Steve Swerdlow

Human rights lawyer, Associate Professor of the Practice of Human Rights, Dept. of Pol. Science & Int'l Relations @USC Former @hrw. Central Asia, Eurasia.

[Steve Swerdlow @steveswerdlow]

(Part 2)-Lasting peace along #Kyrgyzstan #Tajikistan border will require both sides to recognize legitimate interests & #humanrights of one another-@undp @osce shd be exercising whatever leverage they have to mediate a durable peace that includes some degree of shared sovereignty

[Eurasia Center @ACEurasia]

🗓️ FRIDAY @ 10:00 am ET | How is Russia exploiting foreign nationals in its war against Ukraine?

@ACEurasia and @SLPJustice host a virtual panel moderated by @Celeste_Kmiotek, featuring Ilya Nuzov, Rosemary Tollo, Maria Tomak, & Dmytro Usov.

Register ⬇️
https://t.co/FwnPMo2IBW

[#FreeViasna @FreeViasna]

📢UN experts expressed grave concern over the continued detention, alleged ill-treatment and denial of adequate medical care to several political prisoners in #Belarus

They warned that the health of several detainees had reportedly deteriorated severely in detention and that some may face irreversible harm if urgent medical assistance is not provided.

This refers to Aliaksandra Pulinovich, Volha Mayorava, Yahor Volkau, Stsiapan Latypau and Viachaslau Areshka.

“We urge Belarusian authorities to ensure immediate access to independent medical care and to consider humanitarian release or non-custodial measures for detainees whose health conditions place their lives and physical integrity at risk,” the experts said.

Full text - https://t.co/X7pfyM2kXG

[Azamat Junisbai 🇰🇿🇺🇦 @azamatistan]

“An eight-year-old boy and three women pulled from the rubble of apartment blocks were among 16 people killed in Dnipro, regional officials said. In the capital Kyiv, six people were killed.” https://t.co/OH6dXDlTEL

[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty @RFERL]

By building new Russian schools in Central Asia, Moscow is targeting the next generation to secure long-term influence, analysts say. https://t.co/qN7eEb8KaS

[Freedom House @freedomhouse]

Tomorrow at @OsloFF, Freedom House CEO @jamiemfly will join a discussion on the future of philanthropy and the fight for freedom. From supporting frontline activists to investing in innovative tools like Freedom House’s China Dissent Monitor, the conversation will focus on building more sustainable support for democracy and human rights worldwide. Watch the panel on June 3 at 5:45 AM ET (11:45 AM CET): https://t.co/7d8zFXbO6o

[Hanna Liubakova @HannaLiubakova]

Happy to be back at @OsloFF. The lineup is incredibly strong, and it's always deeply moving to hear the stories of fellow dissidents. I shared my own story on the main stage in 2023, and many people asked about @ihar_losik and @KatsiaAnd whose stories I told. I'm so glad to be able to say that Kacia and Ihar are now free. A throwback to that speech:
https://t.co/zoGvqRJNSB

[Sabine Machl @SabineMachl]

Meet Sumayya from Buhara! Today, on Children's Day, we hosted her as our "Resident Coordinator for a Day." As the winner of @minecofinuz & @un_uzbekistan visual contest, Sumayya
dreams of becoming a diplomat & is eager to be a part of @UNVolunteers
Our team is inspired by her!

[Vladimir Kara-Murza @vkaramurza]

« La politique d’apaisement ne fait que donner une légitimité internationale à un dictateur. Le fait que certains dirigeants occidentaux considèrent Poutine comme un partenaire, c’est complètement immoral, honteux et inacceptable ».

https://t.co/cW3CxJKGzw

[Roman Vassilenko @romanvassilenko]

#ALZHIR - the Soviet camp for wives of “traitors of the motherland” - held nearly 20,000 women, imprisoned for the supposed crimes of their husbands/other male relatives from 1937-mid 1950s.

On this #DayofRemembrance, #Kazakhstan does not forget.

https://t.co/m1uUhYmlv0

[Fran Olmos @fran__olmos]

Desde su independencia, Kazajstán ha rehabilitado a más de 650 mil personas que fueron represaliadas durante la Unión Soviética. Cómo otras repúblicas de la URSS, durante los años 20 y 30 Kazajstán perdió a gran parte de sus intelectuales en purgas
https://t.co/NJ2KIkBAyU

[Jan Egeland @NRC_Egeland]

Afghan and Iranian children have been traumatised by the intense recent bombardment across Iran.

At community centres that NRC runs with partners and for Afghan refugees, children receive basic education along with trauma care.

Most of their parents tell me they have lost the little income they had due to the economic crisis in the wake of the war.

There is an acute need for much more support for the more than 4 million Afghans hosted in Iran.

[Bruce Pannier @BrucePannier]

Due to an unforeseen complication, @SLonCentralAsia (Spotlight on Central Asia) will have to move our podcast scheduled for today, to next Sunday. Apologies. Hope you can listen in on June 7.

[Steve Swerdlow @steveswerdlow]

Much gratitude for my colleagues from @CivicSolidarity @BirDuinoEnglish @TolekanI @nhc_no who have issued statement condemning the unlawful, arbitrary entry ban placed on me by #Kyrgyzstan's authorities & calling for its immediate reversal @BrucePannier https://t.co/NLVqn0w9PU

[Hanna Liubakova @HannaLiubakova]

Having a slightly funny discussion with a colleague (another journalist/analyst) about #Belarus sanctions.

He argued: "sanctions didn't stop repression." And mentioned those imposed in 2025 as an example.

I checked the 2025 packages: most measures were clearly linked to Russia's war (co-aggression), hybrid threats (including airspace incidents) and trade restrictions aligned with Russia.

The only package explicitly tied to internal political repression (post-2025 "elections" and arrests) targeted 25 individuals and 7 entities - essentially a symbolic response to ongoing state terror.

The real question is: what level of response is actually being applied to sustained repression - and is it sufficient to create any meaningful cost?

In 2025 alone, more than 1,200 people were convicted in politically motivated trials. Against that backdrop, a narrowly targeted sanctions package affecting 25 individuals hardly looks like a measure capable of altering regime behaviour.

The regime did not de-escalate. Repression continued at scale.

So the question is not just whether sanctions "work," but whether the parts of the sanctions regime actually aimed at human rights violations are proportionate to the level of repression they are meant to deter.

What if the absence of a stronger, targeted human rights response is itself part of why escalation continues?

[Sabine Machl @SabineMachl]

Delighted to welcome Yoqutxon Sobirjonova to the UN Office yesterday!
She joins us as part of the @UKinUzbekistan #AmbassadorForADay initiative, which empowers young women & invests in the future leaders of Uzbekistan.

@UKAmbUZ
@AkikoFujii1

[Steve Swerdlow @steveswerdlow]

Thank you @FoxNews @adam_llorens for speaking w/ me about how #Kyrgyzstan authorities denied me entry to the country on May 19 at the moment while I was bringing a group of wonderful @usc students to learn about #CentralAsia & study #humanrights issues.
https://t.co/1sciIPzHud

[Azamat Junisbai 🇰🇿🇺🇦 @azamatistan]

“Russian scholars reviewing Kyrgyz secondary school textbooks reprimanded their Kyrgyz counterparts for describing the periods of Tsarist and Soviet rule as "colonialism." The Kyrgyz historians who authored the textbooks refused to bend to Moscow.”

https://t.co/x1sb6o3uzd

[Freedom House @freedomhouse]

The cancellation of RightsCon in Zambia following reported pressure from the Chinese government was not an act of #transnationalrepression. But it was an attack on the ability of members of the global civil society to build democratic momentum through cross border coordination and it reflects the Chinese Community Party’s efforts to extend its political vision far outside of China’s borders. A new host for RightsCon is urgently needed to affirm the commitment of the world’s democratic governments to civil society.

Read the latest TNR Watch: https://t.co/xVpWqfzCl1

[Kenneth Roth @KenRoth]

Under Trump's criminal orders, the US military killed two more men in a boat in the eastern Pacific. These are summary executions -- murders. The International Criminal Court is prosecuting ex Philippines Pres. Duterte for similar "drug war" executions. https://t.co/XYLaKuqf8T

[Bruce Pannier @BrucePannier]

My thanks to @thetimesoca for posting my latest report.
Can Caspian Cargo Fleets Meet Middle Corridor Demands?
https://t.co/XogqhrBhft