UZBEKISTAN USCIRF–RECOMMENDED FOR SPECIAL WATCH LIST KEY FINDINGS I n 2020, religious freedom conditions in Uzbekistan trended positively. Over the course of the year, the government registered at least eight non-Muslim religious organizations, ended a de facto ban on children attending mosques, interceded to prevent the eviction and demolition of a synagogue located in Tashkent, and released some religious prisoners. Government officials continued to engage closely with the United States and other international partners on religious freedom concerns, particularly the ongoing efforts to reform the 1998 Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations (1998 religion law). On multiple occasions, the Oliy Majlis, Uzbekistan’s parliament, invited international observers— including USCIRF, the U.S. Department of State, and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief—to participate in open parliamentary discussions of the draft law. In August, the government formally requested an opinion on the draft from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission. In October, the two organizations issued a joint opinion that criticized the draft because it “maintains major restrictions and suffers from deficiencies that are incompatible with international human rights standards.” Although the government stated at the end of the year that it was still considering some recommendations provided by the ODIHR, the Venice Commission, and others, it was unwilling to accept the more substantive revisions required to bring the draft law into full compliance with international standards. On the contrary, the government stated that it will preserve in the law many problematic provisions, including those prohibiting unregistered religious activity, private religious education, and missionary activity. According to the draft, the law also will continue to set difficult and potentially discretionary registration requirements, place limitations on the location of religious rites and ceremonies, and subject all religious literature and related materials to official review and approval. Reports throughout the year indicated that authorities in Uzbekistan continued to harass, detain, and imprison Muslims who practiced Islam independently of strict state controls or possessed unauthorized or allegedly “extremist” sermons and other religious texts in print or electronic form. In March, human rights activist Musajon Bobojonov was arrested and sentenced to five days in prison for conducting a nikah, an Islamic marriage ceremony, without state permission. In April, authorities visited Dr. Alimardon Sultonov following an inquiry he made about the prevalence of COVID-19 cases in the area, seized his computer for containing illegal religious texts, and sentenced him to 14 months restricted freedom. In December, authorities pulled Shi’a Muslim Rashid Ibrahimov from a taxi, brought him in for questioning, and forcibly gained access to his phone where they discovered religious materials. It was unclear by the end of the year whether he would face charges. Although President Shavkat Mirziyoyev issued multiple pardons releasing and reducing the sentences of many religious prisoners throughout the year—including releasing prisoners Aramais Avakian and Ruhiddin Fahriddinov, who were included in USCIRF’s Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) Victims List—a few thousand religious prisoners are estimated to remain in prison. Moreover, in 2020 the government arrested an undetermined number of individuals under broad and ill-defined charges of “extremism” that many observers viewed with skepticism given Uzbekistan’s “history of alleging extremism accusations to target political opposition” and religious individuals. In March, the United Nations Human Rights Committee expressed concern about the persistence of torture in prisons and other detention facilities and the use of arbitrary arrest, detention, and torture against independent Muslims. RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE U.S. GOVERNMENT • Include Uzbekistan on the State Department’s Special Watch List for engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom pursuant to the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA); the government to remove registration requirements on religious communities, permit the possession and distribution of religious literature, and permit the sharing of religious beliefs; • Work with the government of Uzbekistan to revise the 1998 religion law and other relevant legislation to comply with international human rights standards and encourage • Press at the highest levels for the immediate release of individuals imprisoned for their peaceful religious activities or religious affiliations, and press the government of Uzbekistan to treat prisoners humanely and allow for independent prison monitoring; and • Allocate funding for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and U.S. Embassy in Tashkent to provide litigation support to individuals and religious communities prosecuted in connection with their peaceful religious activities. KEY USCIRF RESOURCES & ACTIVITIES • • • • 84 Podcast: How Far Has Tashkent Gone in Greater Respect for Religious Rights? (in Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) Issue Update: The Global Persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses Press Statement: USCIRF Welcomes Legal Reform Efforts in Uzbekistan, Urges Conformity with International Standards Country Update: Assessing Religious Freedom in Uzbekistan USCIRF | ANNUAL REPORT 2021