Uzbekistan Recommended for Religious Freedom Watchlist Designation

A U.S. government body that monitors global religious freedom is recommending that the State Department include Uzbekistan on its special watchlist (SWL) because of Tashkent's incarceration of 2,000 mostly observant Muslims on charges of religious extremism.

In its 22nd annual report published Wednesday, the independent, bipartisan U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said Uzbekistan merits the designation for engaging in or tolerating "severe violations" of religious freedom. The USCIRF 2021 report recommends an additional 11 countries for the State Department’s SWL: Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Cuba, Egypt, Iraq, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nicaragua and Turkey. "We urge the Uzbek government to continue to make tangible improvements on its religious freedom and human rights records," USCIRF Commissioner Nury Turkel told VOA, calling on the government of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to release an estimated 2,000 people incarcerated for religious activity nationwide.