When Belief Becomes a Crime: Prisoners of Conscience in Uzbekistan

Human Rights Research Center
1 day ago
6 min read

March 18, 2026

Protesters gather in Nukus, Karakalpakstan, during the July 2022 demonstrations against constitutional changes and the ensuing government crackdown [Image credit: Eurasianet]

Introduction

In Uzbekistan, a nation at the heart of Central Asia, true freedom remains a fragile promise. Despite government rhetoric about reform and modernization, citizens who peacefully express their beliefs continue to face the harsh reality of arbitrary detention, harassment, and even long prison sentences. Labeled as prisoners of conscience, these individuals are punished for their faith, political ideas, or efforts to preserve cultural identity, not crimes. Recent cases from 2024 and 2025 demonstrate that this suppression of conscience is an active, ongoing crisis, not a relic of the past. In examining these cases, we confront the stark reality of what happens when governments criminalize belief, speech, heritage, and more.

Legal and Political Framework

Uzbekistan has undertaken a number of legal reforms in recent years, including efforts to modernize its judicial system and expand protections for citizens. However, certain laws, particularly those addressing “extremism,” “public order,” and unauthorized gatherings, can be interpreted broadly and may overlap with peaceful religious, political, or cultural activity. Religious communities are required to register formally, and informal gatherings may be subject to scrutiny. Similarly, political advocacy, especially on sensitive issues such as minority rights, criticism of government policy, or regional autonomy, can be legally complex and prosecuted as a threat to constitutional order. From a cultural perspective, promoting the Karakalpak language or traditions may be seen as subversive and framed as separatism. While these laws are intended to maintain public safety and social order, their application can result in restrictions on individual freedoms. In practice, these laws can misleadingly turn ordinary citizens into targets. Peaceful speech becomes dangerous, prayer becomes criminal, and cultural preservation is treated as rebellion.

Religious Expression: The Case of Sardor Jurayev

In June of 2024, Sardor Juarayev and eight other Muslims attended a small gathering at a private home in Karshi to pray and discuss faith. This seemingly peaceful act of devotion was seen as a crime in the eyes of Uzbek authorities, prompting police to arrest Jurayev and the others, charging them with “attempting to change constitutional order" (Art.159.3 UCC) and "creating, leading, or participating in religious extremist, separatist, fundamentalist, or other banned organizations" (Art. 244-2.1 UCC). Jurayev was sentenced to eight years in a labor camp, enduring solitary confinement with reports of torture.

Jurayev’s experience reveals a troubling pattern that needs attention: practicing religion outside government approval is perceived as a threat. In cases like this, we see that in Uzbekistan, the criminalization of devotion has transformed faith into something of a liability and has the capacity to put ordinary, regular believers in a place where they are at risk of being labeled as prisoners of conscience.

Political Expression: Dauletmurat Tazhimuratov

Dauletmurat Tazhimuratov, a Karakalpak lawyer and human rights defender, represents the high stakes of political activism in Uzbekistan. After a protest, he was charged. In 2022, he publicly opposed constitutional amendments that threatened Karakalpakstan's autonomy. Karakalpakstan is a semi-autonomous region in northwest Uzbekistan with its own distinct ethnic and cultural identity. For many Karakalpaks, like Tazhimuratov, preserving this autonomy is tied to protecting their political rights and cultural heritage. Tazhimuratov’s advocacy was peaceful, grounded in law, and aimed at protecting his community and defending the Karakalpak people’s cultural and political rights. Yet, he was charged with “conspiracy to seize power and overthrow the constitutional order” (Art. 159.4 UCC).

In July 2022, he was arrested and sentenced to 16 years in prison, where he has faced psychiatric torture, beatings, confinement, and denial of legal protections. In April 2025, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention declared his imprisonment arbitrary, highlighting major violations of international law. His case reveals how minority rights advocacy is portrayed as a threat to the state, illustrating the harsh penalties for speaking truth to power in Uzbekistan.

Cultural Expression: Rinat Utambetov

Rinat Utambetov, a Karakalpak activist and former asylum seeker in Kazakhstan, exemplifies the risks faced by those defending cultural identity in Uzbekistan. In 2024, he was detained in Kazakhstan under an extradition request from Uzbekistan. Despite having legal protections, family pressure and assurances from Uzbek authorities led him to return voluntarily in 2025. Once back, those promises were broken, and Utambetov was sentenced to two and a half years in prison under Article 159 of the Criminal Code for “attempts to undermine the constitutional order.” The charges were based on his forwarding of a few videos from the July 2022 Karakalpakstan protests and two comments in a private Telegram group of fewer than ten people.

His case highlights the broader pattern of repression against ethnic and cultural minorities, where peaceful expression can be criminalized. Utambetov’s experience underscores the fragile space for cultural advocacy and expression in the civic space in Uzbekistan.

Why These Cases Matter

The stories of Jurayev, Tazhimuratov, and Utambetov reveal a consistent pattern: Uzbekistan criminalizes peaceful expression. Private prayer is treated as extremism, political advocacy as a constitutional threat, and cultural preservation as rebellion. Beyond the individual suffering, this repression corrodes civic trust, silences debate, and diminishes public engagement. Protecting prisoners of conscience is not only a matter of justice for the detained, it is also essential for preserving the principles of freedom, dignity, and human rights.

Uzbekistan’s prisoners of conscience remind the world that repression is a present reality that needs attention. Sardor Jurayev’s imprisonment for private worship, Dauletmurat Tazhimuratov’s detention for political advocacy, and Rinat Utambetov’s prosecution for cultural preservation illustrate the breadth of this crisis. Sustained international attention, advocacy, and pressure are vital to ensuring that individuals can express their beliefs, challenge policy, and protect their culture without fear of imprisonment. Freedom of conscience should not be criminalized; it is the foundation of a just society. Uzbekistan’s treatment of these prisoners highlights the fragility of the foundation.

Glossary

Arbitrary Detention – Arrest or imprisonment without proper legal justification or due process.
Civic Space – The societal and legal environment in which individuals and communities can express themselves, assemble, and engage in public life.
Constitutional Order – The legal and political framework established by a country’s constitution.
Criminalization of Devotion – Treating religious practice or faith as a punishable offense.
Cultural Advocacy – Efforts to preserve or promote a community’s language, traditions, or identity.
Cultural Identity – The shared language, traditions, and heritage that define a community.
Extradition – The legal process of transferring a person from one country to another to face prosecution or punishment.
Extremism – Acts, ideologies, or organizations labeled by law as threatening public order, sometimes used broadly to include peaceful religious or political activity.
Freedom of Conscience – The right to hold and express personal beliefs, including religious, moral, and political convictions, without interference.
Freedom of Expression – The right to express opinions, beliefs, or ideas publicly or privately without fear of retaliation.
Human Rights Violations – Actions by governments or institutions that infringe on internationally recognized rights.
Karakalpakstan – An autonomous region in northwestern Uzbekistan with a distinct ethnic and cultural identity.
Minority Rights – Legal and social protections for ethnic, religious, or cultural groups within a country.
Political Advocacy – Peaceful actions taken to influence government policy, protect community rights, or challenge legislation.
Pre-trial Detention – Confinement of an individual awaiting trial.
Prisoner of Conscience – An individual imprisoned solely for peacefully expressing beliefs, religion, political ideas, or cultural identity.
Psychiatric Torture – The use of mental or psychological abuse as a form of punishment or coercion in detention.
Public Order Laws – Regulations intended to maintain safety and security, sometimes applied to limit peaceful gatherings or expression.
Repression – Systematic control or suppression of dissent, expression, or cultural identity.
Unauthorized Gatherings – Meetings or assemblies that are not formally approved or registered, often targeted under the law.
Vague Legal Provisions – Laws written broadly, allowing wide discretion in interpretation and application.

References

Amnesty International. (2025, October 2). Detention and Imprisonment. Amnesty International. https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/detention/#prisonersofconscience
Freedom for Eurasia. (2025, August 30). Silencing And Coercion: The Plight of Karakalpaks Under Uzbek Repression - Freedom For Eurasia. Freedom for Eurasia. https://freedomforeurasia.org/silencing-and-coercion-the-plight-of-karakalpaks-under-uzbek-repression/
Freedom Now. (2025). Welcome To Zscaler Directory Authentication. Freedom-Now.org. https://www.freedom-now.org/uzbekistan-un-declares-detention-of-journalist-and-activist-dauletmurat-tazhimuratov-a-violation-of-international-law/
Global Freedom of Expression: Columbia University. (2025, November 12). The Case of Dauletmurat Tazhimuratov - Global Freedom of Expression. Global Freedom of Expression. https://globalfreedomofexpression.columbia.edu/cases/the-case-of-dauletmurat-tazhimuratov/
U.S. Department of State: Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. (2025, January 4). Uzbekistan - United States Department of State. United States Department of State. https://www.state.gov/reports/2018-report-on-international-religious-freedom/uzbekistan
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. (2026). Sardor Jurayev. USCIRF. https://www.uscirf.gov/religious-prisoners-conscience/forb-victims-database/sardor-jurayev

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