A joint submission to Draft General Comment No. 38 on Article 22 (Freedom of Association) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights was prepared by Eurasian Harm Reduction Association – EHRA, Eurasian Coalition for Health, Rights and Sexual Diversity – ECOM, Eurasian Women’s Network on AIDS – EWNA, Sex Workers’ Rights Advocacy Network – SWAN.
Freedom of association remains under pressure across the region, with governments introducing or implementing laws that expand state control over civil society organizations (CSOs) and constrain their access to funding. While all eleven countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Russia – formally recognize this right in their constitutions, the practical environment for non-governmental and community-led organizations (CLOs) varies widely. Two countries – Kyrgyzstan and Georgia – adopted foreign-agent-style legislation in 2024, and several others have discussed or maintained analogous mechanisms that limit organizational independence.
The submission covers following issues:
- Restrictive legislation: foreign agent laws and similar measures.
- Challenges to registration of community-led organizations.
- Funding restrictions and access to resources.
- Audits, inspections and pressure on organizations.
- Restrictions on feminist and women’s rights assemblies.
- Overall trends and implications.
Read the full submission