Uzbekistan outlaws polygamy to reinforce secularism

Uzbekistan has adopted legal changes that outlaw, among other things, polygamy and religious marriages without state registration, in a move aimed to reinforce secularism and control Islamisation of society.

The bill introducing changes to the Criminal Code and the Civil Liability Code was signed into law by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on Wednesday.

The changes outlaw “cohabitation with two or more wives and spreading views, ideas or calls in support of polygamy”, according to the Justice Ministry’s statement. The offence will be punishable with up to 15 days in jail.

They also make it illegal to perform religious marriage ceremonies if the partners involved have not previously registered their marriage in a state registry office.

The repeated conduct of a religious marriage ceremony without official registration and holding such ceremonies for underage persons has been criminalised. Such actions will carry a punishment of up to three years of corrective labour.

The punishment for repeated production and distribution of materials that promote ethnic, racial and religious hatred has been made harsher and now entails up to three years in jail.

The changes have also toughened punishment for premeditated actions aimed at insulting other people’s race, ethnicity, or religious or atheistic views; and for propagating ideas of superiority, including on religious grounds. Such offences will be punishable by up to five years in jail.

The legal changes also outlaw propaganda of gender discrimination.

They also ban citizens from appearing in public places with their faces covered, if that prevents their identification (except if the face is covered for medical reasons, as a safety measure, as part of a uniform, sports gear, or costume worn for cultural performances or similar events).

The last two offences will be punishable by fines.

In a statement in September, when the bill was under consideration, the upper house of parliament, the Senate, said the changes were needed to strengthen religious tolerance, preserve the country’s secular values and protect women’s rights.

It said that the number of religious marriages has been growing in the country, leading to a rise in polygamy, and single mothers.

Uzbekistan saw a strong wave of post-Soviet Islamic revival, including emergence of radical groups in the late 1990s. Those groups were swiftly crushed by the late leader Islam Karimov. He imposed tight control over religious practice and waged an abusive campaign against alleged Islamic extremism until his death in 2016.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev initially eased control over Islamic practice. However, in recent months the authorities have launched anti-beard raids and started pressuring halal restaurants, according to activists.

Read also: Crackdown on bloggers and devout Muslims: end of Uzbek ‘reforms’?  

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