EBRD Meeting in Tashkent Turns into Scrutiny of Host Government's Abysmal Rights Record

Uzbekistan has one of the poorest human rights records of any former Soviet republic. So human rights groups in Uzbekistan and around the world were surprized when a major financial institution chose Tashkent as the site of its annual meeting. Because the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has a mandate to promote development in those countries in the region that are committed to democracy and human rights, Human Rights Watch led a coalition of more than fifty partners in trying to induce the bank to insist that Uzbekistan make human rights improvements before the meeting in Tashkent on May 4 and 5.