More than 530 people were returned to Uzbekistan in 2019-2021 from disadvantaged regions such as Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

This was noted at the thematic roundtable discussion by Akmal Saidov, First Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Director of the National Center for Human Rights (NCHR).

According to Uzbekistan NCHR, the roundtable discussion was organized by the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Commissioners of the Oliy Majlis for human rights and children’s rights, the NCHR, the UN OHCHR Regional Office for Central Asia. It was devoted to the issues of strengthening the role and capabilities of national human rights institutions in monitoring and evaluating activities for the reintegration and resocialization of repatriates from conflict zones.

As Mr. Akmal Saidov emphasized, the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan, within the framework of a humane policy, carried out 5 special operations “Mehr” to evacuate citizens of Uzbekistan from the above countries. There are more than 120 women and about 380 children of the total number of those returned.

The Government of Uzbekistan adopted normative-legal acts for their social adaptation and created republican and territorial interdepartmental commissions, which carried out rehabilitation and social adaptation measures for repatriates, their employment, and placement of children in kindergartens and schools, etc.

On March 15, 2022, within the framework of the 49th session of the UN Human Rights Council, a report was heard by the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, Fionnuala D. Ní Aoláin, following a visit to Uzbekistan on November 29 – December 7 last year.

She highly appreciated the activities of Uzbekistan Government in the repatriation and reintegration of women and children from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. According to her, the repatriation model created in Uzbekistan and based on the family and community is an example of best practices in repatriation, ensuring the best interests of the child and the full reintegration of women.

UzA