Uzbekistan closes Human Rights Watch office in Tashkent

The advocacy organisation Human Right’s Watch has announced that the Government of Uzbekistan has expelled its employees from the country, and reports that it is shutting down its Tashkent office after a 15 year presence.  The expulsion could not come at a worse time for Uzbekistan where human rights are routinely and systematically violated. It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of children are forced into slavery to pick cotton for the Government-run industry, and there are ongoing reports of torture and ill-treatment within the criminal justice system.

"The Uzbek government's persistent refusal to allow independent rights groups to carry out our work exacerbates the already dire human rights situation in the country, allowing severe abuses to go unreported, and further isolating the country's courageous and beleaguered human rights community," said Human Rights Watch Executive director Kenneth Roth.

Not only have the Uzbek government forced many NGOs to leave, it has also consistently denied access to independent human rights monitors. Human rights defenders in Uzbekistan have been calling for the cotton harvest to be independently monitored for a number of years to ensure the Government is meeting its international obligations.

To read Human Rights Watch's press release click here.