we don't need no stinkin' accreditation

Living in Uzbekistan isn't as simple as just having a visa. No, you need a local registration stamp that displays your local address. You also need to get accredited at the national level. Up until recently, accreditation was handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). On New Years Day the task of issuing accreditation was shifted to the Ministry of Justice (MOJ). Also on New Years Day, everyone's accreditation stamp expired. Every foreigner had to get an HIV test and reregister with the MOJ, but the MOJ doesn't seem to want to issue the new stamps. This wasn't really an issue for the most part and people just went about their business without them. I had a few questions at the airport about where my new stamp was so I told them that the purpose of my trip was to get it. The second time I just showed my local registration and they never even asked. Now, things are starting to get interesting though. Most people are here on short term visas that are expiring and the MFA no longer wants to issue new visas to people who aren't accredited. People are starting to get told that they will have to leave. Some are already here illegally without visas.

On January 28, Uzbekistan's President threatened to crack down on western aid groups. It is claimed that many groups are encouraging political dissent and are operating outside of their declared scope. The speech seems to have been inspired by the events in that took place in Ukraine and to a lesser extent Georgia.

See a connection?

What does all this mean to me? Not a whole lot. I have a year long, multiple entry visa. My accreditation expired like everyone else's, but my local registration allows me to get around just fine. I applied a month and a half ago for new accreditation, but have yet to hear anything. On the bright side, the country director for my project may have to leave.