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21 September, 2021 / uzbekistan
PUNITIVE PSYCHIATRIC DETENTION: UZBEKISTAN’S LASTING LEGACY OF SOVIET REPRESSION

PUNITIVE PSYCHIATRIC DETENTION: UZBEKISTAN’S LASTING LEGACY OF SOVIET REPRESSION

Bagmanyan had no history of mental health problems. Beginning in 2018, he had been battling to save his property from demolition by the Akhangaran city hokimiyat (administrative authorities). He was determined to save two residential homes belonging to his family and a store where he had conducted his business for the past eight years. Bagmanyan’s efforts however were in vain and, according to Bagmanyan, the properties, were demolished without prior agreement or compensation for loss of property or income from his business. His repeated attempts to secure justice were consistently ignored by the authorities who appear to have resorted to the most extreme means to silence him.
24 August, 2021 / uzbekistan
WHY ARE BLIND TEACHERS DISCRIMINATED AGAINST IN UZBEKISTAN?

WHY ARE BLIND TEACHERS DISCRIMINATED AGAINST IN UZBEKISTAN?

The involvement of blind and visually impaired teachers in the education system is necessary for the promotion of inclusion in this field of Uzbekistan. But have equal conditions and opportunities been created for them to carry out teaching activities like teachers without disabilities? Together with Dr Abdulla Abdukhalilov, an Associate Professor of Social Work at the National University of Uzbekistan and a Deputy Chairman on Strategic Planning at the Association of Disabled People Uzbekistan, we wrote a joint article at Gazeta.uz (in Russian/Uzbek) to analyse the problem based on the personal experience and successful cases of inclusion in pedagogy.
29 April, 2021 / uzbekistan
Recent workers’ victory reveals the rot in Uzbekistan’s public life

Recent workers’ victory reveals the rot in Uzbekistan’s public life

The much heralded privatisation of the Central Asian state’s cotton sector has led to claims of exploitation. But workers are fighting back
10 April, 2021 / uzbekistan
Uzbekistan joins EU’s GSP+ arrangement

Uzbekistan joins EU’s GSP+ arrangement

The EU has accepted the Republic of Uzbekistan as the 9th beneficiary country of the special incentive arrangement for sustainable development and good governance (GSP+) under the unilateral Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP). The EU will start applying preferential tariffs for products imported from Uzbekistan under this arrangement from 10 April 2021.
07 April, 2021 / uzbekistan
THE TIME FOR WORDS HAS PASSED. UZBEKISTAN SHOULD SIMPLIFY THE RULES FOR REGISTRATION OF NGOS AND LEGITIMIZE CIVIL SOCIETY VOICES

THE TIME FOR WORDS HAS PASSED. UZBEKISTAN SHOULD SIMPLIFY THE RULES FOR REGISTRATION OF NGOS AND LEGITIMIZE CIVIL SOCIETY VOICES

According to the state register of NGOs, 9,200 non-governmental organizations, national and regional, are registered and operating in Uzbekistan today. Meanwhile, the vast majority of these organizations are branches of large quasi-governmental NGOs (GONGOs) created by the state. Registration of independent NGOs is in fact a cumbersome, painful process and, despite criticism by international human rights defenders, Uzbekistan is in no hurry to change the rules to make it easier for civil society to formally register as independent organizations.
05 April, 2021 / uzbekistan
UZBEKISTAN COTTON HARVEST 2020: HIGHLIGHTS – VIDEO

UZBEKISTAN COTTON HARVEST 2020: HIGHLIGHTS – VIDEO

Despite significant progress on the eradication of forced labor in Uzbekistan’s cotton sector, new challenges have come to light since the privatization process began. Hundreds of thousands of hectares of farmland have now been transferred to private operators (clusters) leaving many farming families without work and in poverty. Because only one cluster operates per district, farmers who have retained their land are now trapped in contracts to deliver cotton to the cluster in their district, leaving them without the power to negotiate favorable terms. Instead of the state, de facto private monopolies have emerged that control entire districts.
27 March, 2021 / uzbekistan
JOINT STATEMENT REGARDING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN INDEPENDENT TRADE UNION IN UZBEKISTAN

JOINT STATEMENT REGARDING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN INDEPENDENT TRADE UNION IN UZBEKISTAN

On March 19, 2021, over 200 employees of Indorama Agro in the Syrdarya region of Uzbekistan held a meeting to establish the independent trade union, “Xalq Birligi” (People’s Unity), the first of its kind in the country. The documents required for formal registration of the union will be filed with the Ministry of Justice in the coming days. Xalq Birligi will be open to any employees of Indorama Agro who wish to join.
24 March, 2021 / uzbekistan
Harassment, Bullying, and Violence against Women in Uzbekistan.

Harassment, Bullying, and Violence against Women in Uzbekistan.

The issues of harassment, bullying, and violence against women in Uzbekistan are being covered with greater frequency in the national mass media. Lately, events involving a Polish lady reporter who was going through the process of extending her accreditation and faced harassment became a subject of a broad discussion. And while the accreditation issue was eventually dealt with in a most expeditious manner, the allegations of harassment were never investigated and the perpetrator was never brought to justice.
24 March, 2021 / uzbekistan
Cotton workers form the first independent trade union in Uzbekistan

Cotton workers form the first independent trade union in Uzbekistan

The first independent and democratic trade union organization has been formed in Uzbekistan. On March 19, 2021, 335 workers from the Indorama cotton plantations founded “Xalq Birligi” (Peoples’ Unity) in response to low wages and deteriorating working conditions in the transnational company, Indorama.
23 March, 2021 / uzbekistan
Employees of Indorama Agro LLC established an independent union - March 19, 2021

Employees of Indorama Agro LLC established an independent union - March 19, 2021

On March 19, 2021, over 200 employees of Indorama Agro LLC gathered in Sardoba in Syrdarya region to hold a founding meeting to establish an independent trade union. The employees were forced to hold the meeting outside as they were refused entry to a previously agreed conference room 20 minutes prior to the start of the meeting because of “urgent” repairs. It was agreed that employees could use another room, but the electricity was then unexpectedly cut off for reasons unknown.