Uzbekistan

In 1991, Uzbekistan emerged as a sovereign country after more than a century of Russian rule. A former Communist, Islam Karimov, emerged as President. He ruled the country as dictator until his death in 2016, during which time he exercised a ruthlessly authoritarian approach to all forms of opposition, using the danger of Islamic militancy to justify the absence of civil rights. His successor, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, has implemented a number of liberalizing economic reforms and released dozens of political prisoners. However, generally speaking, progress in the field of human rights has been slow. The State retains vast powers to harass and detain perceived critics and thousands of peaceful religious believers remain arbitrarily imprisoned on vague charges of spreading extremism.[ref]https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/10/07/charting-progress-mirziyoyevs-uzbekistan[/ref] Media freedoms have improved slightly under Mirziyoyev but censorship and surveillance are still rife.[ref]https://rsf.org/en/uzbekistan[/ref]

Uzbekistan is a member state of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

Constitution and government Education and children’s rights Family, community, society, religious courts and tribunals Freedom of expression advocacy of humanist values
It is made difficult to register or operate an explicitly Humanist, atheist, secularist or other non-religious NGO or other human rights organization
Expression of core humanist principles on democracy, freedom or human rights is severely restricted
Some concerns about children's right to specifically religious freedom
Concerns that secular or religious authorities interfere in specifically religious freedoms
No condition holds in this strand
Constitution and government
No condition holds in this strand
Education and children’s rights
Some concerns about children's right to specifically religious freedom
Family, community, society, religious courts and tribunals
It is made difficult to register or operate an explicitly Humanist, atheist, secularist or other non-religious NGO or other human rights organization
Freedom of expression advocacy of humanist values
Expression of core humanist principles on democracy, freedom or human rights is severely restricted
Concerns that secular or religious authorities interfere in specifically religious freedoms
Use of Conscientious Objection clauses resulting in the denial of lawful services to women and LGBTI+ people
Religious or ideological instruction is mandatory in all or most state-funded schools with no secular or humanist alternative
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report
The state is secular, with separation of religious and political authorities, not discriminating against any religion or belief
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report
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Countries: no countries relate to this boundary condition

No condition holds in this strand
No condition holds in this strand
No condition holds in this strand
Religious courts or tribunals rule directly on some family or ‘moral’ matters; it is legally an opt-in system, but the possibility of social coercion is very clear
No condition holds in this strand
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Countries: no countries relate to this boundary condition

Localised or infrequent but recurring and widespread social marginalisation or prejudice against the non-religious
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This condition is unusual in that it is applied in cases where there is some social discrimination, but it is not pervasive or nationwide. This condition is applied when there is sufficient background evidence to warrant the assertion that discrimination is not anomalous but widespread, and this condition may be applied for example even where if there is no legislative discrimination or where the non-religious may have legal recourse against such discrimination. However, societal discrimination (i.e. discrimination by peers, as opposed to state or legal discrimination) is not easily measured, and for this reason the Report does not currently have similar more severe boundary conditions to capture higher levels of social discrimination per se. In principle these may be introduced in future. However, we consider that countries with actual higher levels of social discrimination against the non-religious will generally already meet other higher level (more severe) boundary conditions under this thematic strand.

Countries: Botswana, Greece, Serbia, United States of America

The dominant influence of religion in public life undermines the right to equality and/or non-discrimination
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Applied when the influence of religion on public life undermines others’ rights, such as SRHR, women’s rights, LGBTI+ rights.

May be applied when the influence is overt (i.e. when religious laws are applied to undermine others’ rights) or covert (i.e. where religious pressure groups exert influence to affect policy)

Countries: Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Brunei Darussalam, Congo, Democratic Republic of, Croatia, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Eswatini, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Hungary, Iran, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Liberia, Lithuania, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Mozambique, Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Oman, Paraguay, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, Zambia

The non-religious are persecuted socially or there are prohibitive social taboos against atheism, humanism or secularism
Complete tyranny precludes all freedoms of expression and thought, religion or belief
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Applied when overriding acts of oppression by the State are extreme, to the extent that the question of freedom of thought and expression is almost redundant, because all human rights and freedoms are quashed by authorities.

Countries: North Korea

Expression of core Humanist principles on democracy, freedom and human rights is brutally repressed
Expression of non-religious views is severely persecuted, or is rendered almost impossible by severe social stigma, or is highly likely to be met with hatred or violence
There is significant social marginalisation of the non-religious or stigma associated with expressing atheism, humanism or secularism
Religious or ideological indoctrination is utterly pervasive in schools
There is a nominal state church with few privileges or progress is being made toward disestablishment
The non-religious are barred from some government offices (including posts reserved for particular religions or sects)
‘Apostasy’ is outlawed and punishable with a prison sentence
‘Apostasy’ or conversion from a specific religion is outlawed and punishable by death
Some religious courts rule in civil or family matters on a coercive or discriminatory basis
Religious authorities have supreme authority over the state
Preferential treatment is given to a religion or religion in general
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This condition is applied where there are miscellaneous indicators that organs of the state offer various forms of support for a religion, or to religion in general over non-religious worldviews, suggesting a preference for those beliefs, or that the organs of that religion are privileged.

Countries: Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Burundi, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Finland, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Montenegro, Mozambique, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Rwanda, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Tunisia, Turkey, Tuvalu, United Kingdom, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Zimbabwe

There is a pattern of impunity or collusion in violence by non-state actors against the nonreligious
State-funded schools provide religious education which may be nominally comprehensive but is substantively biased or borderline confessional
Religious or ideological instruction in a significant number of schools is of a coercive fundamentalist or extremist variety
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This condition highlights countries where schools subject children to fundamentalist religious instruction with no real opportunity to question fundamentalist tenets, or where lessons routinely encourage hatred (for example religious or ethnic hatred). The wording “significant number of schools” is not given a rigid quantification (sometimes the worst-offending schools are unregistered, illegal, or otherwise uncounted); however the condition is not applied in cases where only a small number of schools meet the description and may be anomalous, as opposed to being indicative of a widespread problem.

Countries: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia

State legislation is largely or entirely derived from religious law or by religious authorities
Religious or ideological instruction is mandatory in at least some public schools (without secular or humanist alternatives)
‘Blasphemy’ or criticism of religion is outlawed and punishable by death
Government figures or state agencies openly marginalize, harass, or incite hatred or violence against the non-religious
It is illegal to advocate secularism or church-state separation, or such advocacy is suppressed
Quasi-divine veneration of a ruling elite is enforced, or a single-party regime holds uncontested power, subject to severe punishment
Legal or constitutional provisions exclude non-religious views from freedom of belief
It is illegal to register an explicitly Humanist, atheist, secularist or other non-religious NGO or other human rights organization, or such groups are persecuted by authorities
There is a religious tax or tithing which is compulsory, or which is state-administered and discriminates by precluding non-religious groups
The non-religious are barred from holding government office
Some concerns about children's right to specifically religious freedom
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This condition may apply if specifically religious education, religious materials, or specific religious denominations are so tightly controlled that children are in fact over-protected from exposure to religion and are likely unable to explore or construct their own worldview in accordance with their evolving capacities. This condition helps us to classify states (perhaps with secular constitutions) which have criminalized specifically religious beliefs or practices. This condition is not applied if the restricted beliefs or practices are found to be outlawed due to their being of an extremist variety. While this condition does not directly reflect discrimination against non-religious persons or non-religious ideas, it does represent an overall threat to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief; such restrictions could spill over to affect non-religious beliefs later; and they pose a risk of backlash against over-zealous secular authorities or even against non-religious individuals by association.

Countries: China, Congo, Democratic Republic of, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Guyana, Italy, Kazakhstan, Laos, Madagascar, Mexico, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Tajikistan, Togo, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Zimbabwe

It is illegal or unrecognised to identify as an atheist or as non-religious
It is made difficult to register or operate an explicitly Humanist, atheist, secularist or other non-religious NGO or other human rights organization
Legend
 
Severe Discrimination
Systemic Discrimination
Mostly Satisfactory
No Rating
More information about rating table

Constitution and government

Uzbekistan is an avowedly secular state. Article 31 of the Constitution states:

“Freedom of conscience is guaranteed to all. Everyone shall have the right to profess or not to profess any religion. Any compulsory imposition of religion shall be impermissible.”[ref]https://www.refworld.org/pdfid/3ae6b60c0.pdf[/ref]

The 1998 Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations (“1998 Religion Law”) contains several restrictions on the exercise of the right of freedom of religion or belief. All religious groups are required to register with the Ministry of Justice, otherwise their communal activities may be met with criminal sanction. Minority groups in particular have struggled to meet the burdensome registration requirements, which include having a permanent representation in eight of the country’s thirteen provinces for central registration or at least 100 members applying for registration in a specific locality.[ref]https://www.ohchr.org/ru/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=22224&LangID=r[/ref]

The 1998 Religion Law also prohibits proselytizing, bans religious subjects in public schools, prohibits the private teaching of religious principles, and requires religious groups to obtain a license to publish or distribute religious publications. People who ‘illegally’ distribute leaflets or literature via social networks have been subject to criminal prosecution and have faced jail terms ranging from 5 to 20 years, for spreading extremist ideology.[ref]https://www.ohchr.org/ru/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=22224&LangID=r[/ref]

The UN Special Rapporteur on Religion or Belief, Ahmed Shaheed, conducted a country visit to Uzbekistan in October 2017, as a result of which a religious “roadmap” was approved by the parliament in 2018 to implement 12 recommendations proposed by the Special Rapporteur.

Education and children’s’ rights

The education system in Uzbekistan is strictly secular, with even private religious instruction being prohibited. There are some officially sanctioned religious schools with state-approved instructors. Only registered religious groups are allowed to set up schools.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2019-report-on-international-religious-freedom/uzbekistan/[/ref] There are reportedly at present 11 specifically Islamic educational institutions in Uzbekistan.[ref]https://eurasianet.org/uzbekistan-hopes-islamic-education-is-the-antidote-to-extremism[/ref]

As the UN Special Rapporteur states in his report:

“The State discourages children under age sixteen from practicing religion or visiting places of worship in Uzbekistan as they think children must complete their compulsory education and make an informed choice later if they wish to practise religion.”[ref]https://www.ohchr.org/ru/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=22224&LangID=r[/ref]

Family, community and society

Monitoring and suppression of religious groups

Laws against religious ‘extremism’ have been criticized for being overly broad and failing to distinguish between nonviolent religious beliefs and ideologies supporting violence.[ref]https://uz.usembassy.gov/2019-report-on-international-religious-freedom-uzbekistan/[/ref] Devout Muslims are common targets of these laws, particularly if they outwardly express their belief by growing beards or wearing hijabs. In August 2019, police detained dozens of men at a local market in Tashkent and forced them to shave their beards.[ref]https://www.rferl.org/a/uzbek-men-reportedly-detained-forced-to-shave-beards/30129899.html[/ref] There are also reports of teachers being instructed to stand outside schools to demand female students remove their head scarves before entering the building.[ref]https://www.rferl.org/a/uzbek-teachers-get-tough-assignment-remove-their-hijabs-but-don-t-hurt-their-feelings-/30208276.html[/ref]

There are reports of individuals being randomly arrested by secret police at gatherings in tea houses or on the streets for discussing aspects of their faith in public, which invites charges under Criminal Code Articles 244-2, Part 1 (“Creation, leadership or participation in religious extremist, separatist, fundamentalist or other banned organisations”) or 155-3, Part 1 (“Terrorism”).[ref]http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2586[/ref] Between August and September 2018, at least four bloggers were arrested for covering religious issues in their writing, advocating for Islam to play a greater role in society and criticising the ban on hijabs.[ref]https://cpj.org/2018/09/uzbekistan-arrests-at-least-four-bloggers-over-pos/#:~:text=Under%20the%20rule%20of%20the,outside%20the%20state%2Dcontrolled%20mosques.&text=Police%20on%20August%2028%20detained,independent%20Uzbek%20news%20site%2C%20Kun.[/ref]

Jail sentences for alleged membership of banned organizations have been imposed without evidence. In Tashkent, a Muslim father and son who taught the Koran to school-aged children were charged with: “Teaching religious beliefs without specialized religious education and without permission from the central organ of a [registered] religious organization, as well as teaching religious beliefs privately.” They face up to three years in prison.[ref]rferl.org/content/uzbek-propagating-islam/25175284.html[/ref]

Moreover, while President Mirziyoyev has issued a decree prohibiting the use of torture to extract confessions and the admission of such confessions as evidence in court proceedings, human rights groups report that it remains routine for Uzbek security forces to use torture to extract forced confessions from people accused of extremism.[ref]https://freedomhouse.org/article/has-mirziyoyev-really-brought-religious-liberty-uzbekistan[/ref]

Christian groups are targeted as well. Several devout Christians had their homes searched and religious literature, including the Bible, seized. Fines for possession of such materials have become increasingly harsh. The extent of the attack on human rights is summed up by the following quote:

“Citizens are arrested on arbitrary charges, denied due process, and tortured during interrogation and in prison. Since the events in Andijon in May 2005, when government forces opened fire on a crowd of protesters, including women and children, Uzbekistan’s regime has become increasingly insular, opposing foreign efforts to monitor or intervene in domestic political affairs and rejecting cooperation with international organizations.”

— Nations in Transit 2014 – Uzbekistan, Freedom House

Freedom of expression, advocacy of humanist values

Freedom of the media

Uzbekistan’s media outlook has seen some modest improvement in recent years, with access to some long-banned sites being lifted (including Voice of America, Amerika ovozi, BBC Uzbek, Deutsche Welle, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Eurasianet.org and Uzmetronom[ref]https://iwpr.net/global-voices/uzbekistan-small-dose-media-freedom[/ref]) and journalists venturing to cover more politically-sensitive subjects.[ref]https://www.hrw.org/report/2018/03/29/you-cant-see-them-theyre-always-there/censorship-and-freedom-media-uzbekistan[/ref]

However, authorities continue to selectively prosecute and harass journalists, writers and bloggers for expressing critical views, on matters such as advocating for greater religious freedoms to spreading ‘false information’ on COVID-19.[ref]https://cpj.org/europe/uzbekistan/[/ref]

Highlighted cases

Atheists are not immune from surveillance. In April 2011, a Tashkent-based couple Vyacheslav Shinkin and Snezhana Galiaskarova were found guilty of producing and spreading religious literature and conducting meetings and other illegal activities, despite the fact that Shinkin is an atheist while his wife inherited the books from her father. They were given a combined fine of 5.5 million uzbecks ($2,000), equivalent to 110 minimum monthly wages. In addition, the court ruled to destroy the literature confiscated from the couple, among them three rare publications of the Bible, children’s books on Christianity, and literary works.[ref]uznews.net/en/human-rights/20889-uzbekistan-fines-atheist-couple-for-storing-bibles[/ref]