44 people were charged with sodomy under article 120 of the Criminal Code in Uzbekistan between 2016-2020, the Department for Execution of Punishments (DEP) under the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

According to the department’s website, 6 people were prosecuted in 2016, 15 in 2017, 7 in 2018, 7 in 2019, and 9 in 2020.

To date, the number of convicts for this crime in penal colonies stands at 49, the DEP said.

"After the court rules, the convicts are sent to colonies, depending on the type of punishment imposed by the court," the message says.

The DEP emphasized that as per the Ministry of Internal Affairs, a psychological aid has been established "to prevent further crimes and offenses by convicts, to study their behavior from a psychological point of view, as well as psychological support during the adaptation period." In addition, "regular psychological work has been established with this category of prisoners on an individual basis”.

The UN Human Rights Committee called on Uzbekistan to lift the article 120 of the Criminal Code due to cases of “discrimination, harassment and violence, including extortion, arbitrary arrest, torture and sexual abuse” against the sexual minorities.

At the 128th session of the committee in March 2020 in Geneva, the representative of Uzbekistan said that in the country's legislation "there are no regulations that prevent employment, studies, and the provision of medical assistance to LGBT."

At the same time, he noted: “It is necessary to agree that such a way of life is not approved by the religion of Islam, which is adhered to by 97% of the population of Uzbekistan, by the mentality and traditions of the society. However, no radical measures are taken against minorities. The decriminalization of same-sex relations raises wide objections from the population and especially believers not only of the Muslim faith”.