Central Asian countries strengthen regional co-operation on electronic evidence

On 12 and 13 November, representatives of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan came together in Tashkent, Uzbekistan for the Central Asian Regional Workshop on Requesting Electronic Evidence Across Borders, organized by the OSCE Transnational Threats Department in co-operation with the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan.

The two-day workshop focused on improving cross-border access to electronic evidence for investigating online crimes, including terrorism, while ensuring full respect for human rights. Experts from the UNODC, European Union, Ludwig Boltzmann Institute and several online service providers joined the representatives of national judicial, prosecutorial and law enforcement authorities for the discussions.

The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Central Asia, Nico Schermers, noted the value of regional dialogue and collaboration between governments, practitioners, and the private sector. "Through close cooperation, concrete progress has been made across the region in both legislative development and institutional strengthening. Central Asia has demonstrated impressive commitment to addressing the complex issue of cross-border access to electronic evidence, moving from analysis to action," he said.

Participants reviewed national progress since the 2024-2025 needs assessment missions conducted by the OSCE and discussed developing standard operating procedures for cross-border requests, aligning national laws with international conventions and strengthening interagency and international co-operation.

Opening the event, Clemens Schwanhold, Deputy Head of Mission of the German Embassy in Uzbekistan, emphasized that "Germany firmly believes that effective investigative powers must go hand in hand with strong safeguards for privacy, data protection, and fair-trial guarantees. We commend the region's commitment to aligning national legislation with international standards, particularly those reflected in the Budapest and UN Conventions on Cybercrime."

The discussion also focused on the new UN Convention on Cybercrime signed by Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan at the end of October and Uzbekistan's plans for the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime. "We are proud to announce that Uzbekistan will initiate the process of joining the Budapest Convention. We would like to express our appreciation to the OSCE for its continued support and facilitation throughout this process," said Gayrat Musaev, Associate Professor of Law and an official from the Administration of the President of Uzbekistan.

International experts, including representatives of the Dutch National Police and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, shared practical examples of cross-border collaboration. Service providers outlined good practices for working transparently with law enforcement while respecting human rights.

Fejzo Numanaj, Officer-in-Charge of the OSCE Transnational Threats Department's Action against Terrorism Unit pointed to the central role of human rights in the digital sphere: "Every law and procedure on cross-border access to electronic evidence must ensure due process, judicial oversight and privacy safeguards. Without these fundamental principles", he said, "initiatives to improve access to electronic evidence risk undermining justice, eroding public trust and obstructing international co-operation".

The workshop marked another step toward a shared regional approach to handling electronic evidence. It was organized under OSCE Project E-VIDENCE, helping participating States strengthen legal frameworks, operational capacity and co-operation with service providers to investigate online crimes while upholding human rights standards, which is supported by Germany and the Netherlands.