Uzbekistan Justice - The Times Of Central Asia

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Central Asian Police and Prosecutors Follow the Money

Gathering intelligence on money laundering and terrorist financing is just one step for authorities trying to crack down on those crimes. Transforming the intelligence into courtroom-ready evidence is just as vital. That challenge was the focus of a European Union-led workshop in Türkiye this week that drew more than 50 judicial and law enforcement officials, many of them from Central Asian countries. The prosecutors, police and financial intelligence experts discussed asset confiscation and forfeiture, mutual legal aid, open source intelligence and parallel financial investigations, which amount to following the money while separate criminal probes are underway. “The need to ensure the conversion of financial intelligence into admissible evidence in court is paramount, as it is the step that allows countries to prevent, detect and better prosecute criminals involved in financial crimes,” David Hotte, team leader at the EU Global Facility on money laundering and terrorism financing. The EU project and Türkiye´s financial intelligence unit, which is part of the Ministry of Finance, organized the workshop in Ankara, the Turkish capital. It ended Wednesday. The participants were from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Somalia. In recent years, Kazakh authorities have pursued an international campaign to recover assets that they say were stolen and moved abroad. Last month, Kazakh authorities said they had completed an investigation into the case of a nephew of former president Nursultan Nazarbayev and that the equivalent of $1.6 billion worth of assets had been returned to the state. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime is also helping Central Asia with efforts against financial crimes. In April, it hosted a training session on money laundering for prosecutors, judges and financial investigators in Kyrgyzstan. Similar workshops have been held in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. Some civil society groups in Central Asia say their governments could do a lot more to ensure budget transparency and curb violations of financial legislation. A 2023 index compiled by Transparency International ranks countries by perceived levels of public sector corruption – 0 is very corrupt and 100 is very clean. Kazakhstan scored 39, followed by Uzbekistan (33), Kyrgyzstan (26), Tajikistan (20) and Turkmenistan (18). The index scores are based on at least three “data sources” drawn from 13 different corruption studies and collected by institutions including the World Bank and the World Economic Forum, according to Transparency International.

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In Uzbekistan, 74-Year-Old Pensioner Convicted of Agitating for Return of USSR

Ergashkul Khasanov, a 74-year-old resident of Samarkand, was convicted of conducting propaganda aimed at the restoration of the USSR. Hasanov was actively engaged in disseminating material through the Telegram group, Uzbek SSR/USSR, in which he claimed the collapse of the Soviet Union was illegal and temporary and that the independence of the former republics, including Uzbekistan, was informal and temporary. The court found him guilty of encroaching on Uzbekistan's constitutional order. Khasanov's story dates back to 2021, when he began listening to speeches by Russian citizen, Oleg Turishkin, who argued that the collapse of the USSR was both illegal and unjust. Turishkin suggested that Khasanov register as a Citizen of the USSR, and the Uzbek pensioner duly obtained a certificate of Soviet citizenship through the post office. He subsequently joined a Telegram group where he participated in discussions and published materials arguing that the Soviet Union had not legally been dissolved and that the former Union republics should reunite again. In early 2023, Khasanov traveled to Moscow, where he met with activists who advocated the restoration of the Soviet Union and a return to the constitution and laws from Joseph Stalin's time. They argued that the Union “legally” continued to exist, and prepared for its restoration. After visiting Moscow, Khasanov continued to publish materials claiming that Uzbekistan's independence was superficial and that all former republics should return to the fold of the USSR. In his case, the court considered Khasanov's age, lack of previous convictions, and status as a pensioner. As a result, he was sentenced to three years of restricted freedom. Khasanov is forbidden from leaving his apartment from 22:00 to 6:00, changing his place of residence without the permission of the supervisory authority, and from leaving the Samarkand region. In 2022, the public movement, Citizens of the USSR was included in a list of organizations deemed by the authorities in Russia to be extremist. Believing that the Soviet Union still exists, some supporters of the movement refuse to abide by the laws of modern Russia, obey the current authorities, or use Russian passports.

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Kyrgyzstan Proposes Amendment to Laws Regulating Religious Sphere

The authorities in Kyrgyzstan have moved to introduce stricter control of the religious sphere in the predominantly Muslim nation. The State Commission on Religious Affairs has submitted draft amendments to the laws regulating religion for public discussion. The Commission proposes banning the creation of political parties on a religious basis, and the participation of political organizations in spiritual activities. It also proposes banning the financing of political parties by religious activity and organizations. The proposed amendments prohibit deputies of the Jogorku Kenesh (national parliament) and local Keneshes (councils) from combining their parliamentary work with religious activities. They also ban religious figures from being elected as deputies of local Keneshes, and propose that the dissemination of religious information be prohibited in electoral campaigning. The amendments broach introducing a fine for wearing clothing that does not allow a person’s identification in government offices and public places, such as a niqab. The exceptions are clothing required for work, and clothing that covers the face for medical reasons. Authorities in neighboring Kazakhstan are also trying to restrict the wearing of religious clothing - hijabs (headscarves) and niqabs - in public places. Kazakhstan's parliament will consider a bill on the issue during the fall session. In the fall of 2023, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan signed a law prohibiting the wearing of the niqab in public places. In Tajikistan, authorities have encouraged wearing national dress and prohibited women from wearing black clothing and hijabs, considering them "alien" to Tajik culture and traditions. Earlier this year, the Tajik parliament passed a law regulating traditions and rites, banning the wearing of clothing considered to be "foreign to Tajik culture."

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Uzbekistan Adopts Law to Protect Prisoners’ Rights

Uzbekistan has introduced a new law to protect prisoners' rights. The new piece of legislation is formally called the law “On amendments and supplements to the Criminal-Executive Code of Uzbekistan aimed at ensuring the rights and legal interests of prisoners.” The Criminal Executive Code defines prisoners' rights to appeal to the ombudsman through the appeals box. Appeal boxes to the ombudsman will be installed in each residential sector of the Uzbekistan penal institutions, industrial zones, and buildings intended for holding short- and long-term meetings, where it is convenient for prisoners to leave appeals. In addition, appeal boxes for the children's ombudsmen will be installed in the educational colonies. It is reported that the boxes are opened only by the ombudsman, the children’s ombudsman, or the staff of their secretariats.

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Deadly Attacks in Russia Spark Fears of Extremism Amid Ethnic Tensions

On August 23 2024, four prison employees were killed after several prisoners staged a revolt in the remote IK-19 Surovikino penal colony in the southwestern Volgograd region of Russia. Special forces stormed the facility and “neutralized” the attackers, whom the Russian media named as Temur Khusinov, 29, and Ramzidin Toshev, 28, from Uzbekistan, and Nazirchon Toshov, 28, and Rustamchon Navruzi, 23, from Tajikistan. In a mobile phone video released by the perpetrators, the attackers identified themselves as members of Islamic State, claiming their actions were fueled by a desire to avenge the mistreatment of Muslims. The footage starkly depicted prison officials lying in pools of blood, while other clips showed the attackers moving freely through the prison courtyard. With the twentieth anniversary of the Beslan school massacre - perpetrated by members of a Chechen separatist group called the Riyad as-Saliheen Martyrs’ Brigade - drawing near, tensions in Russia are running high, with the perceived threat from extremism leading to a wave of xenophobia. The Crocus City Hall attack, which allegedly involved Tajiks, served to stoke ethnic tensions in Russia, leading to backlash by nationalists. Faced with such conditions and prejudice, an exodus of migrant workers during a time of war has left Russia with a dearth of human capital. Through the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Russia is working with the C5 to detect and combat violent extremists, some of whom are illegally entering Central Asia before traveling to Russia. The Central Asian states, which are secular, are meanwhile trying to balance rights to religious freedom with blocking the malinfluence of oppressive and potentially violent ideologies. Three Central Asian countries border Afghanistan, and both the U.S. and the UNODC are working with Tajikistan to counter terrorism and violent extremism. While some extremist groups see Central Asia as a fertile recruiting ground, a UN report from 2023 noted that “Regional Member States estimated current ISIL-K strength at between 1,000 and 3,000 fighters, of whom approximately 200 were of Central Asian origin.” Despite these low numbers, however, the fact that some observers continue to link Islamic State Khorasan Province to the countries of Central Asia - even though the terrorist organization has purely Afghan roots - means that Central Asia once again finds itself at the center of a nexus of international security challenges.

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Uzbekistan Brings Home Citizens Convicted Abroad

On August 13, Uzbekistan amended its Code of Criminal Procedure to compel Uzbekistan's citizens who have been imprisoned for crimes in certain foreign countries to serve the rest of their sentences in Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan has so far signed agreements with only 10 countries for imprisoned persons to be transferred to prisons in Uzbekistan to continue serving their sentences. According to Sherzod Tokhtashev, a politician from the government-aligned Miliy Tiklanish (National Revival) party, this law does not concern Uzbeks currently imprisoned in Russia. He did however mention that there are separate appeals in parliament to return Uzbek nationals convicted of crimes in Russia to domestic jails. At the same time, there are also calls for these prisoners' families to be brought home. “We receive requests to return children and relatives of Uzbeks from Russian prisons to Uzbekistan. Due to the lack of an agreement with Russia on the exchange of prisoners, everyone is helpless,” said Tokhtashev. According to Uzbek government, 20 citizens of Uzbekistan are currently serving terms in Italy, 250 in Turkey, and more than 450 in Kazakhstan.