Uzbekistan

The last time an Uzbek president faced a serious challenger was in 1991. Erk hasn’t been allowed to front a candidate since.

In May 2020 and March 2021, the United States started up two new trilateral dialogues pairing Afghanistan with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. 

Instead of progress on decriminalizing defamation, Uzbek authorities have amended the criminal code to include online insults of the president as punishable with prison time. 

A blogger who suggested Uzbekistan decriminalize gay sex was brutally attacked. The Interior Ministry and others blame him for provoking the assault.

Kyrgyz officials laud a protocol signed with Uzbekistan to settle, once and for all, the border. Much work remains ahead to realize the agreement on the ground.

Tashkent is organizing a high-level conference this summer aimed at bridging Central Asian countries and South Asian markets. 

Tajik students, for now, are not among those being allowed to return to their studies in Russia. 

In the Kyrgyz president’s first state visit to Uzbekistan earlier this month, border issues topped the agenda.

A majority of girls in Uzbekistan have experienced some form of street harassment, from catcalls to physical assault.

Recent events further dim already bleak hopes for a free and fair presidential election in Uzbekistan later this year.

In an investigation released this week, RFE/RL poked into the Uzbek president’s alleged secret resort in the mountains.