Country Reports on Terrorism 2014 - Uzbekistan

Overview: In 2014, the Government of Uzbekistan continued to rank counterterrorism within its borders as one of its top three security priorities, together with counternarcotics and countering extremism. There were no reported significant terrorist incidents on Uzbek soil in 2014, which the government attributes to its success in ongoing efforts to counter terrorism and extremism. The government restricts information on internal matters, making it difficult to analyze the extent of the terrorist threat and the effectiveness of Uzbek law enforcement's efforts to combat it.

The government continued to express concern about the potential for a spillover effect of terrorism across Uzbekistan's land borders with Afghanistan and other Central Asian states, especially with the drawdown of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Uzbekistan's government remained confident that it can control its border with Afghanistan but was less sure about its neighbors' ability to do so and was particularly concerned with the infiltration of extremists through Uzbekistan's long borders with Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

The government remained concerned about the recruitment of ethnic Uzbek fighters to fight in the Middle East and the threat from returning foreign terrorist fighters and possible collaboration between Central Asian extremists operating in Pakistan and Afghanistan and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). On October 31, the Committee on Religious Affairs under the Cabinet of Ministers issued a public statement condemning ISIL as un-Islamic and urging citizens to resist its virulent propaganda. Uzbekistan President Karimov has also spoken out publicly against ISIL.

Uzbekistani law enforcement authorities frequently use the terms "terrorism" or "extremism" interchangeably and view alleged ties to what the government considers extremist organizations as grounds for the arrest, prosecution, and convictions of many people who would not be considered terrorists outside of Uzbekistan. "Religious extremism" is the primary justification for Uzbekistan's seemingly indiscriminate police actions against religious adherents, especially Muslims. The security sector in Uzbekistan, under the control of the National Security Service (NSS), prioritizes regime stability over domestic freedom of expression, including political dissent, and uses law enforcement to maintain internal security at the expense of some fundamental freedoms. The government brands some Islamic groups it broadly determines to deviate from the state-sponsored version of Islam as "extremist" and criminalizes membership in such groups, even when the groups clearly espouse non-violent ideology, such as the followers of Turkish cleric Said Nursi.

Legislation, Law Enforcement, and Border Security: The government investigated and prosecuted terrorist-related acts under its Law on Combating Terrorism, which was passed in 2000 and revised in 2004. The Law on Combating Terrorism identifies the National Security Service (NSS), the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the State Border Guards Committee (operating within the NSS command structure), the State Customs Committee, the Ministry of Defense, and the Ministry of Emergency Situations as the government entities responsible for countering and responding to terrorism. The NSS is the lead counterterrorist law enforcement agency, with primary responsibility for the coordination and supervision of interagency efforts.

Law enforcement agencies in Uzbekistan continued to arrest, prosecute, and convict an unreported number of people under extremism-related charges in 2014. It is possible that the Uzbek security forces have neutralized legitimate threats in the course of conducting indiscriminate and broadly targeted anti-extremist or politically motivated operations. A lack of reliable information, however, makes it difficult to differentiate between legitimate counterterrorist law enforcement actions and politically-motivated arrests aimed at religious dissidents or opponents of the government.

In 2013, the government began issuing biometric passports for travel outside of Uzbekistan. The biometric data includes a digital photo, fingerprints, and biographical data.

Below are reported examples from 2014 in which Uzbekistan's law enforcement authorities arrested and prosecuted suspects under charges of extremism or terrorism. As with many cases like this, it is difficult to determine if the arrests and convictions were terrorist- or extremist-related or if those charges were used to suppress expressions of political or religious beliefs.

• In March, the nongovernmental organization "Forum 18" reported that the government sentenced Tajik citizen Zuboyd Mirzorakhimov to five years imprisonment for sermons found on his mobile phone.

• On May 8, six women from the Yangiyul district of the Tashkent region were sentenced under a law prohibiting materials deemed to threaten security and order.

• Lawyers for Mirsobir Hamidkariev, who left Uzbekistan to escape accusations of association with banned religious organizations, reported to independent press that on June 9, three days before a Russian court decision granting him asylum took effect, he was kidnapped from a taxi in Moscow and forcibly returned to Uzbekistan by its security services, reportedly with the acquiescence of Russian authorities. The government stated that Hamidkariev voluntarily turned himself in to the police on June 17, following an in absentia charge of participation in an extremist organization. On November 18, according to Uzbekistani press reports, the Tashkent City Criminal Court sentenced Hamidkariev to eight years in prison upon conviction of organizing and participating in the banned religious extremist organization "Islom Jihochilari." According to the government, as of December 29, his case was still with the Tashkent City Criminal Court.

• In July, the human rights organization "Ezgulik" reported that three men, Otabek Ochilov, Zafar Pulatov, and Bakhtiyor Bozorov, and three women, Lolakhon Qudratova, Nigora Ernazarova, and Aziza Mukhitdinova, were sentenced to terms ranging from nine to 15 years, for being members of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU). Their cases were part of a larger trial that involved 66 suspects accused of terrorism in Kashkadaryo region.

In September 2014, the State Department Anti-Terrorism Assistance program re-launched in Uzbekistan after an eight year hiatus with two courses aimed at improving civil aviation security.

Countering the Financing of Terrorism: Uzbekistan belongs to the Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (EAG), a Financial Action Task Force (FATF)-style regional body. The Department on Fighting Tax, Currency Crimes, and Legalization of Criminal Income under the Prosecutor-General's Office is the government agency responsible for implementation of EAG agreements. In August 2014, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Government of Uzbekistan's Prosecutor-General's Office signed a memorandum of understanding that establishes a legal foundation for training activities, joint counternarcotic and terrorist-related financial investigations, and for the exchange of intelligence. The government did not report any efforts to seize terrorist assets in 2014. For further information on money laundering and financial crimes, see the 2014 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR), Volume 2, Money Laundering and Financial Crimes: http://www.state.gov/j/inl/rls/nrcrpt/index.htm.

Regional and International Cooperation: Although the government prefers bilateral engagement in its security-related cooperation, it is currently a member of several regional organizations that address terrorism, including the EAG and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), with its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) headquartered in Tashkent. In November, SCO RATS member states agreed to exchange information on citizens who have participated in armed conflicts in the Middle East. The government also continued to work with the OSCE, the EU, and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on general security issues, including border control. In 2014, within the framework of an UNODC project and funded by the Government of Norway, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan opened joint border liaison offices at two Uzbekistani-Tajik border crossings to allow for direct communication between the law enforcement agencies involved in border control.

Countering Radicalization to Violence and Violent Extremism: Official government media continued to produce documentaries, news articles, and full-length books about the dangers of Islamist religious extremism and joining terrorist organizations. The message is generally targeted to the 15 to 40 year old male demographic, which the government considers the most susceptible to recruitment by Islamic extremist groups. In December, a monthly magazine of the government-controlled Uzbekistan Muslim Board printed an article emphasizing the un-Islamic nature of ISIL. However, some non-governmental religious experts continued to suggest that greater freedom to circulate mainstream, non-extremist Islamic and other religious materials could be more effective in countering extremism than government-produced material.