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🟢 Full · updated 2026-05-27 · 36 млн

🇺🇿 Uzbekistan — Country of Origin Information for UK asylum

Mirziyoyev reforms post-2016 — partial liberalisation, but repression continues. Karakalpakstan events 2022 — harsh crackdown. Same-sex relations criminalised (Criminal Code Art. 120). Persecution of religious minorities (unregistered Muslims, Jehovah's Witnesses). Control of independent journalists.

📋 How to use at interview 📚 Sources 🗂 What to gather
COI is not immigration advice. This page lists reference sources, not individual advice on your case. For an asylum claim you need an IAA L2/L3 or SRA solicitor — find in directory, Russian-speaking with Legal Aid.
PoliticalLGBTQ+ReligionEthnicPressRecent events
01

How to use this COI at your interview

  • Before the substantive interviewPrint or save 2-3 key sources (CPIN if available, HRW World Report, local NGO). Interviewers may ask — best to have them ready.
  • Link source to your storyIf CPIN says "in country X, Y happens" — your job is to show Y happened to you / your family / your circle. Not just citation — connection to facts.
  • Give your lawyer all sources before submissionThe solicitor / IAA adviser will draft the skeleton argument with the right citations. Your job is to provide materials and context.
  • If refused — COI for the appealAppealing at First-tier Tribunal without COI is nearly impossible. SAR + new sources after refusal = key to a successful appeal.
02

Authoritative sources

ranked by strength in UK Tribunals

UK Tribunal hierarchy: CPIN > UNHCR Eligibility > HRW World Report > Amnesty annual > Freedom House > country-specific NGO. Higher = more cited in Tribunal decisions.

CPIN · UK Home Office
UK Home Office CPIN — Uzbekistan SOGIE · 2024

CPIN Uzbekistan SOGIE July 2024 — основной для ЛГБТ-кейсов из УЗБ

Human Rights Watch · World Report
HRW World Report 2026 — Uzbekistan · 2026
Amnesty International
Amnesty International — Uzbekistan
Freedom House
Freedom House — Uzbekistan 2025 · 2025

Score: 12/100, Not Free

03

Recent events

for context at interview
UK CPIN SOGIE (July 2024) confirms: gay/bisexual men and trans women "likely to face persecution or serious harm from the state" under Criminal Code Art. 120 (up to 3 years). Police extortion, entrapment, torture documented. 67.4% of public support toughening punishment. Law enforcement perpetrators in 44% of documented LGBT rights violations (2017-2022).
May 2024 — 16 Karakalpak activists convicted for having protest videos on phones, labelled "enemy of the people". UN WGAD found journalist Tazhimuratov's detention arbitrary; ill-treatment in prison documented. July 2022 — Karakalpakstan: mass protests, 21 dead, hundreds detained.
Religious minorities: 1,250+ administrative penalties for religious activities in 2024. USCIRF recommends Special Watch List. 8 Muslim men jailed 6-10.5 years for exercising religious freedom. Unregistered religious activity criminalised under Articles 216-2, 244-1.
Detention torture: Nozimjon Abdullaev case — nails pulled with pliers, burn marks, gangrene from withheld diabetes medication (SSS torture). Journalist Tazhimuratov beaten in penal colony, threats of fabricated case.
Journalists: 89 attacks on media workers in 2024. 8 bloggers imprisoned (5-7.5 years). RSF rank 148/180 (dropped 11 places). Internet freedom — "one of the world's worst environments" (Freedom on the Net 2025).
Forced labour: ILO verified elimination of systemic forced labour (March 2022); Cotton Campaign (March 2025) — "risks remain". HIV: 50,156 people living with HIV (January 2025), 89% on ART; military summarily expels HIV-positive recruits. Marriage: 37.5% of women married before age 20; religious marriages (nikah) circumvent age laws. UPR: accepted 219 of 234 recommendations; rejected all 15 LGBTI-related recommendations.
04

What to gather for interview

UK Tribunals assess credibility from concrete evidence. Cases from Uzbekistan typically need:

  • For Karakalpak cases: documents about participation in July 2022 events
  • Court decisions under Art. 120 (LGBT), Art. 244-1, 244-2 (religious extremism)
  • Gay-app conversation screenshots (as orientation evidence)
  • For religious cases: community letters, Forum 18 reports, literature confiscation records
  • Unregistered community membership documents
  • Telegram publication screenshots + admin protocols for "extremism"
  • Family documents about relatives persecuted
  • NGO letters from AHRCA, Forum 18, ECOM

Tip: file a SAR request to the Home Office before submitting additional evidence — you'll see what they already hold.

Important: StartNewLife UK is a referral directory, not an immigration advice service within the meaning of the UK Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, s.84. This page is general information and navigation, not individual legal advice. All lawyers in the database are regulated by the SRA, IAA or BSB — verify their status on the public registers before instructing. For individual advice on your case, contact an SRA solicitor or IAA adviser directly.