Abstract
The objective of this paper is to explore the political implications of the Covid-19 pandemic in the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. Studies displayed that although these governments varied in their initial response to the pandemic, all three underwent a uniform experience as to its broader effect of amplified authoritarianism. The public health crisis was utilized as a pretext to consolidate autocratic power, suppress regime criticism, and restrict the political rights and freedoms of citizens. Of particular concern were implications on media and civil society organizational efforts, statuses of detainees, ethnic minority rights, and freedoms of assembly and speech. This paper is an in-depth case analysis that uses policy analysis and process tracing to examine the Central Asian countries’ response to Covid-19 and its effects on human rights and political freedoms in the named countries. It concludes that despite the changes in leadership and relative progress towards democratization, authoritarian patterns ensued and changed form during the pandemic period in these Central Asian countries.
Highlights
Amongst the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic was providing governments with an opportunity to assess their overall efficiency
The objective of this paper is to explore the political implications of the Covid-19 pandemic in the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan
This paper addresses the following questions: 1. How do the governments of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan exploit the
Summary
Amongst the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic was providing governments with an opportunity to assess their overall efficiency. Political regimes worldwide underwent a test in the backdrop of the global pandemic. Their capabilities to deal with the crisis democratically, without undermining the citizens‟ rights and freedoms or advancing authoritarian agendas under the guise of combating the pandemic were tried. While most countries with healthier democratic institutions ensured that any restrictions on rights and freedoms were necessary and proportionate, a number of their peers pursued clumsy or ill-informed strategies. Central Asian countries faced new challenges because of the Covid-19 outbreak. Governments have adopted a variety of policies to limit the spread of Covid, many of which restricted the political rights and freedoms of citizens. The health crisis became a source of further social tensions, which disturbed interethnic relations in these countries
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