The Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis (parliament) of Uzbekistan approved in the first reading a draft law on adopting the Concept of the State Policy on Ensuring Freedom of Conscience and in Religious Affairs. The document was published for public discussion (in Uzbek).
The draft highlights that it was developed based on the country’s “rich national and historical experience and universal human values”.
It aims to establish “a stable environment where Uzbekistan’s multi-confessional and multi-ethnic society can develop under the principles of democracy, secularism, freedom, equality, social justice and unity”.
The concept acknowledges that “religious values are an integral part of the nation’s culture, way of life, traditions and moral-ethical norms, passed down through generations”.
“Freedom of conscience as a constitutional right can only be fully realized in a secular state. A secular state creates the necessary social environment for the respect, protection and harmonious development of religious values and beliefs,” the document states.
“At the same time, increased illegal activities of radical, extremist and terrorist groups in Central Asia, driven by religious prejudices, including their attempts to establish a clerical state [in the 1990s], posed threats to citizens' constitutional right to freedom of conscience,” the document emphasizes.
“The 2000s were marked by a significant rise in the activities of international terrorist organizations worldwide. Uzbekistan was not immune to this process. However, thanks to the consistent implementation of measures aimed at eliminating threats to freedom of conscience, social stability was maintained,” the draft states.
Currently, Uzbekistan is home to over 2,300 religious organizations representing 16 confessions. Representatives of more than 130 nationalities live in the country, receiving education in 7 languages. Programs are broadcast in 12 languages, and newspapers and magazines are publishes in 14 languages, according to the document.
The draft concept outlines several threats related to the religious issues, including:
attempts to impose religious norms in public relations regulated by law;
challenges to gender equality;
refusal to fulfill civic duties on religious grounds;
disregard for social norms, national and universal values;
restrictions on access to medical care, scientific and cultural achievements, as well as goods and services;
misinterpretation of the secular state by some government officials;
spread of unlawful ideologies threatening societal development, unity and stability.
The main goal of Uzbekistan’s state policy on religious affairs, according to the concept, is to create “equal conditions for citizens to exercise their right to freedom of conscience, strengthen interfaith harmony and ensure religious tolerance and secularism in society”.
The draft concept sets out key conditions for balancing freedom of conscience with public interests. It states that every citizen has the right to practice any religion or none at all, provided it does not infringe upon the rights and freedoms of others or disrupt public order.
