21 September 2015: The police in Uzbekistan arrested two human rights defenders, Dmitry Tihonov and Elena Urlaeva, for documenting the cotton harvest, this past weekend. Mr. Tihonov and Ms. Urlaeva have been reporting the Uzbek government’s widespread use of forced labor during this year’s cotton harvest. The Cotton Campaign demands the Uzbek government respect the rights of Ms. Urlaeva, Mr. Tihonov and all persons to report human rights concerns without fear of reprisal, and calls on the International Labour Organization, World Bank, European Union and U.S. government to publicly denounce the arrests.
The police of Angren...
