VOA Uzbek: Activists say no Central Asian countries are ‘free’

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, left, and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon pose after signing documents in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on April 18, 2024. Tajikistan has been under one man's rule for over 30 years. The last time the leader changed in Uzbekistan was in 2016.

Freedom House, like other human rights organizations, considers Central Asia to be a region far from democracy. According to the report, none of the Central Asian republics allow political competition; there is no opposition, and therefore, elections are unfair and undemocratic; parliaments and courts are not independent; presidents are autocratic.