Uzbekistan has no private television network. State-owned radio transmits official propaganda, privately owned radio stations refrain from any criticism for fear of being shut down, and the written press serves state interests. Only about 15 online media outlets, some of them based abroad, publish quality content. They include Ozodlik Radiosi, the Uzbek and Russian language services of the American Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), which is blocked in the country. About a third of the press broadcasts in Russian.

The authorities wield a great deal of control over the media and a large group of bloggers with close ties to the government. The real opposition — which consists of those close to the terrorist group Islamic State on one hand and a partly exiled nationalist group on the other — is banned.

Authorities have yet to implement the reforms needed to end repressive media laws. Censorship, surveillance and self-censorship are prevalent. To maintain their independence, some local online publications are reluctant to officially register as a media outlet, at the risk of being prosecuted and facing heavy fines for their content.

Officials don’t hesitate to exert economic pressure or attempt to corrupt journalists. The growth of independent media is also largely hampered by laws and regulations that restrict their funding, especially by foreign-based organisations that support a free press.

Out of around 37 million inhabitants, over 50 per cent are under 30 years old. Uzbekistan’s youth and the expansion of Internet coverage have driven a boom in social media, especially the Russian platform Odnoklassniki, Facebook, Telegram, and recently, with the increase in internet connection speeds, YouTube. Some groups on these platforms exchange information about corruption, an issue that the official media barely cover.

The last imprisoned journalists, some held for nearly 20 years, have been released but not rehabilitated. Bloggers are still being threatened or arrested, as was the case with Otabek Sattoryi, founder of the Xalq Fikri (People’s Opinion) YouTube channel. He was sentenced to six and a half years in prison in May 2021 on trumped up defamation and extortion charges. Reporters who tried to cover his trial were physically attacked or subjected to baseless criminal proceedings. The repression of reporters who covered demonstrations in support of maintaining Karakalpakstan’s constitutional status as a sovereign autonomous republic, highlights the government’s determination to silence all dissent voices, especially those of members of ethnic minorities who advocate for equal rights.