Report by the political opposition movement “Erkin O’zbekiston” at the Fifth Plenary Session of the OSCE ODIHR Warsaw Conference on the Human Dimension (Warsaw, Poland, 9 October 2026). Session topic: “Rule of Law II”, including: Independence of the judiciary; Right to a fair trial; Democratic law-making.

Dear Chairperson, distinguished colleagues,

My name is Hasanboy Burhanov. I represent the Erkin O‘zbekiston movement.

Uzbekistan has undertaken international obligations to uphold, without fail, the independence of the judiciary, the right to a fair trial, and effective legal protection.

However, the reality tells a different story.

In August 2017, Lieutenant General Shuhrat Gulyamov, one of the key figures in Uzbekistan’s security services, was sentenced to life imprisonment. His trial was held behind closed doors. Gulyamov is subjected to physical torture and has been denied the opportunity to meet with his family and lawyers for nine years.

In 2019, Lieutenant General Ikhtiyor Abdullayev, former head of the State Security Service, and Major General Alisher Ishonkhojayev were sentenced to 18 and 17 years in prison, respectively. Their trials were also held behind closed doors.

In 2025, Valijon Rakhmanov, a lieutenant colonel in military counterintelligence, was sentenced to 19 years in prison on charges of espionage on behalf of the United States and the United Nations. In the same year, Shakhzodkhon Sultanov, a colonel with Uzbekistan’s Security Council, was sentenced to 11 years in prison on charges of espionage on behalf of the United States.

All of these cases clearly reveal the same repressive pattern: closed-door court proceedings, failure to provide copies of verdicts to the defendants, unlawful classification of judicial decisions, and a critical restriction of the right to an effective defense.

The authorities justify such cases on the grounds of state secrecy. However, state secrecy has become a cover for crimes on a massive scale under the Mirziyoyev regime.

The Erkin O‘zbekiston movement demands that the Mirziyoyev regime fulfil its international obligations without fail, rather than merely simulating the administration of justice.

We also call on the International Committee of the Red Cross to secure immediate access to Shuhrat Gulyamov in order to assess his health and conditions of detention.

We call on the international community to demand that the Uzbek authorities end the isolation of the aforementioned prisoners, ensure regular meetings with their lawyers and family members, and guarantee effective legal protection of their rights.

State secrecy cannot justify torture, isolation, or the denial of justice. International obligations must be fulfilled, not used to conceal abuses of power.

Thank you for your attention!