Since Shavkat Mirziyoyev took over as President in 2016 following the death of Islam Karimov, Uzbekistan has been experiencing something of a Spring.
The new President has opened up the country to tourism by relaxing the visa regime, has begun to tackle corruption and cronyism, and has lifted the heavy hand of persecution of religion.
In 2019 a number of churches were registered with the government, including two majority Uzbek-speaking churches, in Syrdarya and Samarkand. This is a historic development, as before now the government has tried to hinder churches from attracting ethnic Uzbeks, forcing Uzbek believers to meet secretly and face punishment for doing so. Some changes to the law on religious associations have also been made, such as reducing the cost of registering a church, and stripping the Ministry of Justice of its power to annul a church’s registration. A church can now only lose its registered status through the decision of a court.
