Amid heightened secrecy, a trial continues in Uzbekistan involving Lieutenant Colonel Valijon Rakhmanov, an officer from the Military Counterintelligence Directorate of Uzbekistan’s State Security Service (SSS), accused of spying for the United States and the United Nations (The details of the case can be found here and here).

On Sunday, February 25, 2024, Lieutenant Colonel Rakhmanov was arrested by officers of the Internal Security Directorate of the SSS. He remained in solitary confinement at the SSS detention center on Gvardeyskaya Street in Tashkent until May 20, 2025, when the court verdict officially took effect.

Despite numerous inconsistencies and contradictions in the case, on January 9, 2025, the Military Court of the Republic of Uzbekistan, convening in a closed session, sentenced Rakhmanov to 16 years’ imprisonment in a general-regime correctional colony under Part 1 of Article 157 (“Treason Against the State”) of the Uzbek Criminal Code (scans of the first and last two pages of the verdict, in Uzbek, are provided below).

On April 8, 2025, Uzbekistan’s Appellate Military Court upheld the original verdict, despite the defendant’s lawyer being absent from the courtroom.

To avoid potential political fallout, President Mirziyoyev’s administration imposed a strict ban on local media coverage of the proceedings. This decision, predictably, only intensified suspicions of non-transparency and a possible political motivation behind the case.

In an attempt to maximize benefits from its relationship with Western partners, the Mirziyoyev administration employs contradictory rhetoric to influence public opinion and political narratives. On one hand, official Tashkent publicly emphasizes its readiness for economic, trade, and security cooperation—attracting foreign investment and fostering dialogue with the West. On the other hand, the same administration accuses the U.S. and the U.N. of espionage without providing any credible evidence, thus signaling loyalty toward its main strategic partners, Russia and China.

The U.S. Department of State should promptly respond, given the explicit reference made by Uzbek authorities to the United States. Regardless of context, any mention of the U.S. by Uzbek government demands an immediate reaction from Washington. The State Department must formally request detailed information from Uzbekistan regarding the charges, supporting evidence, and guarantees that procedural rights have been fully observed in Lieutenant Colonel Rakhmanov’s case.

Such intervention by the U.S. State Department is necessary not only to protect a potentially unjustly convicted officer but also to uphold the principles of rule of law and international legal standards. Silent observation of proceedings that may be politically motivated risks undermining global confidence in the U.S. as a defender of justice and human rights. An open and resolute request for information and clarifications is essential to safeguard U.S. interests and ensure respect for fundamental human rights throughout this trial.