Central Asians In Europe, Turkey Subject To Transnational Repression

Central Asian governments have become adept at transnational repression. Based on warrants from the Tajik government, Germany, Poland, and Belarus have this year extradited Tajik nationals to Tajikistan where they faced serious, and some say politically motivated charges. In Turkey, the situation for migrant laborers from Turkmenistan has become more complicated since the Turkmen government started paying closer attention to their activities. Joining host Bruce Pannier to shed more light on this issue are Leila Nazgul Seitbek, a lawyer living in exile in Europe and the chairwoman of the NGO Freedom For Eurasia; and Steve Swerdlow, a rights lawyer and associate professor at the University of Southern California.