Statements & Press Releases

This section features statements and press releases issued by International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) and its partners. For reports and briefings, go here.

Statements & Press ReleasesCampaigns, Open Letters and News AlertsMarch 2023

Since October, International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) has been undertaking research aimed at improving long-term support to human rights defenders (HRDs) living in...
KazakhstanKyrgyzstanTajikistanTurkmenistanUzbekistanStatements & Press ReleasesMarch 2023

The CIVICUS Monitor has released its annual, global report People Power Under Attack (PPUA), which examines threats and trends facing civil society across the world in...
TajikistanStatements & Press ReleasesMarch 2023

Tajikistan downgraded from ‘repressed’ to ‘closed’  Authorities suppress protests in GBAO region, through ​​excessive and lethal force A widening crackdown on dissenting voices,...
UzbekistanStatements & Press ReleasesMarch 2023

Unlawful forced evictions have formed a widespread pattern of human rights violations in Uzbekistan for many years, depriving thousands of people of their property...
KazakhstanStatements & Press ReleasesReports & Briefing PapersMarch 2023

A new human rights-focused dialogue between the EU and Kazakhstan’s government is scheduled to take place in Brussels on 9 March 2023. The dialogue...
TajikistanStatements & Press ReleasesMarch 2023

In another blow to civil society in Tajikistan, the Independent Center for Human Rights Protection (ICHRP) has been liquidated by court order on spurious...
RussiaUkraineStatements & Press ReleasesReports & Briefing PapersFebruary 2023

A new report, released by International Partnership for Human Rights and the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission, has found that western-made dual-use components have continued to...
TurkmenistanStatements & Press ReleasesReports & Briefing PapersFebruary 2023

This week the United Nations Human Rights Committee will review Turkmenistan’s human rights record at its session in Geneva. The expert body will examine...
Statements & Press ReleasesFebruary 2023

IPHR is recruiting a Finance Officer responsible for the financial management of multi-country donor-funded projects in the Former Soviet Union (FSU) region. The position...
KazakhstanStatements & Press ReleasesReports & Briefing PapersJanuary 2023

This joint report by International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR), Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and the Rule of Law (KIBHR), and Kazakhstan’s...
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2018

UzbekistanStatements & Press ReleasesDecember 2018

Association for Human Rights in Central Asia (AHRCA), International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR), Norwegian Helsinki Committee (NHC) and the Uzbekistan-based NGO Restoration of...
UzbekistanStatements & Press ReleasesNovember 2018

End Surveillance, Ensure Former Prisoners’ Safety The Uzbekistani authorities should stop harassing human rights activists, including those recently released from prison, and ensure their safety,...
UzbekistanStatements & Press ReleasesOctober 2018

On 17-21 October, IPHR visited Uzbekistan for the first time since President Shavkat Mirziyoyev came to power, at the invitation of the government. Over...
RussiaStatements & Press ReleasesOctober 2018

On 8 October 2018, Oyub Titiev was awarded the prestigious Vaclav Havel prize for making “a widely recognised contribution to the defence of human...
TajikistanStatements & Press ReleasesOctober 2018

On 1 October 2018 Tajikistani NGOs Najoti-Kudakon, Vash Vybor (Your Choice), Nota Bene and International Partnership for Human Rights sent a joint submission on...
TajikistanStatements & Press ReleasesOctober 2018

On 1 October 2018 the Tajikistani NGOs Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law, Ishtirok and Notabene and International Partnership for Human Rights...
UzbekistanStatements & Press ReleasesSeptember 2018

The Association for Human Rights in Central Asia, Restoration of Justice and International Partnership for Human Rights are pleased to report that on 18...
AzerbaijanStatements & Press ReleasesSeptember 2018

Civil Rights Defenders and International Partnership for Human Rights are gravely concerned to hear of new disciplinary proceeding launched against the Azerbaijani human rights lawyer...
Statements & Press ReleasesSeptember 2018

Together with the NGO Coalitions against Torture in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, the Uzbekistani NGOs Association for Human Rights in Central Asia and Restoration of Justice,...
UzbekistanStatements & Press ReleasesSeptember 2018

The Association for Human Rights in Central Asia (AHRCA), International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) and Amnesty International are concerned about a recent series...
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2017

Statements & Press ReleasesDecember 2017

We, members of the Civic Solidarity Platform (CSP), believe that restricting civil society participation in the work of the OSCE would be a tremendous...
TurkmenistanStatements & Press ReleasesDecember 2017

Turkmen Initiative for Human Rights (TIHR) and International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) are alarmed at yesterday’s abduction of animal rights defender Galina Kucherenko...
UzbekistanStatements & Press ReleasesDecember 2017

International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) expresses its sincere condolences to Murad Djuraev’s family after learning the sad news that he passed away in...
TajikistanStatements & Press ReleasesDecember 2017

During the Universal Periodic Review of Tajikistan’s human rights record by the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council on 6 May 2016, over 20...
AzerbaijanStatements & Press ReleasesNovember 2017

(Brussels, November 23, 2017) – Leaders of European Union member states should press visiting Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev to end the crackdown on critics...
TurkmenistanStatements & Press ReleasesNovember 2017

Two outspoken women activists were threatened and harassed in recent days in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan’s capital, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, International Partnership for Human...
AzerbaijanStatements & Press ReleasesNovember 2017

The Azerbaijani government’s proposed amendments to the Code of Civil and Administrative Procedure and the Bar Act were approved by parliament on 31 October...
TurkmenistanStatements & Press ReleasesNovember 2017

The campaign of the Turkmenistani government against civil society activists, journalists and others who criticize the current state of affairs in the country shows...
KyrgyzstanStatements & Press ReleasesReports & Briefing PapersOctober 2017

Opinion polls predicted a tight race for the presidential election in Kyrgyzstan held on 15th October 2017. However, Sooronbay Jeenbekov from the ruling Social...
TajikistanStatements & Press ReleasesOctober 2017

Last week the journal Konuniyat (Legality), issued by the Prosecutor General’s Office, published an article by Interior Minister Ramozon Rahimzoda stating that the names...
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2016

UzbekistanStatements & Press ReleasesDecember 2016

Prison authorities in Uzbekistan have placed Muhammad Bekjanov, one of the world’s longest-imprisoned journalists, in solitary confinement, the Association for Human Rights in Central...
Statements & Press ReleasesEventsDecember 2016

The problem of shrinking civil society space has dangerous implications for comprehensive security in the OSCE region, concluded the participants of the 2016 Parallel...
AzerbaijanStatements & Press ReleasesDecember 2016

The government of Azerbaijan is carrying out a multi-pronged attack on freedom of expression, including introducing harsh penalties for critical speech online, imprisoning young...
KazakhstanStatements & Press ReleasesDecember 2016

We, members of the Civic Solidarity Platform (CSP), condemn the prison sentences handed down against Kazakhstani civil society activists Max Bokayev and Talgat Ayan...
TurkmenistanStatements & Press ReleasesReports & Briefing PapersNovember 2016

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) will review the implementation of the corresponding convention in Turkmenistan on 30 November-1 December...
UzbekistanStatements & Press ReleasesNovember 2016

Uzbek authorities should ensure a thorough, impartial, and transparent investigation into the alleged torture of two brothers by the Uzbek National Security Service (SNB),...
KazakhstanStatements & Press ReleasesReports & Briefing PapersNovember 2016

Today the EU will hold the eighth round of its annual Human Rights Dialogue with Kazakhstan in Brussels. This meeting comes at a time...
TurkmenistanStatements & Press ReleasesReports & Briefing PapersNovember 2016

At its current session in Geneva, on 21-22 November 2016, the UN Committee against Torture (CAT) will examine the situation in Turkmenistan. The Committee...
UkraineStatements & Press ReleasesNovember 2016

This week International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) will submit a communication to the office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC)...
UzbekistanStatements & Press ReleasesNovember 2016

(Brussels, November 4, 2016) – Uzbek authorities should immediately and unconditionally release imprisoned political activist Samandar Kukanov, whose sentence has been arbitrarily extended for...
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2015

AzerbaijanStatements & Press ReleasesDecember 2015

We -- members of the Civic Solidarity Platform and the Sports For Rights Campaign -- were relieved to learn that one of Azerbaijan’s most...
UzbekistanStatements & Press ReleasesDecember 2015

Uzbekistan should urgently issue a new identity document to former political prisoner Murad Djuraev, who was recently released from prison after 21 years in...
AzerbaijanStatements & Press ReleasesDecember 2015

On the eve of the anniversary of the arrest of journalist Khadija Ismayilova, members of the Sport for Rights coalition and the Civic Solidarity...
KazakhstanStatements & Press ReleasesNovember 2015

International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) and Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law (KIBHR) call on the EU to prominently...
UzbekistanStatements & Press ReleasesNovember 2015

(Bishkek, November 25, 2015) – Uzbek authorities should immediately release and drop their criminal case against Uktam Pardaev, a prominent human rights activist arrested...
AzerbaijanStatements & Press ReleasesNovember 2015

We -- members of the Civic Solidarity Platform -- were relieved to learn that one of Azerbaijan’s most well-known political prisoners, Arif Yunus, has...
UzbekistanStatements & Press ReleasesNovember 2015

Rights Groups Call on UN to Hold Tashkent Accountable for Arbitrary Detention (Bishkek, November 12, 2015) – One of the world’s longest imprisoned peaceful political activists,...
AzerbaijanStatements & Press ReleasesNovember 2015

On the eve of Azerbaijan’s hearing by the UN anti-torture body, the OMCT and IPHR provided a detailed briefing on torture and other forms...
AzerbaijanStatements & Press ReleasesNovember 2015

The Sport for Rights campaign refutes the preliminary statement of findings of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) monitoring delegation to...
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KazakhstanKyrgyzstanTajikistanTurkmenistanUzbekistanStatements & Press ReleasesOctober 2015

In the next few days, US Secretary of State John Kerry will visit the five Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and...
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2014

AzerbaijanStatements & Press ReleasesDecember 2014

Yesterday, another prominent civil society figure was arrested in Azerbaijan as a Baku court authorized investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova's pre-trial detention for two months...
UkraineStatements & Press ReleasesEventsDecember 2014

On 2-3 December 2014, civil society organizations from across the OSCE region met in Basel to endorse recommendations to OSCE participating States about to meet in...
TajikistanStatements & Press ReleasesNovember 2014

We, the undersigned civil society organizations, are alarmed at the recent initiative by the government of Tajikistan to regulate and restrict access of NGOs...
AzerbaijanStatements & Press ReleasesCampaigns, Open Letters and News AlertsNovember 2014

BRUSSELS -- November 11, Azerbaijan’s six-month chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, Europe’s top human rights body, comes to...
KazakhstanStatements & Press ReleasesReports & Briefing PapersNovember 2014

This week, on 12 November 2014, a new round of the annual EU-Kazakhstan Human Rights Dialogue is scheduled to take place in Brussels. International...
TajikistanStatements & Press ReleasesOctober 2014

The widespread blocking of websites in Tajikistan in recent days seriously impedes the free circulation of information in the country and violates the right...
RussiaUkraineStatements & Press ReleasesSeptember 2014

Written statement by International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) to 2014 OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting, Working session 14, Wednesday 1 October 2014: Fundamental...
AzerbaijanKazakhstanRussiaTajikistanUzbekistanStatements & Press ReleasesSeptember 2014

Statement by International Partnership for Human Rights (Belgium), the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law, Nota Bene...
ArmeniaAzerbaijanBelarusKazakhstanMoldovaRussiaTajikistanTurkmenistanUkraineUzbekistanStatements & Press ReleasesSeptember 2014

Statement by members of the Civic Solidarity Platform to 2014 OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting, Working Session 5, Wednesday 24 September 2014: Rule of...
AzerbaijanRussiaStatements & Press ReleasesSeptember 2014

Statement by members of the Civic Solidarity Platform to 2014 OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting, Working sessions 2 and 3, Tuesday 23 September 2014:...
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2013

RussiaStatements & Press ReleasesDecember 2013

Brussels, 12 December 2013. Today ADC Memorial, a leading Russian human rights organisation, was ordered by court to register as a “foreign agent” in an...
TurkmenistanStatements & Press ReleasesDecember 2013

Brussels, Vienna 9 December 2013. The upcoming parliamentary elections in Turkmenistan highlight the fundamental lack of space for political pluralism and freedom of expression in...
RussiaOther countriesStatements & Press ReleasesNovember 2013

In the latest development in the implementation of the controversial so-called Foreign Agents Law in Russia, prosecutors are pursuing civil actions against NGOs. This...
KazakhstanStatements & Press ReleasesReports & Briefing PapersNovember 2013

This week the EU will hold a new round of its human rights dialogue with Kazakhstan to take stock of developments since the last...
RussiaStatements & Press ReleasesNovember 2013

A year ago, in November 2012, the so-called Foreign Agents Law entered into force in Russia. This controversial law, which requires any non-governmental organisation...
KazakhstanKyrgyzstanTajikistanTurkmenistanUzbekistanStatements & Press ReleasesNovember 2013

19 November 2013. Ahead of EU-Central Asian government talks scheduled to take place in Brussels tomorrow, International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) calls on the...
UzbekistanStatements & Press ReleasesOctober 2013

With a new round of EU-Uzbekistan human rights talks approaching, International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) and the International Human Rights Association (IHA) Fiery...
AzerbaijanStatements & Press ReleasesOctober 2013

According to the official results, the presidential election held in Azerbaijan on 9 October 2013 resulted in a landslide victory for incumbent president Ilham...
AzerbaijanBelarusKazakhstanKyrgyzstanRussiaTajikistanTurkmenistanUzbekistanStatements & Press ReleasesEventsSeptember 2013

2013 OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting, Working sessions 8 and 9, specifically selected topic: Freedom of association and assembly Friday 27 September 2013 Written statement...
UzbekistanStatements & Press ReleasesSeptember 2013

Members of the Civic Solidarity Platform are deeply concerned about the safety of journalist Sergey Naumov, who was arrested by police in his home town Urgench...
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2012

RussiaStatements & Press ReleasesDecember 2012

Members of the Civic Solidarity Platform condemn the December 19 raid by plain-clothed Russian police on the premises of the Human Rights House-Voronezh. Coming on the...
KazakhstanStatements & Press ReleasesDecember 2012

International Partnership for Human Rights, the Netherlands Helsinki Committee and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee are concerned about the prison sentence handed down to Kazakhstani...
KazakhstanKyrgyzstanTajikistanTurkmenistanUzbekistanStatements & Press ReleasesDecember 2012

 Civic Solidarity Platform members regret that during her recent visit to Central Asia the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs did not publicly engage...
UzbekistanStatements & Press ReleasesDecember 2012

(Paris, December 6, 2012) – The Uzbek government should unconditionally release all of its political prisoners on the 20th anniversary of the adoption of...
BelarusStatements & Press ReleasesNovember 2012

The Civil Solidarity Platform condemns the confiscation, on 26 November, of the office of its member in Belarus, the Human Rights Centre Viasna (Spring)....
KazakhstanStatements & Press ReleasesNovember 2012

Brussels, Almaty 22 November 2012. The initiative to have two prominent opposition groups and leading opposition media outlets banned on vague “extremism” allegations signals...
KazakhstanTurkmenistanUzbekistanStatements & Press ReleasesNovember 2012

As in other parts of the world, the number of internet users is quickly growing in the Central Asian countries. Between 2005 and 2011...
KazakhstanTurkmenistanUzbekistanStatements & Press ReleasesEventsSeptember 2012

Brussels 18 September 2012. International Partnership for Human Rights, the Netherlands Helsinki Committee and their Central Asian partners have prepared a set of statements...
RussiaStatements & Press ReleasesAugust 2012

We, the undersigned members of the Civic Solidarity Platform, call on the Russian appellate court, upon the filing of an appeal, to uphold Russia’s...
RussiaStatements & Press ReleasesJuly 2012

Brussels, The Hague, 17 July 2012. The International Partnership for Human Rights and the Netherlands Helsinki Committee are dismayed at the conviction of a...
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2011

KazakhstanStatements & Press ReleasesDecember 2011

20 December 2011. International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) supports the appeal made by Kazakhstani human rights organizations for a transparent, thorough and impartial...
KazakhstanTurkmenistanUzbekistanStatements & Press ReleasesReports & Briefing PapersNovember 2011

Brussels 28 November 2011. A briefing paper issued today by International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) and four partner organizations highlights problems of censorship and control of...
BelarusStatements & Press ReleasesNovember 2011

Representatives from human rights organisations, including Civil Rights Defenders, Norwegian Helsinki Committee, Human Rights House Foundation and International Partnership for Human Rights have been...
KazakhstanStatements & Press ReleasesReports & Briefing PapersOctober 2011

Almaty, Brussels, 18 October 2011. A briefing note published today by Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law and International Partnership for Human...
KazakhstanTurkmenistanUzbekistanStatements & Press ReleasesEventsSeptember 2011

Twenty years after the Soviet Union dissolved and Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan gained independence, civil society remains under serious pressure in these countries. In...
TurkmenistanStatements & Press ReleasesJuly 2011

Brussels, The Hague 19 July 2011. International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) and the Netherlands Helsinki Committee (NHC) condemn the hacking of the website...
KazakhstanStatements & Press ReleasesJuly 2011

Geneva, Brussels, The Hague, Almaty 12 July 2011. A UN review of Kazakhstan this week should address problematic practices that stifle dissent and limit...
TurkmenistanStatements & Press ReleasesJuly 2011

Brussels, Vienna, The Hague 6 July 2011. Turkmen Initiative for Human Rights, International Partnership for Human Rights and the Netherlands Helsinki Committee urge the...
KazakhstanUzbekistanStatements & Press ReleasesJune 2011

Tashkent, Almaty, Brussels and The Hague, 23 June 2011. On the eve of this year’s EU-Uzbekistan Human Rights Dialogue, which will take place in...
BelarusStatements & Press ReleasesJanuary 2011

Appeal to the OSCE Participating States on the need to take urgent measures in connection with the crisis with human rights and fundamental freedoms...

2010

KyrgyzstanTurkmenistanUzbekistanStatements & Press ReleasesDecember 2010

Brussels, 10 December 2010. Today is Human Rights Day, which this year is celebrated with the particular aim of recognizing and acclaiming the achievements...
UzbekistanStatements & Press ReleasesDecember 2010

Brussels 7 December 2010.  A statement published today by the Initiative Group of Independent Human Rights Defenders of Uzbekistan and the International Partnership for Human...
KazakhstanStatements & Press ReleasesReports & Briefing PapersNovember 2010

Brussels 23 November 2010. The International Legal Initiative (Almaty), the Women's Resource  Centre (Shymkant) and the International Partnership for Human Rights (Brussels) today released a report that analyzes...
TurkmenistanStatements & Press ReleasesOctober 2010

Brussels, The Hague, Oslo 14 October 2010. The International Partnership for Human Rights, the Netherlands Helsinki Committee and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee are seriously...
KyrgyzstanStatements & Press ReleasesEventsOctober 2010

1 October 2010. The Human Rights Center "Citizens against Corruption" (Kyrgyzstan), the Fiery Hearts Club (France) and the International Partnership for Human Rights (Belgium)...
KazakhstanKyrgyzstanTajikistanTurkmenistanUzbekistanStatements & Press ReleasesEventsSeptember 2010

30 September 2010. The International Partnership for Human Rights (Brussels), the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee (Sofia), Civil Rights Defenders (Stockholm), the Moscow Helsinki Group (Moscow),...
KyrgyzstanStatements & Press ReleasesSeptember 2010

Brussels, Bishkek 16 September 2010. The International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) and the Human Rights Center “Citizens against Corruption” (CAC) condemn the conviction...
KyrgyzstanStatements & Press ReleasesAugust 2010

Brussels, Bishkek 31 August 2010. With Kyrgyz human rights defender Azimzhan Askarov set to go on trial this week, the International Partnership for Human...
TurkmenistanStatements & Press ReleasesJune 2010

Brussels, Minsk, Sofia, Belgrade, Almaty, Moscow, The Hague, Oslo, 17 June 2010. On the eve of the third round of the EU-Turkmenistan Human Rights...
UzbekistanStatements & Press ReleasesMay 2010

Five years anniversary of Andijan tragedy: The international community should insist on accountability Initiative Group of Independent Human Rights Defenders of Uzbekistan (IGIDU), Tashkent International...
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2009

KazakhstanStatements & Press ReleasesEventsSeptember 2009

Brussels and The Hague, 9 September 2009. International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) and the Netherlands Helsinki Committee (NHC) are urging the OSCE to react strongly to the...
RussiaStatements & Press ReleasesJuly 2009

Written statement by SOVA Center for Information and Analysis and International Partnership for Human Rights to the OSCE Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting on Freedom...
ArmeniaStatements & Press ReleasesFebruary 2009

Brussels, Yerevan, 24 February 2009. Almost a year ago, a political crisis broke out in Armenia, when police used violence and excessive force to disperse...

2008

BelarusRussiaTurkmenistanUzbekistanStatements & Press ReleasesNovember 2008

Across the OSCE region, human rights defenders are involved in invaluable efforts to monitor and report on human rights problems, provide legal assistance to...
RussiaStatements & Press ReleasesApril 2008

Brussels/Moscow, 15 April 2008. On the eve of the new round of EU-Russia consultations on human rights, which will take place in Slovenia on 17...
RussiaStatements & Press ReleasesReports & Briefing PapersFebruary 2008

The Moscow Helsinki Group (MHG) and Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF) today published a report examining the impact of the so-called Russian NGO law,...