Earlier this month, Sharifa Madrakhimova faced a significant setback when her passport was tampered with and destroyed, preventing her from traveling abroad to receive an award for her work in defending human rights in Uzbekistan. Around the same time, Abdurakhmon Tashanov, another notable rights defender, was ordered to pay several thousand dollars following a civil defamation case linked to a Facebook post.
Though these incidents are unrelated, they highlight the challenges activists encounter in Uzbekistan while engaging in human rights advocacy.
Tashanov leads the Ezgulik Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan, one of the few registered organizations focused on human rights in the country. He frequently uses his Facebook page to document rights violations. On February 28, 2025, he responded to accusations from two lecturers at Tashkent State Law University who claimed he undermined public trust in Uzbekistan’s judiciary. The lecturers pursued legal action against him, and on May 23, a court ruled that Tashanov must pay 50 million soums (approximately US$4,000) for “discrediting their honor, dignity, and professional reputation.” Additionally, he was instructed to remove the post and issue a public apology.
Madrakhimova is both a journalist and a rights defender focusing on issues such as labor and social rights within Uzbekistan. She was one of five recipients of this year’s Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk and intended to attend the awards ceremony in Dublin. During the visa process, she sent off her passport only to have it returned with its biometric chip destroyed by fire. Despite efforts to obtain a new passport before the May 22 ceremony, she was unsuccessful.
This is not an isolated incident for either Tashanov or Madrakhimova; they have both previously faced harassment due to their activism. Other activists in Uzbekistan also face imprisonment or forced psychiatric detention.
The Uzbek authorities should address these incidents seriously. “Tashanov should get a fair appeal and authorities should uphold his right to freedom of expression.” Furthermore, there should be an investigation into how Madrakhimova’s passport was destroyed with accountability measures taken against those responsible.
All human rights activists and journalists in Uzbekistan deserve the ability to conduct their work without fear of harassment or retaliation.
