Lawlessness in Uzbekistan: Lawyers Report Police Violence and Obstruction of Access to Client

Reports of police violence, threats and restrictions on lawyers’ activities raise serious concerns about the protection of legal professionals in Uzbekistan and their clients’ access to an effective...

Mirziyoyev’s Crackdown on Freedom of Expression Extends to Activists Abroad

The limited opening of space for freedom of expression that followed President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s rise to power has gradually given way in recent years to tighter control over public discourse....

Private Citizens Publicly Named and Shamed in the Name of “Beautification”

 The Uzbek authorities have launched a nationwide initiative ostensibly to improve the beautification of local neighborhoods (mahalla). However, what has unfolded is arbitrary intrusion into private...

Uzbekistan: More Allegations of Torture and Abuse in Uzbekistan’s Prisons and Places of Detention

Three recent cases of allegations of torture and ill-treatment of rights activists Sunnatbek Qamchiyev, Javokhir Muminov and Murod Mahsudov while in detention, again expose the lack of...

Uzbekistan: Former Judges Stand Trial Over Controversial Appeal Ruling

Judge Mukhtarama Turgunova © Kun.uz The prosecution of four former judges has raised broader questions about judicial accountability and judicial independence in Uzbekistan. At the heart of the case...

Doing it the Old Way: Government Officials Use Threats and Abuse to Enforce State-Imposed Quotas for Wheat

Farmers in several regions of Uzbekistan have recently reported that local authorities are exerting pressure on them to produce inflated quotas of wheat of up to 100 centners per hectare. Farmers...

Uzbekistan: Forensic Medical Examination Confirms Injuries on Human Rights Defender Javokhir Muminov

Uzbek Forum for Human Rights has obtained a copy of a forensic medical report confirming that human rights defender Javokhir Muminov, who was arrested in Kashkadarya region on  June 5 2026,...

Human Rights Defender Javokhir Muminov Arrested in Kashkadarya Region

Human rights defender Javokhir Muminov, a member of the Uzbek human rights organization Ezgulik, was arrested in Kashkadarya region on June 5, 2026, on suspicion of extortion under Article 165(3) of...

Investigation Into School Beating Disappears From Media Amid Pressure on Journalists

A high-profile investigation into the violent beating of two school students by a teacher in Tashkent has raised serious concerns about media freedom in Uzbekistan and has also highlighted the...

Khorezm Farmer Appeals Confiscation of 129 Hectares Amid Continuing Concerns Over Land Rights

In April 2026, an economic court ruled in favor of the Kushkupir district (hokimiyat) administration in Uzbekistan’s Khorezm region and ordered the early termination of a long-term land lease...

Farmers Allege Forced Land Seizures and Destruction of Nearly 300 Hectares of Wheat

Farmers in Navbahor district of Navoi region have accused local authorities of forcibly seizing agricultural land, destroying productive wheat fields shortly before harvest, and pressuring farmers...

ADB’s Commitment to Zero Tolerance on Reprisals Meets Uzbekistan’s Reality of Fear and Silence

Safeguards exist on paper, but are development banks prepared to confront the political realities that prevent those safeguards from functioning in practice?    The Asian Development Bank’s...

Uzbekistan Continues its Crackdown on Freedom of Expression and Government Critics: Blogger Jailed for “Insulting the President Online”

Uzbekistan, which once sought to salvage its international reputation by liberalizing freedom of expression, has increasingly shifted toward tightening control over public discourse, monitoring and...

Tech Oligarchs’ Greed for Profit Endangers Free Speech in Uzbekistan: How Meta and YouTube are Failing Rights Activists and Enabling Repression

Targeted attacks in the form of copyright complaints, which have led to the removal of independent social media channels, suggest that new and effective methods of suppressing freedom of expression...

Convicted Criminal and Former Minister Freed – Mother with Cancer and Psychiatric Detention Victim Remain Imprisoned

On March 19, 2026, President Mirziyoyev announced that 392 convicted criminals currently serving prison sentences in Uzbekistan had been pardoned. Among them, 223 individuals were fully released...

“Why do they keep interfering everywhere just because they claim to represent the President?”: Teachers the latest victims of unwarranted interventions by local officials

Teachers from a secondary school in Uzbekistan’s Navoi region reported that the head (hokim) of Karmana district summoned them to the district administration building and forced them to stand during...