On November 15, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed amendments to the Legal status of foreign citizens and stateless persons in Uzbekistan Law.
The Law defines the criteria for inclusion in the list of foreign citizens and stateless persons whose stay in Uzbekistan is considered unacceptable. The reason may be public calls or actions that contradict the state sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of Uzbekistan, provoke interstate, social, national, racial and religious hostility, discredit the honor, dignity and history of the people of Uzbekistan.
The government has been instructed to approve the procedure for including persons in the register within a month. The list will be updated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Undesirable persons shall be prohibited from entering Uzbekistan, opening bank accounts, purchasing real estate, participating in the privatization of state property, entering into financial and contractual relations, with the exception of alienation of property owned by them and located in the country.
The period of stay of undesirable persons in the register is 5 years. If during this timeline the grounds for inclusion in the list are not rectified, the period shall be extended for another 5 years. If the grounds are eliminated, they can be excluded from the list early.
A foreign citizen or stateless person permanently or temporarily residing in Uzbekistan must voluntarily leave the country within 10 days after receiving notification of inclusion in the list.
Otherwise, such a person shall be deported, i.e. forcibly sent out of the country by the police and other authorized bodies. The issued visa is canceled upon deportation.
If the actions of a foreign citizen or stateless person that became the basis for inclusion in the list contain elements of a crime or administrative offence, he/she shall be expelled from Uzbekistan after the execution or completion of the sentence imposed by the court, or release from liability or punishment in cases stipulated by Law.
The costs of deportation of foreign citizens and stateless persons permanently residing in the territory of other states who arrived for official, private, commercial or public business, for study, advanced training, work or as tourists shall be borne by the individuals and legal entities inviting and receiving them. The costs of deportation of other foreign citizens and stateless persons shall be borne by the internal affairs agencies.
Earlier, Senator Anvar Tuychiev said that recently some foreign citizens have been making public statements and actions that contradict the state sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of Uzbekistan, provoking interstate, social, national, racial and religious hatred, discrediting the honor, dignity and history of the people of Uzbekistan.
He noted then that the legislation does not provide for legal measures of influence for foreign citizens and stateless persons who make such calls and actions, so these amendments are being made.
In December 2023, co-chairman of the A Just Russia party Zakhar Prilepin proposed annexing Uzbekistan and other territories of the former USSR to the Russian Federation. Former deputy Rasul Kusherbaev asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to send a note. Deputy Bobur Bekmurodov warned Prilepin of criminal liability.
The Norwegian Helsinki Committee, a non-governmental non-profit organization that monitors compliance with OSCE human rights provisions, had previously expressed alarm at the amendments, saying they “violate international standards on freedom of expression and pose a serious risk of isolating the country.”
