The President Shavkat Mirziyoyev by his July 1 decree approved the National Strategy of Uzbekistan on Countering Extremism and Terrorism for 2021-2026 and a roadmap for its implementation.
"The strategy aims to ensure an effective and coordinated national policy to counter extremism and terrorism, which allows to protect Uzbekistan’s constitutional system, ensure national security, as well as the rights and freedoms of citizens in this area," the document says.
The strategy notes that Uzbekistan’s experience in countering extremism and terrorism, as well as an analysis of the situation in the field of combating these threats in the states of the region show that extremist and terrorist activities in Central Asia are carried out mainly under the guise of nationalist, social, religious and other radical political ideas.
The strategy’s priority areas are:
- propaganda of the ideology of patriotism, traditional values and tolerance to prevent the spread of extremist and terrorist ideas;
- preventing the spread of extremism and terrorism ideas among minors and young people;
- protecting the rights of women and enhancing their role in countering extremism and terrorism;
- protection of expatriates from the influence of ideas of extremism and terrorism;
- countering the use of the Internet for extremist and terrorist purposes;
- involvement of civil society institutions and the media in countering extremism and terrorism;
- improvement of measures of legal prosecution and responsibility for committing extremist and terrorist actions, as well as their financing;
- improving the legal framework in the field of countering extremism and terrorism;
- development of international and regional cooperation in this area.
The document notes that the implementation of the strategy will help build an effective system of legal, organizational and ideological mechanisms for countering extremism and terrorism, as well as a culture of tolerance in society, to prevent the spread of ideas of extremism and terrorism in various strata of society, and more.
