The Vietnam government continues to enforce the Law on Belief and Religion, which requires religious organizations to register with the state, and to harass unregistered religious groups. Additionally, ethnic minority communities face especially egregious persecution for the peaceful practice of their religious beliefs, including physical assault, detention or banishment.

Religious freedom conditions in Uzbekistan have begun to trend negatively. While the government has taken notable steps in recent years to address long-standing and significant religious freedom issues, some incidents have reinforced concerns that the government continues to restrict Muslim religious practices that are not in line with the state-prescribed interpretation of Islam.

Religious freedom conditions in Turkmenistan continue to show no signs of improvement. The government is suspicious of all independent religious activity and maintains a large surveillance apparatus that monitors believers at home and abroad. Turkmenistani law requires religious groups to register under intrusive criteria, strictly controls registered groups’ activities, and bans and punishes religious activities by unregistered groups.