USCIRF Concerned by New Uzbekistan Religion Law

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) expressed its disappointment that Uzbekistan’s new Religion Law fails to address the most serious restrictions on religious freedom in the country.

“We are concerned that the newly signed legislation retains Uzbekistan’s most severe limitations on freedom of religion or belief from previous laws, including restrictions on education, literature, and sharing of religious beliefs,” said USCIRF Chair Nadine Maenza. “USCIRF urges the U.S. government to encourage Uzbekistan, as a participating state in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and member of the United Nations Human Rights Council, to continue on its path of positive change and conform its Religion Law with international standards.”

The new law, On the Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations, has some positive changes for religious freedom in Uzbekistan, such as lifting the ban on wearing religious attire in public for non-registered clergy. It also halves the number of adult citizens required for registering a new religious organization, from 100 to 50. Despite this progress, however, the law also includes a new stipulation that requires citizens registering their religious group to live in the same district, making it difficult once again for small religious organizations to register. The Uzbek government reportedly adopted the legislation “almost entirely in secret,” with infrequent public announcements and little input from citizens.

Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed the legislation into law on July 5, 2021, and its adoption follows worrying trends in the country. In recent months, Uzbek police forced practicing Muslims to shave off their beards; the Uzbek government recalled up to 1,500 students from religious schools abroad; and an Uzbek court fined a journalist for writing on religious topics.

“Uzbekistan has made some headway on religious freedom, and we applaud the Uzbek government for releasing religious prisoners of conscience Khayrullo Tursunov and Habibullah Madmarov, but the adoption of the new Religion Law and recent developments in the country show that progress remains fragile,” USCIRF Vice Chair Nury Turkel added. “The U.S. government should encourage Tashkent to stay the course of reform.”

In its 2021 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State place Uzbekistan on its Special Watch List for engaging in or tolerating severe religious freedom violations. USCIRF has also discussed Uzbekistan’s religious freedom developments in an episode of the USCIRF Spotlight Podcast published in March 2021.

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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 [email protected].

USCIRF Denounces Nigerian Religious Police Arrests of LGBTI Persons

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today denounced the arrest of five men suspected of engaging in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or intersex (LGBTI) activity in northern Nigeria. Kano state’s Hisbah Board, which enforces an official government interpretation of Shari’a law and has limited powers, conducted the arrest.

“Kano authorities remain some of the most problematic violators of religious freedom in Nigeria,” said USCIRF Chair Nadine Maenza. “The U.S. government needs to develop an engagement strategy to address these violations at the state level, including engaging diplomatically with Kano state officials to advocate for stronger religious freedom protections and enacting targeted sanctions where necessary.”

Kano’s religious Shari’a code punishes individuals convicted of LGBTI activity with lashings, prison time, or death by stoning, although there are no known cases of the latter. Hisbah brigades are state-sanctioned entities responsible for enforcing Shari’a law, which includes imposing religious precepts on the broader society regardless of individual beliefs. A 2019 USCIRF report found evidence that Hisbah brigades in Kano state also discriminated against religious minorities, including Christians and Shi’a Muslims.

Kano authorities have a track record of infringing on citizens’ rights to freedom of religion or belief, such as the continued detainment of humanist activist Mubarak Bala without charge despite a federal court order for his release. The Kano government has also detained several individuals on blasphemy charges, including Yahaya Sharif Aminu, a 23-year-old Muslim gospel musician accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammad in a private social media message. USCIRF advocates for both Mr. Bala and Mr. Sharif Aminu through its Religious Prisoners of Conscience (RPOC) project.

“A recent USCIRF report found that imposing harsh penalties for LGBTI activity justified by interpretations of Shari’a violates the right to freedom of religion or belief,” said USCIRF Commissioner Frederick A. Davie. “Nigerians have the right to hold and follow diverse views on religious precepts, including regarding sexuality, without government interference and violence. These men should be released immediately and unconditionally.”

In its 2021 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State redesignate Nigeria as a “country of particular concern,” or CPC, for engaging in and tolerating ongoing, systematic, and egregious violations of international religious freedom. The State Department designated Nigeria as a CPC for the first time in December 2020. Additionally, USCIRF has produced recent analyses on the Enforcement of Blasphemy Laws around the world, Shari’a Law in Northern Nigeria, and the Use of Shari’a as Religious Justification for Capital Punishment against LGBTI Persons.

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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 or belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected].