The U.S. government estimates that roughly 88 percent of Uzbekistan’s population identifies as Muslim, while Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs estimates that between 93 and 94 percent of the population is Muslim. The majority of Muslims in Uzbekistan are Sunni, while approximately 1 percent are Shi’a. Around 3.5 percent of the population is Russian Orthodox, and the remaining 3 percent comprises atheists, Baha’is, Buddhists, Catholics, members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Jews, and Protestants. In recent years, Uzbekistan has sought to enact a number of legal and policy reforms to improve conditions for religious freedom and actively address some concerns raised primarily at the international level. Despite these efforts, however, and although the constitution guarantees freedom of religion or belief, the government largely preserved its interest in maintaining extensive state control over the practice of religion. Various officials remained actively involved in the effort to revise the 1998 religion law, but they did not pass an amended version of that law during 2020 and appeared likely to reject many of the recommendations that the ODIHR and the Venice Commission put forward. In addition, the Administrative Code and Criminal Code also continued to limit and allow for the punishment of religious activity that the government had not expressly sanctioned. some Christian communities and upholding a ban on police raids—it devoted comparatively less effort to easing restrictions on Muslim religious practice. On the contrary, one imam at a mosque in Tashkent said that “all mosques in Uzbekistan are under constant video surveillance” to monitor the ways attendees pray and worship, and that a person who “ignores the government’s policy in the religious sphere can find themselves behind bars.” The nongovernmental organization Forum 18 reported that in multiple instances authorities searched Muslims’ homes for unauthorized or banned religious texts, often seizing even those texts that are officially permitted. In the beginning of the year, Uzbekistan significantly expanded its list of banned religious literature and websites to include, among other things, a number of poems and materials critical of the government’s stance on Islam. Muslims frequently faced charges of “extremism” or terrorism, and they were prosecuted under various provisions of the Criminal Code—such as Articles 244.1 and 244.2—for possessing such literature in either print or electronic form or for meeting to discuss Islam. By the end of 2020, an undisclosed number of religious prisoners remained imprisoned, including Khayrullo Tursunov, who is included in USCIRF’s FoRB Victims List. However, one source indicated that the government has released as many as 1,600 religious prisoners since 2016. Legal Restrictions and Reforms Key U.S. Policy The government of Uzbekistan first pledged to revise the country’s 1998 religion law in May 2018 with the parliament’s adoption of a “roadmap” to improve religious freedom conditions. Initial versions of a revised draft law made some important improvements by lowering the number of persons required to register a local religious organization from 100 to 50, reducing the time to process registration applications, and eliminating a formal prohibition against wearing religious clothing in public, among others. However, despite the government’s continued engagement with international partners and other interlocutors who advised additional revisions to make that law compliant with international standards, officials remained adamant that under the amended law they would not allow any unregistered religious activity, missionary activity, or private teaching of religion. Other aspects of the draft law also raised concerns, such as new and potentially discretionary requirements that religious communities seeking registration obtain a “letter of consent” from the government’s Committee on Religious Affairs and a “letter of guarantee” from local authorities—as the text of the draft law specified no criteria for either the provision or denial of such letters. Government Control of Islam and Imprisonment of Muslims Officials in Uzbekistan remained most preoccupied with maintaining control over the practice of Islam in the country. Although the government made some progress regarding the ability of non-Muslim religious minorities to practice their beliefs—including by registering The United States and Uzbekistan pursued an expanded bilateral relationship in 2020. In February, the State Department released a new Strategy for Central Asia 2019–2025 that underscored continued U.S. commitment to the region, including through the promotion of rule of law reform and respect for human rights. In September, then USAID Acting Administrator John Barsa announced the opening of a new bilateral USAID Mission in Uzbekistan. At the conclusion of the State Department’s Annual Bilateral Consultations with Uzbekistan in November, the two sides announced that they would upgrade those discussions in 2021 to the status of a Strategic Partnership Dialogue. The United States also continued to prioritize religious freedom through sustained high-level engagement with the government of Uzbekistan. In February, then Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo traveled to Uzbekistan where he met with religious leaders to discuss reforms, and that same month he urged Uzbekistan to continue its “good work in granting greater degrees of religious freedom to [its] own people.” Over the course of the year, the United States worked closely with the government of Uzbekistan to reform its 1998 religion law and to advocate for the release of religious prisoners. On December 2, the State Department removed Uzbekistan from its Special Watch List “based on significant, concrete progress,” two years after delisting it from the department’s list of Countries of Particular Concern. Despite the State Department’s decision to take Uzbekistan off the Special Watch List, USCIRF concludes that the violations during 2020 remained sufficiently severe to meet IRFA’s standard for inclusion on that list. U S C I R F – R E C O M M E N D E D F O R S P E C I A L W AT C H L I S T 85 UZBEKISTAN Background