Uzbekistan’s Samarkand Authorities Crack Down on Shia Muslims Over Telegram Faith Discussions
In a growing crackdown on the Shia Muslim minority in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, authorities have arrested and detained multiple Shia men linked to a Telegram group created to discuss their faith.
The most prominent case involves 35-year-old Anvar Aliyev, who faces criminal charges that could lead to up to eight years in prison after being re-arrested in July following a brief administrative detention.
According to Forum18.org, since May 2025, Uzbek officials in Samarkand have intensified actions against the local Shia Muslim community, a minority among the predominantly Sunni population. Police discovered a Telegram chat group where about 20 Shia men, including some abroad, discussed religious topics related to their faith with a theologian from Azerbaijan. The group focused solely on religious themes such as the Holy Prophet, Imams, and Shia doctrine, without political content or calls for aggression.
On 16 May, police forced a detained Shia man to unlock his phone, revealing the Telegram group. Subsequently, ten Shia men from Samarkand’s Panjab Mosque Community were arrested and questioned for up to 20 hours about the “illegal” chat group. Four men, including Anvar Aliyev, were jailed for short administrative terms on charges of “petty hooliganism” after alleged mistreatment and torture during interrogation.
Despite serving these short sentences, Aliyev was re-arrested on 14 July by Samarkand police and transferred to the State Security Service (SSS) secret police, who opened a criminal case accusing him of producing and distributing materials threatening public security. If convicted, Aliyev faces up to eight years in prison. His family has limited access to him, with only his lawyer permitted visits.
Local Shia Muslims report ongoing harassment, including early morning raids and police campaigns targeting men with beards, viewed by authorities as suspicious. The government permits only state-controlled Sunni Muslim communities, denying registration and religious education opportunities to Shia groups, forcing them to seek alternative means like encrypted messaging apps to practice and learn their faith.
Human rights advocates call for international attention to the reported torture and unlawful prosecutions, urging protection of religious freedom in Uzbekistan.
