There is no predesignated list of persons registered for extremism in Uzbekistan. There are no such lists, Deputy Prosecutor General Erkin Yuldashev said at the International Press Club meeting Tuesday, answering the question of how many people in Uzbekistan are still on the so-called black list.
Speaking at a meeting devoted to the 26th anniversary of the Constitution, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said that "over 20 thousand citizens suspected of having links with religious and extremist groups were removed from the list."
In February, the Minister of Internal Affairs Pulat Bobodjonov also stated that more than 18 thousand people were removed from a special list in 2017, after requests of religious extremist groups members who repented were reviewed.
According to Yuldashev, it’s important for law enforcement agencies not to fight against the effects of extremism, but rather to address the causes. “There are indeed some criminal cases, but this does not mean that they are of a general order, we don’t see an extremist in every corner,” he said.
“If in the course of an investigation, some person will come under the radar of law enforcement agencies, we will carry out preventive measures. I repeat myself, there is no pre-approved, unsubstantiated list,” Yuldashev concluded.
