Authorities in Uzbekistan are investigating the alleged sexual assault of a five-year-old girl at a state kindergarten in the Namangan region. The suspect has been detained, while the case has prompted a wider debate over tougher penalties for sexual crimes against children.
The alleged assault occurred at a kindergarten in Uchkurgan district. Police opened a criminal case on September 12 under two provisions of the Criminal Code, one covering the rape of a child under 14 and the other covering a threat to kill or use violence. The suspect, identified as K.M., worked as the kindergarten’s head of maintenance and was detained the same day. A court later ordered him held in custody.
The Children’s Ombudsman requested a safety review from the Ministry of Preschool and School Education, prompting checks on staff at state kindergartens across the country.
On September 27, Saida Mirziyoyeva, head of the Presidential Administration, said the death penalty should apply to such crimes. Capital punishment is prohibited under Article 25 of Uzbekistan’s Constitution, meaning its restoration would require a constitutional amendment.
“In my view, the death penalty should indeed be applied for such brutal crimes. Unfortunately, the current law does not provide for the highest form of punishment,” Mirziyoyeva wrote.
She said proposals were being prepared to amend legislation to make penalties for such crimes as severe as possible.
The Children’s Ombudsman has proposed life imprisonment for serious sexual crimes against children, including rape, in a special report submitted to parliament.
The ombudsman cited Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, where life sentences are available for certain sexual offenses against children. Kazakhstan introduced the penalty for some such crimes, while Kyrgyzstan’s Criminal Code allows it for the rape of a child under 14.
Human rights activist Abdurakhmon Tashanov, head of the Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan Ezgulik, cautioned against interpreting Mirziyoyeva’s remarks as the beginning of a campaign to restore capital punishment.
“Those who interpret Saida Mirziyoyeva’s words as a proposal to restore the death penalty in Uzbekistan are somewhat mistaken. The death penalty will not be reinstated,” he wrote.
Tashanov nevertheless supported tougher punishment for sexual crimes against children and called for parliament to consider additional measures, including castration.
The National Agency for Social Protection is providing assistance to the girl and her mother. Shakhnoza Mirziyoyeva, the agency’s first deputy director, said psychologists and other specialists have been working with the family.
The agency will arrange for the family to move to another city and receive housing, rehabilitation, and social support. It will assist the girl’s mother with education and employment and, if necessary, with changing the family’s surname.
The investigation is continuing, and authorities have urged the public not to circulate unverified information or details that could reveal the child’s identity.
