Source: https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-net/2016/uzbekistan
Timestamp: 2019-04-24 16:37:00+00:00

Document:
Voice over Internet Protocol services, including Skype, WhatsApp, and Viber, have been unavailable since July 2015 (see Restrictions on Connectivity).
In April 2016, amendments to the criminal code increased penalties for poorly defined offences like threatening public order using mass media or telecommunications networks (see Legal Environment).
Freelance online journalist and human rights activist Dmitry Tikhonov fled Uzbekistan after an intimidation campaign and threats of arrest (see Intimidation and Violence).
Internet freedom declined in the coverage period, with Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) services restricted for much of the year, though both the government and service providers denied responsibility.
Uzbekistan has one of the most tightly controlled online and media environments in the world, with restrictions on any content critical of the government, high levels of surveillance, and lengthy prison sentences for posting controversial content online. The websites of many international news outlets have been blocked for the past decade. In a move likely to further impede critical reporting online, authorities amended the criminal code in 2016 to strengthen penalties for vague crimes like threatening public order using mass media or telecommunications networks.
The sudden death of President Islam Karimov in September 2016 threw the country into uncertainty. Acting President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has pledged to continue Karimov’s legacy, meaning internet freedom is unlikely to improve.
Nearly half of the population had internet access in 2015, with growing mobile penetration playing a critical role in improving access. However, expensive service, low broadband speeds, and limits on data volume continue to curb internet use. The state controls the country's international internet gateways through the state-owned telecommunications operator Uztelecom. Since July 2015, Voice over IP (VoIP) services such as Skype, WhatsApp, and Viber have been inaccessible, though both the government and service providers denied blocking them. Competition among mobile cellular network operators looks set to decline with the withdrawal of one foreign provider, and the state assuming control of another in August 2016.
Fixed broadband was available to 1.5 million subscribers by December 2015.5 Internet access is based primarily on ADSL technology, which the government estimates as being available to 67 percent of subscribers.6 The remaining 32 percent use connections via fiber optic networks (FTTx broadband). Only 1 percent of subscribers use WiMAX broadband, initially introduced by the state-owned telecommunications operator Uztelecom in 2006.
The government exercises significant control over the infrastructure and ordered internet shutdowns during the coverage period; Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) services were also significantly disrupted in the past year.
Internet access is routed via Uztelecom, a state-owned telecommunications and internet access provider, and a TAS-IX peering center and content delivery network. Uztelecom is an upstream ISP and sells international internet traffic to domestic ISPs at a wholesale price. Uztelecom runs the International Centre for Packet Switching to aggregate international internet traffic at a single node within its infrastructure. Private ISPs are prohibited by law from bypassing Uztelecom’s infrastructure to connect to the internet, and from installing and maintaining their own satellite stations in order to establish internet connectivity.
Services offering Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP), including Skype, WhatsApp, and Viber, have been unavailable to users in Uzbekistan since at least July 2015, with some reports of disruptions from as early as October 2014; some users reported the apparent block was lifted briefly in October 2015. As of May 2016, the Skype website remained inaccessible from within Uzbekistan except via virtual private network (VPN). Experts linked the restrictions to the threat these free services pose to Uztelecom revenue from international calls.31 Uztelecom and the Ministry for the Development of Information Technologies and Communications, which regulates ICTs, both denied responsibility for the block. Uztelecom said the inaccessibility was caused by "maintenance work on the network of its partners," from July 2015 until October 2015. In May 2016, in an official response to a user complaint posted on an e-government website, a director of Uztelecom's information security department said the company was "not responsible for the due or proper operability of third-party resources." The ministry said that that "servers of multimedia services like Skype, WhatsApp, Viber, and others are located in foreign states. National ISPs (operators and providers) in the Republic of Uzbekistan might be held responsible by the law for the functioning and accessibility of segments of the internet network, however, they cannot influence the quality of the aforesaid service."
There are numerous legal, regulatory, and economic obstacles to competitive business in the ICT sector.
As of May 2016, there were 854 companies classified as providing data or telecommunications services, including the internet, representing a decrease from 930 at the end of 2013.32 This figure includes internet cafes and does not indicate the number of private internet service providers (ISPs), though fewer than 40 connect with the TAS-IX peering center.
Service providers are required to have a license to operate, and in 2005, the Cabinet of Ministers adopted Resolution No. 155, which stipulates that telecommunications providers must first register as a legal entity before being issued a license. Licensing is often encumbered by political interests.39 As of March 2014, no licenses can be given to an internet cafe if the business premises are located in the basement of multistory buildings.40 Compliance with other regulations for internet cafe owners mandating installation of surveillance equipment and cooperation with law enforcement are burdensome and expensive (see Surveillance, Privacy, and Anonymity).
Regulation of the internet has never been independent. Since February 2015, the Ministry for the Development of Information Technologies and Communications (MININFOCOM) regulates telecommunications services related to the internet.
The Ministry combines the functions of a policy maker, regulator, and content provider, with no separation of regulatory and commercial functions. It is responsible for licensing ISPs and mobile phone operators; promotes technical standards for telecommunication technologies such as 4G; and provides e-governance services.
The government of Uzbekistan monitors and controls online communications, and engages in pervasive and systematic blocking of independent news and any content that is critical of the regime, particularly related to foreign and domestic affairs or human rights abuses. The opaque system offers few details on how decisions are made or what websites are blocked at any given time.
Significant blocking and filtering limits access to online content related to political and social topics, particularly those related to human rights abuses in Uzbekistan. Websites permanently blocked in Uzbekistan do not appear on www.Поиск.uz - the official state-run search engine.
The commission also assesses publications referred to it by the monitoring center or other state bodies, including the courts and law enforcement, drawing on a designated pool of government-approved experts.59 Commission members vote on whether or not a violation has been committed based on reports from those experts. State bodies act on the commission’s decision, including courts and “other organizations,” presumably private ISPs.60 There are no procedures in place to notify those whose content is blocked, and no clear avenue for appeal.
September 2014 amendments to the Law on Informatization brought bloggers and online news providers, including freelance citizen journalists, under state regulation subject to content removal requirements. By the law's broad definition, any person may qualify as a blogger by disseminating information “of socio-political, socio-economic and other character” to the public through a website.64 The law requires bloggers to substantiate the credibility (dostovernost’) of "generally accessible information" prior to publishing or even reposting it, and obliges them to "immediately remove" information if it is not considered credible. The law entitles a special governmental body to limit access to websites that do not comply.
The online media environment in Uzbekistan is severely restricted. Self-censorship is pervasive, given the government’s tight controls over the media and harsh punishment of those who report on topics deemed “taboo,” including criticism of the president, revelations about corruption, or health education.65 As a result of the government’s history of harassing traditional journalists, as well as their families, many online writers are cautious about what they post. The editorial direction of the online versions of state-run news outlets is often determined by both official and unofficial guidelines from the government.
Financial sustainability of independent online media outlets largely depends on diminishing foreign funding that is subject to vigorous state control. The parliamentary "Public Fund for Support and Development of Independent Print Media and News Agencies of Uzbekistan" allocates state subsidies and grants primarily to the state-owned and pro-government mass media. Independent news websites have been subject to arbitrary closure or retroactively unregistered.70 Olam.uz, once Uzbekistan's second most-visited news site, remains closed since going offline for “technical reasons” in January 2013 after the authorities opened criminal proceedings against its editor-in-chief and the website owner, the Tashkent-based LLC Mobile Mass Media.71 At the time of its closure, Olam.uz was reporting on state appropriation in the mobile telecommunications sector. In May 2015, a court ordered the closure of the news media website Noviyvek.uz, a weekly newspaper established in January 1992 and known for its balanced news reporting. Independent online media outlets are often forced to operate overseas to escape government repression, including Centre1 in Germany. Meanwhile, pro-government print and online media continues to push state propaganda.
Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and the Russian social networks Odnoklassniki (odnoklassniki.ru) and VKontakte (vk.ru) are available and widely used. In 2014, Facebook was the fourth most visited website in the country, followed by Odnoklassnikи, VKontakte, and YouTube. Twitter became particularly popular in 2013, when President Karimov's daughter Gulnara Karimova used her account (@GulnaraKarimova) to reveal secrets about her family and the corrupt practices of the Uzbek national security service.
As social-networking sites and blogging platforms have grown in popularity, the government attempts to influence the information circulated on them by creating and promoting Uzbek alternatives to popular global or regional brands. The most recent example is Davra launched in June 2016 by Uzinfocom (see Regulatory Bodies). Davra resembles Facebook, and enables users to post photos, videos, and comments,72 but requires users to register their personal information and national IDs, facilitating monitoring by the authorities. 73 Observers believe law enforcement officials also manipulate online information through the website Zamamdosh. Though blocked in Uzbekistan, it frequently publishes allegations against journalists and human rights defenders who criticize the government (see Intimidation and Violence).
The role of blogs as opinion-shaping media on political and social issues in Uzbekistan is minimal. The blogosphere is largely of entertainment character.74 A handful of blogs critical of the regime are run by Uzbek dissidents (for example, Jahonnoma.com, Turonzamin.org, and Fromuz.com) or are affiliated with independent online news websites and run by invited journalists.
State measures to silence dissent include persecution and criminal prosecution of regime critics and independent journalists, often on fabricated charges. The government has broad powers to punish expression online, and amended the criminal code in the coverage period to increase penalties for threating security and order through telecommunications networks or mass media. The security services systematically eavesdrop on citizens’ communications over email, mobile phone and Skype, in online forums, and social networks.
Uzbekistan's constitution protects the rights to freedom of expression and of the mass media, and prohibits censorship. Article 29 of Uzbekistan's constitution guarantees the right to gather and disseminate information. However, the implementation of these protections is minimal under the current authoritarian regime with its weak attachment to democratic principles. National courts have generally failed to protect individuals, including professional journalists, against government retaliation for exercising their free speech rights. Rampant corruption, particularly within law enforcement bodies, as well as weak legislative and judicial bodies, continue to have a deleterious impact on freedom of speech.
Both independent and licensed journalists have faced selective and arbitrary prosecution for their online publications in the past. They include Abdumalik Boboyev, a reporter for Voice of America's Uzbek Service, Vladimir Berezovsky, the editor of Vesti, Viktor Krymzalov, a reporter forCentrasia and Fergananews, and Elena Bondar, a reporter for Uznews and Fergananews, and Said Abdurakhimov (freelance reporter for Fergananews.com). Some of these journalists were convicted under criminal law and had to pay exorbitant fines as a punishment. The cases have shown that recommendations by the internet state censorship authority, the monitoring center, which determines which online news articles violate national legislation, are being used to legitimate prosecution and conviction of online reporters.
The space for anonymous online communication in Uzbekistan is steadily shrinking, and government surveillance of ICTs is extensive. Although Article 27 of the constitution guarantees the privacy of “written communications and telephone conversations,” there is no data protection legislation in Uzbekistan. Article 27 further guarantees respect for human rights and the rule of law, though these are frequently violated in surveillance operations.
The Israeli branch of the U.S. Verint technology company, and the Israel-based NICE systems, also supply the security services with monitoring centers allowing them direct access to citizens’ telephone calls and internet activity, according to UK-based Privacy International. Privacy International reported that Verint Israel has also carried out tests to gain access to SSL-encrypted communications, such as those now offered by default by Gmail, Facebook, and other service providers, by replacing security certificates with fake ones using technology supplied by the U.S.-based company Netronome.89 In July 2015, documents leaked from the Milan-based surveillance software company “Hacking Team” revealed that NICE systems was supplying Hacking Team’s Remote Control System spyware to Uzbekistan.90 RCS offers the ability to intercept user communications, remotely activate a device’s microphone and camera, and access all of the phone’s content including contacts and messages without the user’s knowledge.
There is limited scope for anonymous digital communication. Proxy servers and anonymizers are important tools for protecting privacy and accessing blocked content, although they require computer skills beyond the capacity of many ordinary users. There are no explicit limitations on encryption, though in practice the government strictly regulates the use of such technologies.96 In September 2012, Uztelecom started blocking of websites offering proxy servers, including websites listing free proxies that operate without a web interface.
Dmitry Tikhonov, a human rights activist and freelance journalist for Uznews.net, Fergana News Agency and AsiaTerra, fled the country following a campaign of intimidation in the coverage period. He had published critical coverage of the demolition of a World War II memorial in Angren city in March 2015,103 and regularly monitors labor rights abuses during the fall cotton harvests. Other media outlets denounced him for inciting national hatred,104 calling him a "collector of slander and rumors about Uzbekistan" and a Western spy.105 On September 20, he was detained for five hours, and reported that a police officer had assaulted him in custody.106 His private email account was subsequently hacked, and stolen personal and professional data exposed online.107 On October 20, his office and house burned down, destroying records of his investigations into human rights abuses.108 In December 17, a criminal court found him guilty of petty hooliganism and fined for approximately US$234.109 On December 20, the website Zamandosh, which observers believe is covertly operated by officials, accused him of terrorism.110 Tikhonov's lawyer also reported receiving anonymous threats.111 Uzbek authorities have repeatedly denied Tikhonov an exit visa to leave the country, but he fled Uzbekistan in February 2016 and sought political asylum overseas.
Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on independent news media websites reporting on Uzbekistan, including the websites Centrasia.ru, Fegananews.com, UzMentronom.com, and Ozodlik.org (the Uzbek service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty), have been frequent in the past. Human rights activist Dmitry Tikhonov reported that his personal email account had been subject to targeted hacking in the coverage period (see Intimidation and Violence).
1 ITU ICT Statistics, "Time Series by Country (until 2015)," http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx.
2 “On the state and prospects of the development of the ICT industry in Uzbekistan,” InfoCom, September 29, 2015, http://infocom.uz/2015/09/29/o-sostoyanii-i-perspektivax-razvitiya-ikt-v-uzbekistane/.
3 ITU ICT Statistics, "Time Series by Country (until 2015)," http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx.
4 Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers RU, "On the Programme for the Development of Services for 2016 – 2020," No. 55, February 26, 2016, in SZRU (2016) No. 9 (717).
5 ITU ICT Statistics, "Time Series by Country (until 2015)," http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx.
6 ITU ICT Statistics, "Time Series by Country (until 2015)," http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx.
7 "UMS launches LTE in Tashkent," TeleGeography, June 21, 2016, https://www.telegeography.com/products/commsupdate/articles/2016/06/21/ums-launches-lte-in-tashkent/.
8 As reported by ITU in 2012, internet access prices were prohibitively high in Uzbekistan and exceeded the monthly GNI per capita level at the rate of approximately 188 percent. See ITU, "Measuring the Information Society: 2012."
9 See subscription "Record-6," as of May 2016, at http://uzonline.uz/ru/services/internet/.
10 Resolution of the President RU "О создании общественной образовательной информационной сети Республики Узбекистан" [On the Establishment of the Public, Educational, and Information Network of the Republic of Uzbekistan], No. ПП- 191, 28 September 2005, SZRU (No. 40), item. 305, at Art. 4.
11 Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers RU "О мерах по дальнейшему развитию образовательной сети "ZiyoNET"" [On the Further Development of the Educational Network "ZiyoNET"], No. 198, July 10, 2013, SZRU (2013) No. 28 (580), item 362, at Art. 4.
12 Uztelecom, Uzonline internet tariffs per May 31 2016, at http://uzonline.uz/ru/services/internet.
13 "Is it allowed to use a mobile phone in college?" [in Russian] Darakchi, July 13, 2016, http://ru.darakchi.uz/article/867-mojno-li-polzovatsya-sotovim-v-kolledje.
14 Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers RU, "О мерах по упорядочению пользования мобильными телефонами в образовательных учреждениях Республики Узбекистан" [On measures to streamline the use of mobile phones in educational institutions of the Republic of Uzbekistan], No. 139, May 21, 2012, SZ RU (2013 No. 21 (521), item. 229.
15 "Uzbekistan will allocate $883 million to increase access to the internet," Sputnik, December 1, 2015, http://ru.sputniknews-uz.com/society/20151201/1197905.html.
16 "Uzbekistan will allocate $883 million to increase access to the internet," Sputnik, December 1, 2015, http://ru.sputniknews-uz.com/society/20151201/1197905.html.
17 Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers RU, "On the Adoption of the E-Commerce Concept in the Republic of Usbekistan for the period of 2016 to 2018," NO. 353 of December 4, 2015, SZRU (2015), NO. 49, item 612.
18 Uztelecom, "Зона покрытия FTTB", (Coverage zone of FTTB) accessed July 2016, http://uzonline.uz/ru/services/fttb/.
19 Uztelecom, "Зона покрытия FTTB", (Coverage zone of FTTB) accessed July 2016, http://uzonline.uz/ru/services/fttb/.
20 International Telecommunication Union, “Sustainable supply of electricity to telecommunication facilities in rural and remote areas (Uzbekistan),” accessed February 10, 2014, http://bit.ly/1FV5uod.
21 Uztelecom, " “Uzbektelecom JSC continues development of Wi-Fi network project on the territory of historical and cultural heritage and tourist activity of Uzbekistan," September 26, 2015, http://www.uztelecom.uz/en/press/news/2015/1936/.
22 Beeline has Wi-Fi hotsports: 16 (Tashkent), 5 (Samarkand), 3 (Samarkand), 1 (Namangan), 1 (Fergana), and 2 (Djizak), https://www.beeline.uz/uz/Catalog/Services/Wi-Fi/p/wi-fi.
23 "Free Wi-Fi in buses of Tashkent distributed and banned," [in Russian] Digital.Report, February 17, 2016, https://digital.report/besplatnyiy-wifi-v-avtobusah-tashkenta-udivil-nablyudateley/.
24 "O poriadke predostavlenia dostupa k seti Internet v obschestvennikh punktakh pol’zovania" [On Adoption of the Terms of Provision of Access to the Internet Network in Public Points of Use], promulgated by Order of the Communications and Information Agency of Uzbekistan No. 216, July 23, 2004, SZRU (2004) No. 30, item 350, art. 17 (e).
25 See Resolution of the President RU No. ПП-1920.
26 "Чиновникам Узбекистана запретили интернет на рабочем месте" (Uzbek officials ban internet in the workplace), UzNews, March 3, 2014, at http://www.uznews.net/ru/human-rights/25388-chinovnikam-uzbekistana-zapretili-internet-na-rabochem-meste.
27 TAS-IX, List of Members, http://tas-ix.uz/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=63:listofmembers.
28 TAX-IS participating ISP maintain a service to find out whether a website is in the TAS-IX network. See, e.g., ISP TPS, http://www.tps.uz/tasix/.
29 "Отключение мобильного интернета скажется на работе терминалов," (Disconnection of mobile internet will affect terminals) Gazeta, July 31, 2016, https://www.gazeta.uz/ru/2016/07/31/uzcard.
30 “In Uzbekistan, complaints about the quality of internet connections,” Regnum, January 16, 2016, https://regnum.ru/news/polit/2049248.html; “Uzbekistan: what to do with a problem called internet,” Eurasianet, January 8, 2016, http://www.eurasianet.org/node/76741.
31 “Why doesn’t Skype work?” UzMetronom, October 17, 2014, Uzmetronom.com, http://www.uzmetronom.com/2014/10/17/pochemu_so_skype_snjali_skalp.html.
32 Ministry of Development of IT and Communication, “Industry development indicators,” 2009-2016, http://www.mitc.uz/ru/activities/indicators_industry_development/.
33 "МТС покидает рынок Узбекистана," (MTS is leaving Uzbek market), Finanz, August 5, 2016, http://www.finanz.ru/novosti/aktsii/mts-pokidaet-rynok-uzbekistana-1001342200.
34 “TeliaSonera to retreat from Central Asia," Reuters, September 17, 2015, http://www.reuters.com/article/teliasonera-eurasia-idUSL5N11N0BU20150917.
35 For details see U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan), "U.S. v. All Funds Held in Account Number CH1408760000050335300 at Lombard Odier Darier Hentsch & Cie Bank, Switzerland, on behalf of Takilant Ltd., and any property traceable thereto", case 1:16-cv-01257, 18 February 2016, athttps://www.justice.gov/opa/file/826636/download; Matthias Verbergt and David Gauthier-Villars, "Telia Asked to Pay $1.4 Billion to Settle Bribery Probe," Wall Street Journal, September 15, 2016, http://www.wsj.com/articles/telia-to-pay-1-4-billion-in-bribery-probe-1473921293.
36 Resolution of the President RU "О мерах по организации деятельсности национального оператора мобильной связи" [On the Measures Establishing the Activity of the National Operator of the Mobile Communications], No. ПП-2126, February 12, 2014, SZRU (2014) No. 7, item 73.
37 See Resolution of th Cabinet of Ministers RU No. 55, February 26, 2016.
38 "Китай выделит Узбекистану $550 млн. на развитие оператора «Узмобайл» — СМИ," (China will give Uzbekistsan $500 million…) December 25, 2014, Mobinfo.Uz, http://bit.ly/1MgLzfV.
39 IREX, "Europe & Eurasia Media Sustainability Index 2013," http://www.irex.org/sites/default/files/u105/EE_MSI_2013_Uzbekistan.pdf.
40 Murat Sadykov, “Uzbekistan: Big Brother’s Newest Eye—In Internet Cafes,” Eurasianet, March 31, 2014, http://bit.ly/1L9lDmG.
41 Business-Human Rights, “Teliasonera/Telenor response,” September 8, 2015, https://business-humanrights.org/sites/default/files/documents/CC_response_GM_Teliasonera_Telenor_rejoinder.pdf.
43 Computerization and Information Technologies Developing Center, "Administrators,” http://cctld.uz/reg/.
44 Law RU "On Telecommunications," at Arts. 8, 11.
45 See Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers RU "Об утверждении Положения о Министерстве по развитию информационных технологий и коммуникаций Республики Узбекистан" [On the Establishment of the Ministry for the Development of Information Technologies and Communications of the Republic of Uzbekistan], No. 87, April 10, 2015, SZRU (2015), NO 15 (671), item. 178.
46 Uzinfocom Data Centre, "Услуги веб-хостинга," [Web Hostimg Services] http://dc.uz/rus/hosting/.
47 Committee to Protect Journalists, "Attacks on the Press 2010: Uzbekistan," February 15, 2011, http://cpj.org/x/40d0.
48 Alo Khodjayev, “The Internet Media in Uzbekistan,” in OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (ed.), Pluralism in the Media and the Internet (OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Vienna, 2006), 143-148, at 144.
49 See UN Docs. CCPR/C/UZB/CO/4, at para. 23.
50 Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers RU "О мерах по дальнейшему развитию образовательной сети "ZiyoNET"" [On the Further Development of the Educational Network "ZiyoNET"], No. 198, July 10, 2013, SZRU (2013) No. 28 (580), item 362, at Art. 4.
51 "Библиотека" [Library], ZiyoNet.uz, accessed February 10, 2014, http://www.ziyonet.uz/ru/library/.
52 Zhanna Hördegen, “The Future of Internet Media in Uzbekistan: Transformation from State Censorship to Monitoring of Information Space since Independence,” in After the Czars and Commissars: Journalism in Authoritarian Post-Soviet Central Asia ed. Eric Freedman and Richard Schafer, (East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, April 2011), 99-121.
53 Regulation No. 555, On the Measures of Improving the Organizational Structures in the Sphere of Mass Telecommunications, adopted by the Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan on November 24, 2004. See OpenNet Initiative, “Country Profile: Uzbekistan,” December 21, 2010, http://opennet.net/research/profiles/uzbekistan.
54 A news website Informator.uz was shut down in 2007. See, “Pochemu zakrito nezavisimoe SMI Uzbekistana—Informator.Uz?” Why the independent mass media of Uzbekistan, Informator.Uz, is closed? UZ Forum (blog), September 20, 2007, www.uforum.uz/showthread.php?t=2565.
55 Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers, О дополнительных мерах по совершенствованию системы мониторинга в сфере массовых коммуникаций,On Supplementary Measures for the Improvement of the Monitoring System for the Sphere of Mass Communications No. 228, August 5, 2011, SZ RU (2011) No. 32-33, item 336.
56 Ibid, Annex II, art. 31.
57 Ibid, Annex I, contains a list of the Commission's members that is not made public.
58 Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers RU, No. 228, at art. 1 and Annex II, art. 5. See note 50 above.
59 Ibid, at art. 1 and Annex II, art. 14.
60 Ibid, at Annex II, art. 26 and 29.
61 Murat Sadykov, “Uzbekistan Tightens Control over Mobile Internet,” Eurasianet, March 15, 2011, http://www.eurasianet.org/node/63076.
62 Regulation, О порядке предоставления доступа к сети Интернет в общественных пунктах пользования, [On Adoption of the Terms of Provision of Access to the Internet Network in Public Points of Use] promulgated by Order of the Communications and Information Agency of Uzbekistan No. 216, July 23, 2004, SZRU (2004) No. 30, item 350.
63 According to government figures, only about 30 percent of websites with “.uz” domain names were hosted on servers based in Uzbekistan as of December 2011. See Uzinfocom, "Только цифры," Only Numbers http://bit.ly/1jRuwui.
64 Law RU No. ЗРУ-373, SZRU (2014) No. 36, item 452.
65 "В Узбекистане закрывается лучший медицинский сайт" The Best Medical Website is Going to be Shut Down in Uzbekistan, Uznews, March 25, 2010, http://www.uznews.net/news_single.php?lng=ru&cid=30&sub=&nid=13072; Catherine A. Fitzpatrick, “Uzbekistan: AIDS Activist Released, But Other Human Rights Defenders Harassed,” September 6, 2011,http://www.eurasianet.org/node/64131.
66 Law RU, О средствах массовой информации, [On the Mass Media] No. 541-I, adopted December 26, 1997, as amended on January 15, 2007, SZRU (2007) No. 3, item 20, at art. 4.
67 Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers RU, О дальнейшем совершенствовании порядка государственной регистрации средств массовой информации в Республике Узбекистан, [On the Further Development of the Procedure for State Registration of the Mass Media in the Republic of Uzbekistan] No. 214, October 11, 2006, in SP RU (2007) No. 14, item 141, at art. 8.
68 UN Human Rights Committee, “Mavlonov and Sa'di v. the Republic of Uzbekistan,” Communication No. 1334/2004, Views adopted on April 29, 2009, UN Doc. CCPR/C/95/D/1334/2004, at par. 2.6, 2.11 and 8.3.
69 See Uzbek Agency for the Press and Information, "Состояние и динамика развития СМИ, издательств и полиграфических предприятий Узбекистана (01.01.2015г.)," last accessed on 27 May 2015, http://www.api.uz/ru/#ru/content/licence/statistics/.
70 See “Pochemu zakrito nezavisimoe SMI Uzbekistana—Informator.Uz?” [“Why the independent mass media of Uzbekistan, Informator.Uz, is closed?”], Uzinfocom blog U-FORUM (20 September 2007), http://www.uforum.uz/showthread.php?t=2565.
71 "Uzbek olam.uz news site shut down, staff accused of high treason," Uznews, January 29, 2013, http://bit.ly/19KDiic; "Is olam.uz trying to hide its criminal charges?" Centre 1, February 1, 2013, http://bit.ly/18eYayZ.
72 Eugeniy Sklyarevskiy, "We will see us at Davra.uz!" InfoCom, May 17, 2016, in Russian, http://infocom.uz/2016/05/17/vstrechaemsya-v-socseti-davra-uz/.
73 Eugeniy Sklyarevskiy, "We will see us at Davra.uz!" InfoCom, May 17, 2016, in Russian, http://infocom.uz/2016/05/17/vstrechaemsya-v-socseti-davra-uz/.
74 Sarah Kendzior, "Digital Freedom of Expression in Uzbekistan: An Example of Social Control and Censorship in the 21st Century," New America Foundation, July 18, 2012, http://newamerica.net/publications/policy/digital_freedom_of_expression_in_uzbekistan.
75 See Freedom House, Nations in Transition 2016: Uzbekistan, at 7-8, https://freedomhouse.org/report/nations-transit/2016/uzbekistan.
76 "Virtual Election Seeks To Give Uzbeks Real Choice," Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty, February 10, 2015, http://bit.ly/1P1fWx3.
77 " Узбекистан: Виртуальная избирательная комиссия прекратила работу в связи с хакерской атакой на веб-сайт," (Uzbekistan: Virtual election commission ceased functioning after hackers attacked webstie) Fergana, March 24, 2015, http://bit.ly/1DTT3Xh.
78 Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan, art. 139 and 140, http://bit.ly/1aA516n.
80 Mushfig Bayram, Forum 18, "Uzbekistan: Harshened Criminal And Administrative Code punishments," June 15, 2016, http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2189.
81 OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, "Recent legislative amendments in Uzbekistan worrying, OSCE Representative says," April 29, 2016, http://www.osce.org/fom/237641.
82 Human Rights Watch,“The very end,“ September 26, 2014, http://bit.ly/1IXpa50.
83 Human Rights Watch, “Submission to the UN Human Rights Committee on Concerns and Recommendations on Uzbekistan,” August 13, 2014, http://bit.ly/1BgbHFw.
84 Committee to Protect Journalists, “Government increases pressure on Uzbek journalists,” letter, February 17, 2010, http://cpj.org/x/37de.
86 Resolution of the President RU, О мерах по повышению эффективности организации оперативно-розыскных мероприятий на сетях телекоммуникаций Республики Узбекистан, [On Measures for Increasing the Effectiveness of Operational and Investigative Actions on the Telecommunications Networks of the Republic of Uzbekistan] No. ПП-513, November 21, 2006, at Preamble and art. 2-3.
87 Ibid, art. 5.8. Infra., note 110. Also, tax and custom exemptions apply for import of the SORM equipment by domestic ISPs, see Tax Code of RU, art. 208, 211, 230 part 2, and 269.
88 See Law RU, "On Telecommunications".
89 Privacy International, "Private Interests: Monitoring Central Asia", Special Report, November 2014, at pp. 38-43, https://www.privacyinternational.org/sites/default/files/Private%20Interests%20with%20annex_0.pdf.
90 Edin Omanovic, “Eight things we know so far from the Hacking Team hack,” Privacy International, July 9, 2015, https://www.privacyinternational.org/node/619.
91 Resolution of the President RU, О мерах по повышению эффективности организации оперативно-розыскных мероприятий на сетях телекоммуникаций Республики Узбекистан, [On Measures for Increasing the Effectiveness of Operational and Investigative Actions on the Telecommunications Networks of the Republic of Uzbekistan] No. ПП-513, November 21, 2006, at Preamble and art. 2-3; See, Criminal Procedural Code of RU, Vedomosti Oliy Mazhlisa RU (1995) No. 12, item 12, at art. 339 part 2, "Tasks of Investigation," and art. 382, "Competences of the Prosecutor." Resolution of the President RU No. ПП-513, note 87 above, art. 4.
92 Law RU, Oб оперативно-розыскной деятельности, [On Operational and Investigative Activity] No. ЗРУ – 344, December 26, 2012, SZ RU (2012) No. 52 (552), item 585, art. 16, 19.
93 “Uzbekistan: Namangan Resident Faces 8 Years in Jail for Skype Call with Political Exiles,” Fergana News, December 23, 2015, http://enews.fergananews.com/news.php?id=2786.
94 Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers, "On the National Security Service of the Republic of Uzbekistan, " November 2, 1991, No. 278, at Part IV (3).
95 Law RU "О парламентском контроле" [On Parliamentary Control] No. ЗРУ – 403, April 12, 2016, SZRU (2016) No. 15, item 141, at Art. 4.
96 Resolution of the President RU, О mерах по организации криптографической защиты информации в Rеспублике Узбекистан, [On Organizational Measures for Cryptographic Protection of Information in the Republic of Uzbekistan] No. ПП-614, April 3, 2007, SZ RU (2007) No 14, item 140, at art. 1.
98 U.S. Department of State, “Uzbekistan,” Counter Reports on Human Righst Practices for 2011, http://1.usa.gov/1L9qfsZ.
99 MTC Uzbekistan, “How to subscribe,” http://www.mts.uz/en/join/.
100 See Resolution of the SCCITT RU, "О внесении изменений и дополнений в Положение о порядке предоставления доступа к сети Интернет в общественных пунктах пользования [On making amendments and additions to the Regulations on the procedure for providing access to the Internet in the public areas of use]," March 19, 2014, No. 79-мх, SZRU (2014) NO. 13, item 150.
101 “Farg‘ona aeroportida yo‘lovchilar noutbuki tekshirilmoqda” [At Ferghana Airport, Laptop Computers of Passengers Are Being Checked], Ozodlik.org, June 2, 2011, http://www.ozodlik.org/content/fargona_aeroportida_yolovchilar_noutbuki_tekshirilmoqda/24212860.html.
102 "Около 150 тысяч человек взяты на учет в Узбекистане", (Approximately 150,00 people were taken for registration in Uzbekistan) March 25, 2016, Radio Ozodlik, http://rus.ozodlik.org/a/27634490.html.
103 "Узбекистан: В Ташкентской области снесли обелиск воинам, погибшим в Великой Отечественной войне," (Uzbekistan: World War II memorial taken down In Tashkent province) March 20, 2015, http://www.fergananews.com/articles/8453.
104 "Узбекистан: После сноса памятника в Ангрене журналиста преследуют за «национализм»," (Uzbeksitan: Following the demolition of a memorial in Angren, journalist prosecuted for nationalism) April 6, 2015, http://www.fergananews.com/articles/8479.
105 "Кому выгодно искать «пятую колонну» среди узбекских правозащитников?", (Who benefits from searching for the “fifth column” among Uzbek human rights defenders?” July 7, 2015, Fergana News Agency, http://www.fergananews.com/articles/8612.
106 "Узбекистан: Обвинили в шпионаже и запретили «связываться с Еленой Урлаевой»," (Uzbekistan: Convicted of spying and banned from contanting Elena Urlaeva,” Fergana, September 2015, http://www.fergananews.com/article.php?id=8695.
107 “Dimitrii Tikhonov: ideological saboteur or how they fabricated my case,” AsiaTerra, February 29, 2016, http://www.asiaterra.info/obshchestvo/dmitrij-tikhonov-ideologicheskij-diversant-ili-kak-na-menya-fabrikovali-dela. See also "В Узбекистане разоблачили журналиста-мошенника, обкрадывающего международную организацию," (“Jounalist robs international organization”) October 23, 2015, Uz24, http://uz24.uz/society/v-uzbekistane-razoblachili-zhurnalista-moshennika-obkradivayushego-mezhdunarodnuyu-organizaciyu.
108 Frontline Defenders,”Case History: Dimitrii Tikhonov,” 2015, https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/pt/node/1062.
109 "Узбекистан: В Ангрене снова задержан правозащитник и журналист Дмитрий Тихонов," (“Uzbekistan: Rights defender and journalist Dimitrii Tikhonov once again arrested in Angren”) Fergana News Agency, December 17, 2016, http://www.fergananews.com/news/24273.
110“Dimitrii Tikhonov: ideological saboteur or how they fabricated my case,” AsiaTerra, February 29, 2016, http://www.asiaterra.info/obshchestvo/dmitrij-tikhonov-ideologicheskij-diversant-ili-kak-na-menya-fabrikovali-dela.
111 "Правозащитник Тихонов покинул Узбекистан из-за публикации клеветнических материалов," (“Rights defender TIkhonov quits Uzbekistan after publication of slanderous material“) Radio Ozodlik, February 13, 2016, http://rus.ozodlik.org/a/27550056.html.
112 Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of RU "О мерах по организации деятельности Центра развития системы Электорнное правительство и Ценра обеспечения информационной безопасности при Государственном комитетe связи, информатизации и коммуникационных технологий Республики Узбекистан" [On Measures Establishing the Development Centre on "E-governance" System and Cybersecurity Centre at the State Committee on the CITT], No. ПП-2058, September 16, 2013, SZRU (2013) No. 38, item 492, at Art. 3.
114 See Criminal Code Article 278-1 "Violation of the Rules of Informatization"; Article 278-2 "Illegal (Unsanctioned) Access to Computer Information"; Article 278-3 "Production and Dissemination of Special Tools for Illegal (Unsanctioned) Access to Computer Information"; Article 278-4 "Modification of Computer Information"; and Article 278-5 "Computer Sabotage."

References: Art. 4
 Art. 4
 art. 17
 v. 
 Art. 4
 art. 31
 art. 1
 art. 5
 art. 1
 art. 14
 art. 26
 art. 4
 art. 8
 v. 
 art. 139
 art. 2
 art. 5
 art. 208
 art. 2
 art. 339
 art. 382
 art. 4
 art. 16
 Art. 4
 art. 1
 Art. 3