Human Rights Must Be Front and Center at Central Asia-US Summit, HRW Says

As leaders from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan gather in Washington on November 6, 2025, Human Rights Watch is calling on governments to address human rights abuses alongside discussions on economic and security cooperation.

“The Central Asia-US summit should ensure human rights is a key part of the agenda, especially as repression increases across Central Asia,” said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch, The Caspian Post reports via Tajik media.

“Participating countries should recognize that they risk recent social and economic progress if international partners seek stable environments elsewhere for engagement and investment,” he said.

The summit comes amid widespread reports of government crackdowns, including torture, arbitrary arrests, media harassment, and suppression of civil society. HRW notes that Kazakhstan targets opposition leaders and journalists, Kyrgyzstan curtails citizen access to information and dismantles independent institutions, Tajikistan jails bloggers and bans political parties, Turkmenistan enforces extreme censorship and travel restrictions, and Uzbekistan cracks down on activists and religious freedoms.

“Economic and social reform processes in Central Asia deserve international support, but they need to be rooted in respect for human rights and the rule of law to have legitimacy,” Williamson added. “That’s the only way the 82 million people living in the region can truly benefit from any deals their leaders make in Washington.”

The call highlights that any agreements made at the summit must consider fundamental freedoms if they are to foster sustainable development and international cooperation in the region.