In the first week of September, reports surfaced that Uzbek authorities had detained a handful of conservative religious bloggers, many of whom had been proponents of a greater role for Islam in Uzbek society and critical of some of the state’s religious policies. Human Rights Watch researcher Steve Swerdlow told The Diplomat the arrests have “added to the sense of fear and unpredictability among online communities, journalists, and human rights activists.”

In June, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief Ahmed Shaheed applauded Uzbekistan’s parliament for adopting a roadmap to implement a dozen of the rapporteur’s recommendations made following his October 2017 visit to the country. The roadmap, Shaheed said, “demonstrates the political commitment to improve the situation in the country and to ensure freedom of religion or belief for all.” Unfortunately, roadmaps rarely denote potholes along the route.

The Diplomat - Conservative Religious Bloggers Detained in Uzbekistan