The most populous country in Central Asia, Uzbekistan is also one of the most repressive. Under its first – and so far only – president since its independence in 1991, Islam Karimov, Uzbekistan has gained a reputation for jailing opposition and human rights activists, and for restricting freedom of the media, civil society, and freedom of religion. Uzbekistan has been declared by the State Department a Country of Particular Concern for religious freedom every year since 2006, and in 2014 was declared a Tier 3 country for trafficking in persons due to forced and child labor in its cotton fields. The situation in Uzbekistan worsened in 2005 after authorities killed hundreds of protestors in Andijan. The government claimed the violence was sparked by terrorists escaping from jail, and tightened its already close hold on the population. The Uzbek government has used the fight against terrorism to justify a stringent religion law and the imprisonment of man devout Muslims, as well as opposition figures, independent journalists, and human rights activists. The OSCE established the OSCE Liaison Office in Central Asia in Tashkent in 1995, which was converted to the OSCE Centre in Tashkent in 2000, and ultimately to the current Project Coordinator in 2006. The OSCE has not conducted a full election observation in Uzbekistan, although it has conducted several limited observation missions.

The Helsinki Commission has closely followed developments in Uzbekistan since its independence in 1991, and has held numerous hearings on the human rights situation in the country. The Commission also held several hearings related to the violence in Andijan in 2005. Most recently, the Commission held two events looking at politically-motivated incarcerations and prison conditions in Uzbekistan.