"Asked to take an HIV test" — scientist and former ambassador Alisher Fayzullaev

Gazeta wrote that Uzbek citizens who have been abroad for more than three months are being required by clinics to take an HIV test. Former ambassador to several European countries, ex–deputy foreign minister, well-known scholar and writer Alisher Fayzullaev also faced this problem.

The former ambassador of Uzbekistan to the United Kingdom and other European countries, the European Union, and NATO; former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs; well-known political scientist, psychologist, and writer; and professor at both Uzbek and foreign universities — Professor Alisher Fayzullaev — encountered the requirement to take HIV and syphilis tests after a trip abroad. He wrote about this on Facebook.

Gazeta previously reported that, despite the absence in Uzbek law of any requirement to undergo an HIV test for those who had been abroad for more than 90 days, citizens have long been forced to do so at the demand of clinics. On August 1, the Senate approved a law introducing such mandatory HIV testing.
Whether President Shavkat Mirziyoyev will sign the law — and if he does — remains unknown (in other words, the law has not yet entered into force).

International experts have expressed concern about the proposed measure. They argue that mandatory HIV tests are discriminatory, violate human rights, and may prove ineffective or even worsen the situation. Nevertheless, the practice already exists, and reports about it have recently become more frequent. At the same time, as Gazeta noted, the requirement often appears to be a mere formality.

Alisher Fayzullaev stated:
“For several days now, a nurse from the district clinic has been persistently asking me to take tests for HIV and syphilis, since earlier this year I had been abroad for more than three months.”

The professor suggested that this might be related to the law approved by the Senate. He reported that the nurse had repeatedly been told that under the still unsigned law this requirement applies only to citizens aged 18 to 60 (whereas he himself is 68).

“However, the nurse claims that, according to her management with whom she consulted, they know nothing about age restrictions, and I am obliged to take the test,” Fayzullaev said.

“Let’s see what further steps the district clinic will take,” he added.

The practice has been in place since 2018
It should be noted that since 2018, Uzbekistan has had the practice of mandating that migrants returning after a long absence in the country undergo HIV testing in medical institutions. This was provided for by a presidential decree. In the same year, a corresponding interdepartmental resolution was adopted, though it is not publicly available.

In 2023, the president approved the Program of Comprehensive Measures to Improve the Effectiveness of Combating the Spread of HIV Infection among the Population for 2023–2027. It stated that coverage of migrants with voluntary HIV testing should be expanded, including through awareness-raising campaigns about HIV, protective measures, and treatment opportunities for migrants and their families.

Gazeta has published a number of interviews and many articles by Professor Alisher Fayzullaev. You can read them at the links below.

Photo: Alisher Fayzullaev in his office at the School of Diplomacy and International Relations, Seton Hall University, New Jersey (USA), January 2025. Source: Facebook.

Gazeta.uz