Singers in Uzbekistan to be subject to values law

A new government resolution adopted in Uzbekistan requires professional singers to provide evidence that they conform to the country’s “age-old spiritual and cultural values and national traditions”.

Performers must provide quarterly reports on their appearances and perform for the Uzbeknavo performing rights regulator or risk losing their licence, after the government accused Uzbeknavo, along with internet regulators and the culture ministry, of permitting performances “that can have a negative impact on the moral upbringing of the younger generation”.

President Islam Karimov’s government has frequently criticised singers for what it sees as imitating Western styles of music or being scantily clad. It is also reported that certain local singers have lost their performing licences for offences such as travelling overseas without prior permission or refusing to entertain cotton pickers during Uzbekistan’s annual cotton harvest.

Source: BBC