As the United States hosts leaders from Central Asia at the C5+1 Summit, U.S. policymakers must ensure that the protection of human rights is placed at the center of the dialogue, urges Amnesty International USA.
The summit – which brings the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan to Washington for the first time under the C5+1 banner – presents a critical opportunity to address the relentless assault on media freedom, civic spaces and the rights of LGBTQI+ people in the region.
“As authoritarian practices deepen across Central Asia, it is critical that President Trump urges the region’s leaders to pivot towards protection of human rights,” said Ben Linden, Amnesty International USA’s Advocacy Director for Europe and Central Asia.
“This summit offers a chance – and test – for the United States to demonstrate that it can play a positive role on human rights and defy expectations that the summit will reflect a purely transactional approach to the region.”
Across Central Asia, authorities continue to suppress dissent and curtail human rights. In asserting tight control over the media and civil society, authorities have restricted freedom of expression, assembly, and association. Journalists have been silenced and NGOs have been forced shut. Meanwhile, LGBTQI+ individuals face systemic discrimination, harassment, and violence.
Human rights defenders throughout Central Asia routinely face threats, intimidation, judicial harassment, and arbitrary detention. One prime example is the case of Buzurgmehr Yorov, a prominent human rights lawyer and prisoner of conscience in Tajikistan, who is serving a 28-year prison sentence for peacefully exercising his human rights.
“If President Trump does not raise these issues, then members of Congress should step in and urge authorities in Central Asia to stop their assault on civil society and marginalized communities,” said Ben Linden.
“Silence at the summit would be interpreted as a green light for the region’s governments to continue their crackdown with impunity. U.S. policymakers must push authorities in Central Asia to respect human rights and allow space for civil society to operate freely.”
The governments of Central Asia are also seeking to expand their critical mineral extractions projects – a venture of keen interest to the Trump administration.
“We urge Congressional leaders to exercise oversight over any agreements that emerge from the summit, including mineral extraction projects,” said Ben Linden.
“Those agreements should include provisions that require authorities to consult in good faith with local communities and civil society. This would ensure their legitimate environmental and human rights due diligence concerns are addressed before moving forward with those projects.”
Background
On November 6, 2025, the United States will host the leaders of five Central Asian states – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan – in Washington, DC for the C5+1 Summit. The summit is expected to cover energy and critical mineral investments, trade routes, and regional security issues.
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