The world’s longest-imprisoned journalist – Yusuf Ruzimadurov, who had served 19 years on anti-state charges – was released on 22 February in Uzbekistan.[1]
Though the current government has shown a willingness to reform undemocratic practices, there is still a long way to go for Uzbekistan, which sit in the middle of the 4th quartile.
[1] Human Rights Watch, Uzbekistan: Journalists Prosecuted, Harassed, 23 March 2018, available at https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/03/27/uzbekistan-journalists-prosecuted-harassed