Washington DC Special Roundtable Consultation, Feb 4 2015. Documents
Tuesday, February 10, 2015 at 11:24AM 
Azerbaijan: International Religious Freedom Report for 2011
Thursday, November 22, 2012 at 10:11AM Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
The constitution provides for religious freedom; however, other laws and policies restricted religious freedom in practice. Most religious groups met without government interference; however, authorities reportedly monitored and raided some religious services, confiscated religious materials, and harassed and detained some members of Muslim and Christian groups. The government considers some of these groups “nontraditional” because they lack a long history in the country. There are also burdensome registration requirements for religious groups that the government enforced. Legislation passed during the year increased restrictions on religious groups. However, in practice, the government did not demonstrate a trend toward either improvement or deterioration in respect for and protection of the right to religious freedom.
There were reports of societal abuses or discrimination based on religious affiliation, belief, or practice. There was occasional hostility toward groups that proselytized, particularly Jehovah’s Witnesses, evangelical Christians, and other missionary groups.
As part of its overall policy to promote and defend religious freedom, the U.S. government discussed religious freedom with the government, various nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and religious leaders.
Uzbekistan: International Religious Freedom Report for 2011
Thursday, November 22, 2012 at 10:04AM Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
The constitution and laws provide for religious freedom; however, other laws and policies restrict religious freedom and, in practice, the government generally enforced these restrictions. The government did not demonstrate a trend toward improvement in respect for and protection of the right to religious freedom. The law restricts the religious freedom of unregistered groups and prohibits many activities, such as proselytizing; many members of minority religious groups faced heavy fines and short jail terms for violations of these laws. The government continued to deal harshly with Muslims who discussed religious issues outside of sanctioned mosques. However, the government did not interfere with worshippers at sanctioned mosques and permitted the regular operation of religious groups traditionally practicing in the country, including the Muslim, Jewish, Catholic, and Russian Orthodox communities.
There were reports of societal abuses or discrimination based on religious affiliation, belief, or practice. However, society generally was tolerant of religious groups, and religious groups were generally tolerant of each other.
U.S. government representatives engaged with the government on religious freedom as part of a broader dialogue on respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. Embassy officials met with representatives of religious communities, civil society, and government bodies, as well as relatives of prisoners, to discuss freedom of conscience and belief. The U.S. ambassador hosted an iftar dinner (an evening meal during Ramadan) for representatives of a number of religions. The secretary of state redesignated Uzbekistan as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act on August 18, for having engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom.