Disputes in Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan’s agricultural sector is once again in the spotlight following a recent report by Human Rights Watch and the Uzbek Forum for Human Rights, which raised concerns about the treatment of cotton and wheat farmers under what it describes as a coercive state production system. At the same time, local agricultural representatives argue that the situation is more complex and that recent legal and institutional changes have improved farmers’ ability to defend their rights. The debate intensified earlier this year after complaints from farmers in parts of the Syrdarya region, particularly in the Xovos district, regarding land seizures linked to failure to meet so-called “normative yield” requirements. Komoliddin Ikromov, head of the Agrobiznes Association, has been among the most vocal local figures commenting on these developments. State Plan Abolished, but Normative Yields Remain According to Ikromov, it is important to distinguish between the former state production plan and the current regulatory framework. “There is no state plan now,” he said. “The state order was abolished in 2020. What exists today is the concept of rational land use. If a farm’s yield falls below the normative level for three consecutive years, then the land may be withdrawn, but only through a court decision.” While cotton state procurement was abolished beginning with the 2020 harvest, reforms affecting wheat and grain procurement were phased in and linked to the 2021 harvest. Ikromov referred to Article 36 of the Land Code, which sets out the procedure for termination of land-use rights where land is used irrationally or in violation of law. Detailed criteria — such as persistent underperformance relative to normative yield levels — are established in related regulatory acts rather than in the Land Code text itself. “Under current legislation, the khokim (local governor) cannot independently seize land,” Ikromov said. “The case must be submitted to the court. Only a court can decide.” Ikromov cited reforms adopted beginning in 2022 and subsequently strengthened by presidential measures in 2024, which expanded electronic auction procedures and curtailed direct administrative land allocation. Complaints from Farmers Beginning in January, the Agrobiznes Association started receiving complaints from farmers, mainly in Syrdarya. “I personally received about 50 to 60 appeals,” Ikromov said. “In total, there were more than 100 messages, mostly through Telegram.” According to him, many complaints concerned pressure to voluntarily surrender land leases through notarized statements. Farmers alleged that they were being encouraged or pressured to go to a notary and sign documents relinquishing their land. “These were not isolated cases,” he said. “In some districts, it was widespread. But after the issue was raised publicly, the process shifted. Now cases are going through courts.” Ikromov noted that unusual weather conditions contributed to the problem. Heatwaves and water shortages in 2024 made it difficult for some farmers to meet normative yield levels. In areas like Xovos, where soil fertility is relatively low, he said, agricultural production is already more challenging. Legal Process and Court Outcomes Following public attention, including Ikromov’s interview with the Uzbek outlet Kun.uz, land disputes increasingly...

Human rights

Up to 300 Tajik Women and Children Remain in Syria and Iraq

An estimated 250 to 300 Tajik women and children remain in Syria and Iraq, according to Suhaili Kodiri Abduhafizzoda, Head of the Department for State Protection of Children's Rights at the Office of the Human Rights Commissioner of Tajikistan. Abduhafizzoda stated that the repatriation process, previously overseen by a dedicated Tajik working group, has stalled since the change of government in Syria. At its peak, approximately 800 Tajik nationals, mainly women and children, were believed to be in the two countries. While more than half have returned home, hundreds remain stranded. Four Repatriation Waves Since 2019 Tajikistan has conducted four formal repatriation missions since 2019, resulting in the return of 382 individuals. These included: 2019: 84 children repatriated 2022: 144 women and children 2023: 104 individuals 2024: 47 women and children In addition, roughly 90 Tajik citizens returned independently, although their exact routes and methods of escape from conflict zones have not been officially disclosed. Final Stage Falls Short Officials had hoped the 2024 operation would mark the final stage of the repatriation effort. However, Abduhafizzoda confirmed that not all remaining women and children agreed to return. “We planned to return all remaining women and children, but this was not possible, primarily because they themselves refused,” he explained. Fear of legal consequences was the most commonly cited reason. Many of the women expressed concern that they would face criminal prosecution upon returning to Tajikistan. However, authorities insist these fears are largely unfounded. According to the ombudsman’s office, none of the women previously repatriated have been charged or prosecuted. Instead, they were reportedly met with state support and reintegration programs. “Some of the women who had already returned had similar fears. But once they came back, they saw that no criminal cases were initiated, and they were all forgiven,” Abduhafizzoda noted. Children Reunited With Families Officials report that all repatriated children have been reunited with relatives and received assistance in resuming their education and adjusting to civilian life. Nonetheless, the fate of those still in Syria and Iraq remains unclear. Legacy of the Islamic State According to official figures, more than 2,500 Tajik citizens joined the Islamic State group after 2013. Many men took their families with them to Syria and Iraq. By 2017, most of the men were reported killed or missing, and some women and children are also believed to have died during the conflict. With no current framework for further repatriation, the future of the remaining Tajik women and children in the region remains uncertain.