New State Secrets Law Boosts National Security in Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan Introduces New Law on State Secrets
On December 27, 2024, the President of Uzbekistan signed the Law on State Secrets, which will take effect on March 29, 2025. This law prohibits the classification of information related to violations of human rights, freedoms, and legal breaches by government bodies and officials. The State Security Service (SSS) has been designated as the authorized agency responsible for overseeing matters concerning state secrets.
Key concepts defined in the document include “state information of national importance,” “state secrets,” and “service secrets.” State secrets are categorized into four main sectors: military secrets, secrets related to foreign policy and foreign economic activities, intelligence, counterintelligence, and operational secrets, and secrets in the fields of economy, education, science, and technology.
The State Security Service plays a crucial role in licensing organizations to handle state secrets, supervising their activities, and investigating violations related to state secrets. State secrets are classified into three confidentiality levels – “Top Secret,” “Highly Confidential,” and “Confidential” – with varying durations of confidentiality.
Certain exclusions from classification include information on emergencies, environmental data, crime statistics, and importantly, information on human rights violations and legal breaches by state entities. Individuals and organizations can access state secrets with approval from the SSS, but must adhere to confidentiality agreements and may face penalties for violations.
The new law replaces the 1993 legislation on safeguarding state secrets and emphasizes the importance of awareness campaigns to educate the public on the significance of maintaining confidentiality. The government is required to develop new regulations within three to six months following the law’s implementation.
