HRW Urges Human Rights Focus in Tajikistan-Kyrgyzstan Border Agreement

Human Rights Watch insists that Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan prioritize human rights in their border agreement. The organization stresses the need for justice for war crime victims from 2022. The deal, effective from March 2025, includes resource sharing and demilitarization, aimed at ending decades of disputes. UN Secretary-General commends the agreement as a significant achievement.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called upon Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to prioritize the human rights of local populations in their recent agreement aimed at resolving a protracted border crisis. The organization emphasized the need for both countries to ensure justice for victims of war crimes from the conflict in 2022, advocating for thorough investigations into alleged violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. Furthermore, HRW urged initiatives aimed at promoting human rights and reducing hate speech within border communities.

Hugh Williamson, the Europe and Central Asia director at HRW, highlighted the importance of building trust between border communities through a commitment to human rights. He stated that achieving “long-lasting peace will require rebuilding trust based on respect for human rights between border communities and reckoning with the injustices committed during past conflicts.”

The 2022 conflict resulted in significant casualties, with at least 37 civilians killed and thousands displaced, raising serious allegations of war crimes against both nations. Moreover, the previous clashes in 2021 led to additional civilian fatalities. Both Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan are signatories to Additional Protocol I of the Geneva Conventions, which prohibits targeting civilians and indiscriminate attacks.

The agreement, signed on March 13, 2025, ended a decades-long dispute by reopening the 1,000-kilometer border, with both parliaments ratifying the deal. Under the terms, both nations are committed to mutual resource sharing, demilitarization, and equitable land exchanges. HRW has pressed for the upholding of this agreement to ensure that local populations have sufficient access to education, water, and housing.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres commended this agreement, labeling it a “historic achievement.” The border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan remained unmarked post-independence from the Soviet Union, leading to recurring disputes over vital agricultural resources. Significant violence only came to the forefront in 2021, marking a new phase in their conflict.

In summary, HRW advocates for human rights to be central in the border agreement between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, emphasizing justice for victims of past conflicts. The agreement aims to foster stability with commitments to share resources and demilitarize contested lands. International recognition, notably from the UN, underscores the significance of this deal in addressing historical grievances and ensuring local populations are supported in their basic needs.

Original Source: www.jurist.org