On 24 June in Brussels, the European Union and Uzbekistan exchanged views during the 21st annual meeting of the Sub-Committee on Justice, Home Affairs, Human Rights and Related Issues. Both sides discussed openly, and in a constructive spirit, developments on justice and home affairs as well as on the human rights situation in Uzbekistan and in the EU, including ongoing political and legislative reforms and their implementation. 

The EU recognised Uzbekistan’s efforts to liberalise its economy alongside implementing internal control and audit mechanisms across all levels of government. The EU emphasised the need to implement the recommendations of the Universal Periodic Review in November 2023 and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) - Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) recommendations following the presidential election in 2023 and the parliamentary election in 2024. The EU side also encouraged Uzbekistan to follow up on the recommendations made by the 2nd Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP+) monitoring mission to Uzbekistan. 

The EU expressed concerns regarding the shrinking space for freedom of expression and freedom of press in Uzbekistan. The two sides discussed Uzbekistan’s alignment to international norms. The EU called on Uzbekistan to decriminalise insult and defamation in the new Criminal Code and to review the criminalisation of dissemination of false information, and extortion. A further exchange concerned the development of the penitentiary system, conditions of detention, and prevention of torture and ill-treatment.

The two sides discussed the involvement of the state in limiting individual citizens’ freedom of belief and the importance of ensuring political plurality. There was an exchange on the role of civil society and NGOs, including on the cumbersome working conditions for NGOs in Uzbekistan.

The EU welcomed the abolition of the ‘reconciliation period’ before divorce in April 2025 as an important step for the prevention of gender-based violence. The EU called for the de-criminalisation of homosexual relations.

The sub-committee also discussed cooperation on international fora including in the United Nations (UN), International Labour Organization (ILO) and the OSCE.

The EU welcomed Uzbekistan’s commitment to ratify the UN Convention on Refugees. Both sides discussed cooperation on the fight against terrorism and corruption and EU support in this area. The scope of regional programmes on border management and drugs policies were discussed and both sides welcomed the future orientation of the Border Management Programme in Central Asia (BOMCA), and Central Asia Drug Action Programme (CADAP) for drug demand reduction.

The EU expressed readiness to provide assistance for the implementation of recommendations made during the dialogue.

The Sub-Committee was co-chaired by EEAS Head of Central Asia Division, Dietmar Krissler and by Deputy Minister of Justice of Uzbekistan, Muzraf Ikramov.