Bennett Briggs

Uzbekistan has yet to realize the full potential that religious freedom affords her citizens and while the constitution and various laws provide for religious freedom, there are other laws that restrict religious exercise, and in practice the government enforces this set of rules more frequently. Uzbekistan’s is roughly 93% Muslim, 4% Russian Orthodox, and the other 14 registered religious denominations make up the remaining 3%.

A government agency, The Committee on Religious Affairs (CRA), who is accountable to the Cabinet of Ministers, must approve all religious literature and grants licenses to religious groups who want to publish or distribute religious materials. This committee includes representatives from Muslim, Christian, and Jewish groups. The law of Uzbekistan requires all religious groups to register with these committees and imposes strict and burdensome criteria for registration.

The government makes a heavy distinction between those organizations who are registered or unregistered. Legally, an individual can be punished for the “illegal production, storage, import, or distribution of materials of religious content” related to an unregistered religion and be fined 20 to 100 times the minimum monthly salary.

There have been numerous reports of beatings and mistreatment of religious prisoners. Family members of those who died in custody while serving sentences related to what the government calls “religious extremism”, reported that when they received the remains of their relatives there were signs of torture, but authorities pressured them to bury the body quickly before a medical professional could perform and examination.

While the government does not prohibit people from changing religions, a lot of social pressure against changing exists, particularly among the majority Muslim population. There are numerous reports that ethnic Uzbeks who converted to Christianity faced harassment and discrimination.