Niyazova was detained by Transport Prosecutor’s Office on January 22, 2007, for several days kept in a pre-trial detention centre in Andizhan, then sent to Tashkent, where she remains in a solitary cell.

Umida Niyazova is charged with illegal border crossing, smuggling, manufacturing or distribution of subversive literature with the help of financial or other aid, received from religious organizations and also from foreign states, organizations and citizens.

As Human Rights Watch stated, the aggregate charge could carry up to 10 years in prison for Umida Niyazova.