This open access book examines the role of international law in Central Asian affairs and sheds new light on human rights issues in Central Asian politics. It provides various case studies on Central Asian countries, including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The book is divided into eight parts: Part I sets the context, and places the subsequent chapters in a broader context of decolonisation and development. Part II offers an overview of the role of international law in Central Asia, its relationship with domestic law, and the role of international organisations in its development in the region. Part III discusses selected issues pertaining to regional security. Part IV discusses some human rights developments in Central Asia, including social and economic, labour, digital, and family rights. Part V is devoted to international criminal law, and offers an overview of Uzbekistan´s experience in combating money laundering. Part VI on international trade and investment law discussed the WTO rules on fisheries subsidies, taxation in Central Asia, and stabilisation clauses in mining contracts. Part VII deals with international legal standards of animal welfare, and discusses several environmental case studies in Central Asia. Finally, Part VIII discusses the role of international law as an academic discipline in the region.

Sergey Sayapin is Professor and Founding Director of the Center for International Law at KIMEP University (Kazakhstan). From 2000 to 2014, he held several positions at the ICRC Regional Delegation in Central Asia (Tashkent, Uzbekistan). Professor Sayapin has published extensively on international institutions, conflict and security law, human rights, international criminal law, post-Soviet and Central Asian approaches to international law, and the international legal aspects of Russia's war against Ukraine. He is co-editor for Central Asia of the Encyclopedia of Public International Law in Asia (Brill) and a member of the Executive Council of the Asian Society of International Law.