Uzbekistan Exports Repression to Warsaw

Karakalpak Representatives Initially Barred from OSCE Human Rights Event

Warsaw, October 13, 2026 | Via Serica Foundation

Karakalpak representatives came to the OSCE Warsaw Human Dimension Conference to expose discrimination and political persecution. On October 9, they encountered exclusion at the conference itself: they were initially barred from an Uzbekistan-focused side event and admitted only after ODIHR intervened. Participants also report that Uzbek representatives instructed OSCE conference security, which stopped photography and video recording. In Via Serica Foundation’s assessment, these incidents brought Uzbekistan’s practices of discrimination and information control beyond its borders and into a forum dedicated to protecting human rights.

“Developing Civil Society in the New Uzbekistan: Results of Reforms,” organized by the Centre for the Analysis of Democratic Processes, carried no published notice requiring an invitation or advance registration. Nevertheless, participants report that two guards providing OSCE-funded conference security selectively restricted admission, initially excluding Karakalpak representatives. Once admitted, they encountered a one-sided presentation with no question-and-answer session. A discussion claiming to demonstrate civil society development denied those seeking accountability an opportunity to question its claims.

Earlier, in the same Królewski room, the Karakalpak Diaspora in the U.S.A. and Via Serica Foundation jointly hosted “Political Persecution in Karakalpakstan and the Cross-Border Targeting of Dissidents.” According to participants, journalist Derya Soysal criticized the absence of professional interpreters, which organizers explained they could not afford, and challenged accounts of discrimination by citing favorable travel experiences. Karakalpak representatives responded that hospitality toward visitors, flags on display, and a visitor’s ability to speak Uzbek cannot establish whether Karakalpaks can safely defend their rights or criticize authorities.

The concern extends beyond government-aligned NGOs to the overlap between journalism and promotion of Uzbekistan’s image. EUReflect documents Soysal’s organization of a tourism workshop at Uzbekistan’s embassy in Brussels on May 29, 2026. Uzbekistan’s Foreign Ministry lists her as an accredited correspondent for Euroasia Focus. These records establish promotional involvement and accreditation, not government payment or direction of her Warsaw intervention. Such relationships nevertheless warrant disclosure when journalists challenge testimony about a government whose image they have helped promote.

The Uzbekistan-focused event’s organizer also has documented state connections: Uzbekistan’s embassy in France identifies Azamat Pardaev as both the Centre’s director and a member of parliament. These ties reinforce concerns about government-aligned organizations presenting official narratives under the banner of civil society. Some delegation representatives told Via Serica they were uncertain how to prevent government-organized non-governmental organizations, commonly known as GONGOs, from using limited plenary speaking time to praise governments, reducing opportunities for independent testimony.

Via Serica welcomes ODIHR’s intervention and calls on the OSCE and ODIHR to establish who ordered the admission and recording restrictions, what authority permitted them, and whether OSCE-funded security was used consistently with conference procedures. Clear safeguards and disclosures must protect independent participation and prevent conference resources from serving discriminatory exclusion.

Uzbekistan’s borders should not extend to a conference room in Warsaw. Its claims of reform must withstand independent testimony, documentation, and questions, not depend on controlling who enters the room.

Incident accounts were provided by Karakalpak participants. Comments attributed to delegation representatives reflect conversations with Via Serica Foundation. Responsibility for the restrictions, security instructions, funding arrangements, and compliance with conference procedures requires confirmation by the OSCE and ODIHR.