Human rights group slams central Asian regimes
for the increasing number of human rights violations

12/11/2001
Agence France-Presse
(Copyright 2001)

VIENNA, Dec 11 (AFP) - Authoritarian regimes in central Asia are committing an increasing number of human rights violations, and could use the war on terrorism as an excuse to clamp down further on their domestic critics, a rights group warned Tuesday.

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tadjikistan and Turkmenistan have hardly made any progress towards democracy during the 10 years since the demise of the Soviet Union, said the International Helsinki Federation (IHF).

The five states, all members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), have been on or near the frontline of the US-led strikes on Afghanistan in the wake of September 11.

"While recognizing the right of all states to defend themselves against terrorism, it is feared that the authoritarian governments in central Asia may take advantage of the anti-terror campaign to take action against their political opponents," said an IHF report.

"The threat of terrorism in the central Asian member states of the OSCE needs to be considered in the context of increasing violations of human rights standards," added IHF head Aaron Rhodes.

The IHF report is to presented at a counter-terrorism conference later this week in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek.