Source: www.uscirf.gov
Date: October 12, 2021
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released a new report titled “Uzbekistan’s Religious and Political Prisoners: Addressing a Legacy of Repression.”
Uzbekistan Report - The report estimates that over 2,000 individuals remain imprisoned by the Uzbekistan government for peacefully practicing their religious beliefs and documents the cases of 81 specific prisoners, many of whom are serving some of the longest politically-motivated jail sentences in the world. It presents the history of religious repression in Uzbekistan over the past three decades from the presidency of Islam Karimov to today; the legal provisions employed by the Uzbek government to detain peaceful religious practitioners, often on vague charges of “extremism”; Uzbekistan’s extensive prison infrastructure; the authorities’ use of torture; and other forms of abuse.
USCIRF is hosting a virtual webinar to launch the report today at 2:00 PM ET. Please register for this event here.
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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at