Human Rights Watch has criticised western governments for ignoring Uzbekistan’s human rights abuses in order to preserve relations with the country.
Uzbekistan is a vital ally for NATO forces as it shares a border with Afghanistan and allows its country to be used as a transit point.
HRW accused Uzbekistan of failing to keep promises it made to stop torture.
"The west has to wake up to the fact that Uzbekistan is a pariah state with one of the worst human rights records," Steve Swerdlow, HRW's Uzbekistan researcher, said.
"Being located next to Afghanistan should not give Uzbekistan a pass on its horrendous record of torture and repression."
After a brutal crackdown on protesters in 2005, western governments harshly criticised the Uzbek regime.
The Uzbek government responded by expelling US forces from an important air base near the Afghan border.
Relations have significantly improved since then, with the US and the EU toning down criticism of the Uzbek regime.
An HRW spokesperson said: "The governments traditionally viewed as champions of the cause of human rights in Uzbekistan – the US, EU and its key members – have muted their criticism of the government's worsening human rights record, including its continuing and widespread use of torture."
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