📌 What the UK Home Office says (verbatim from CPIN, July 2024)
«Article 120 of the 1994 Criminal Code of Uzbekistan criminalises
'Besoqolbozlik (Homosexual Intercourse)', described as 'voluntary
sexual intercourse of 2 male individuals', punishable by imprisonment
of up to 3 years.»
«LGBTI people form a particular social group (PSG). Actual or
perceived gay and bisexual men and trans women are likely to face
persecution or serious harm from the state. The state is able but
not willing to offer effective protection. Internal relocation
unlikely.»
Source: UK Home Office, «Country Policy and Information Note —
Uzbekistan: Sexual orientation and gender identity and expression»
Version 1.0, July 2024, 38 pages.
Download PDF (38 pages) → ⚠️ This page is a library of public documents, not immigration advice. What to use in your case is decided by an IAA/SRA/BSB-regulated lawyer.
📄 UK Home Office
UK Home Office · Version 1.0 · July 2024 · PDF, 38 pages
«Article 120 of the 1994 Criminal Code of Uzbekistan criminalises 'Besoqolbozlik (Homosexual Intercourse)'… punishable by imprisonment of up to 3 years. LGBTI people form a particular social group (PSG). Actual or perceived gay and bisexual men and trans women are likely to face persecution or serious harm from the state. The state is able but not willing to offer effective protection. Internal relocation unlikely.»
🌐 International organisations
Human Rights Watch · 2025 · Web report
Human Rights Watch documented 16 criminal prosecutions under Article 120 during 2025. Documents cases of detention, systematic pressure on LGBT people, forced checks and absence of legal protection.
Human Dignity Trust · Continuously updated · Web report
Country profile: legal analysis of Article 120, history of criminal prosecutions, international human rights mechanisms. Part of the global database on criminalisation of same-sex conduct.
Outright International · Continuously updated · Web report
«LGBTIQ people in Uzbekistan face institutionalized discrimination, including a penal code that criminalizes same-sex sexual conduct between men. LGBTIQ people are often denied access to health services, face blackmail and extortion, and live under constant threat of exposure.»
Transgender Europe (TGEU) · 2024 · PDF briefing
Documents 297 SOGI-based rights violations in Uzbekistan over the period 2020–2022. Systematic data on detentions, blackmail, forced «treatments» and administrative sanctions.
US Department of State · April 2024 · Web/PDF
Documents ongoing criminal prosecutions under Article 120, police and societal pressure on LGBT people, absence of anti-discrimination legislation, cases of blackmail and violence.
Amnesty International · 2026 · Web report
Documents the LGBT situation in Uzbekistan: criminal prosecution under Article 120, systematic discrimination, absence of protection from violence. Updated data for 2025.
📖 Context
What does the UK Home Office say about Article 120?
The UK Home Office CPIN (July 2024) establishes that Article 120 criminalises consensual same-sex conduct between men; LGBT people form a particular social group (PSG); the state is able but not willing to provide protection; and internal relocation is unlikely.
This is the official document used by Home Office decision-makers. What it means for your specific case should be discussed with an IAA-regulated lawyer.
Changes in 2023–2026
Article 120 remains in force without significant changes. International pressure for decriminalisation is regularly rejected by authorities. Criminal prosecutions were recorded regularly throughout 2023–2025.
⚠️ Important: This catalogue contains public documents for general information. It is not immigration advice. What applies to your case is decided by an IAA/SRA/BSB-regulated lawyer.
