Gaibullo Jalilov
Gaibullo Jalilov is an openly practising Muslim and advocate for the Muslim community in Uzbekistan. Since 2003, he has been a member of the Kashkadarya Branch of the Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan. Before being arrested in 2009, his work focused on the violation of the right to religious freedom, and in particular, on the persecution of Muslims in the Kashkadarya region.
One of the strategies used to silence human rights defenders is to impose upon many of them excessive prison sentences, although a number of defenders were granted early release in 2017 due, in part, to the political transition following the death of former president Islam Karimov in autumn 2016. Following his installation as President on 14 December 2016, Shavkat Mirziyoyev implemented legal reforms to reduce the power of national security services and increase economic liberalisation. During a rare visit in October 2017 by UN Special Procedures, the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion and Beliefs Ahmad Shahid welcomed these new reforms and emphasised that they should be aimed towards protecting human rights."
