Exercising online freedoms in Central Asia amid the COVID-19 pandemic

This report examines how the COVID-19 pandemic affected online freedoms in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, analysing internet access, restrictive legislation, surveillance, media blocking and the persecution of journalists, activists and social media users. It argues that pandemic-era controls accelerated existing authoritarian trends, deepened self-censorship and digital rights violations, and demonstrated the need for stronger legal safeguards, independent oversight and sustained international support for freedom of expression online.