On 9 October 2026, a side event entitled “Developing Civil Society in the New Uzbekistan: Results of Reforms,” organised by the Centre for the Analysis of Democratic Processes, took place in Warsaw as part of the OSCE/ODIHR Warsaw Human Dimension Conference. The event was held from 15:30 to 16:30 in Meeting Room 3 – Krolewski.

During the event, representatives of the Uzbek opposition, independent civil society activists, and Karakalpak activists living abroad attempted to enter the room. However, a security officer of Uzbek nationality denied them access, stating that he was acting on orders from “above”. No specific grounds for the refusal were provided, nor was any information given about the person or entity that had issued the order.

It was only after approximately 30 minutes of negotiations with the event organisers and the responsible representatives of OSCE/ODIHR that the activists were granted access to the room.

The Erkin O‘zbekiston movement regards this incident as a serious cause for concern and as grounds for an investigation into the possible politically motivated restriction of independent civil society participation at an international OSCE forum. We demand that it be established who made the initial decision to deny the activists access, on what grounds that decision was made, and whether representatives of the official delegation of Uzbekistan were involved.

Such actions, if their political motivation is confirmed, would be contrary to the spirit of the commitments undertaken by OSCE participating States in the areas of human rights, freedom of association, and civil society participation. These principles are reflected, inter alia, in the 1990 Document of the Copenhagen Meeting of the Conference on the Human Dimension of the CSCE. We call on OSCE/ODIHR to examine this incident in the context of these commitments and the principles of open and non-discriminatory participation.

In light of the above, Erkin O‘zbekiston demands that OSCE/ODIHR:

1. Establish the source of the order to deny the activists access and determine who made the decision, on what grounds, and whether representatives of the official delegation of Uzbekistan were involved.

2. Conduct an investigation into the possible politically motivated restriction of access, including the possible selective application of access rules against representatives of the opposition and independent civil society.

3. Clarify the reasons for the initial refusal and the circumstances under which access was granted only after approximately 30 minutes of negotiations with the event organisers and the responsible representatives of OSCE/ODIHR.

4. Provide an official written response setting out the findings of the review of this incident and indicate what measures will be taken to prevent similar situations in the future.

We call on OSCE/ODIHR to ensure a transparent and impartial review of this incident and to guarantee that future events remain open to independent civil society representatives on the basis of clear, equal, and non-discriminatory rules.

Erkin O‘zbekiston believes that the openness of international dialogue must be demonstrated not only through declared principles, but also through their practical implementation.