Gender: Male
Current Location: Investigation Prison No. 5 in Karshi (Shaykhali Prison)
Perpetrator: Uzbekistan
Religion or Belief: Muslim – Sunni
Reports of Torture: Yes
Sentence: 7 Years in Labor Camp
Date of Detainment: June/18/2024
Date of Sentencing: December/18/2024
Current Status: Not Released
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Discussing Religion & Religious Texts
Nature of Charges: Extremism
Jamshid Abdirakhimov
Extra Bio Info:
Jamshid Abdirakhimov is in a labor camp for his independent religious activity.
On June 18, 2024, police arrested Abdirakhimov and seven other Muslims after six of them had attended a meal at the home of a state employee on that day. Reportedly, the employee regularly arranges meetings for Muslims during which he encourages attendees to make illegal statements while secretly recording them. During the arrests, police were dressed in military camouflage, carried machine guns, and used force. The Kashkadarya Regional Police Criminal Investigation Department charged Abdirakhimov with "creating, leading, or participating in religious extremist, separatist, fundamentalist or other banned organizations" (Art. 244-2.1 UCC).
On December 18, 2024, the Karshi Criminal Court sentenced Abdirakhimov to seven years in a labor camp.
Related Cases: Laziz Vokhidov; Khasan Abdirakhimov; Gaybullo Jalilov; Anvar Abdullayev; Sardor Jurayev; Umar Khalimov
Publicly Available Information:
Gender: Male
Current Location: Investigation Prison No. 5 in Karshi (Shaykhali Prison)
Perpetrator: Uzbekistan
Religion or Belief: Muslim – Sunni
Reports of Torture: Yes
Sentence: 10 Years' Imprisonment
Date of Detainment: June/18/2024
Date of Sentencing: December/18/2024
Current Status: Not Released
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Discussing Religion & Religious Texts
Nature of Charges: Extremism
Laziz Vokhidov
Extra Bio Info:
Laziz Vokhidov is imprisoned for his independent religious activity.
On June 18, 2024, police arrested Vokhidov and seven other Muslims after six of them had attended a meal at the home of a state employee on that day. Reportedly, the employee regularly arranges meetings for Muslims during which he encourages attendees to make illegal statements while secretly recording them. During the arrests, police were dressed in military camouflage, carried machine guns, and used force. The Kashkadarya Regional Police Criminal Investigation Department charged Vokhidov with "attempting to change the constitutional order" (Art. 159.3 UCC), "producing, storing, distributing, or displaying materials containing a threat to public security and public order" (Art. 244-1.3(d) UCC), and "creating, leading, or participating in religious extremist, separatist, fundamentalist or other banned organizations" (Art. 244-2.1 UCC).
On December 18, 2024, the Karshi Criminal Court sentenced Vokhidov to ten years in a strict regime prison.
Vokhidov was previously sentenced to at least 12 years in prison in 2004 for his independent religious activity.
Related Cases: Khasan Abdirakhimov; Gaybullo Jalilov; Anvar Abdullayev; Sardor Jurayev; Jamshid Abdirakhimov; Umar Khalimov
Publicly Available Information:
Jul 24, 2025
USCIRF Delegation Traveled to Kazakhstan to Assess Religious Freedom Conditions
Washington, DC – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Chair Vicky Hartzler and Commissioner Mohamed Elsanousi visited Kazakhstan to assess religious freedom.
“USCIRF welcomes Kazakhstan’s ongoing interest in engaging with the U.S. government, including meeting with our delegation while in-country,” said Chair Vicky Hartzler. "During this trip, we applauded some incremental improvements to their laws but also highlighted severe religious freedom violations which still exist, including registration requirements by the government on houses of worship, the prohibition on the distribution of religious literature, restrictions on religious garb in schools, and the arbitrary application of a broad definition of extremism. Also, we are concerned to hear that government officials restricted the import and distribution of charitable goods, like Operation Christmas Child boxes, into the country.”
In its 2025 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended Kazakhstan to be included as a Special Watch List Country under the International Religious Freedom Act. USCIRF urges the Kazakh government to repeal or revise its laws to allow religious freedom to flourish. Barring changes, USCIRF urges the U.S. government to continue raising Kazakhstan’s religious freedom violations and advocate for the release of people imprisoned due to their religious beliefs.
“The Kazakh government’s commitment to dialogue and engagement on freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) is encouraging. However, the religion law and related legislation continue to severely limit religious activities,” said Commissioner Mohamed Elsanousi. “Such significant limitations impact the religious practices of various groups, raising serious concerns about the state of religious freedom in the country.”
###
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]