Uzbekistan Justice - The Times Of Central Asia

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Uzbek Man Suspected of Kidnapping Italian Businessman Arrested

An Uzbek citizen has been detained in Italy on charges of orchestrating the kidnapping of Italian businessman Stefano Guidotti in Moscow. In June this year Guidotti was abducted and held hostage. According to Italian investigators, the alleged mastermind is a 44-year-old Uzbek national living near Ravenna, who holds a Russian passport. The suspect had previously worked for Guidotti’s business. The Bologna prosecutor’s office identified the Uzbek citizen as the primary organizer of the crime. Reports indicate he also personally initiated negotiations to establish a ransom for the release of Guidotti, who serves as the general director of the Russian office of SIAD Group. SIAD is one of Europe’s largest manufacturers of industrial gases. The kidnapping took place on the morning of June 28, when three men seized Guidotti in the courtyard of a residence in central Moscow. He was handcuffed, a bag was placed over his head, and he was forced into a car. Russian police rescued him the following day in the country's Bryansk region. The abductors reportedly included three Russian nationals and one foreigner.

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Chechen Leader Kadyrov Denies Involvement in Attack on Allamjonov

On October 26 Uzbek media reported an attack on the former head of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's information department, Komil Allamjonov. At around 1:40a.m., near his home in Tashkent’s Kibray district, two unidentified individuals fired several shots at the car he was in before fleeing. Fortunately, no one was injured. The weapon type remains unknown. Authorities have opened an attempted murder case and are searching for the suspects. However, the General Prosecutor’s Office has not confirmed whether Allamjonov was specifically targeted in the incident. Some opposition media have suggested a “Chechen connection” implicating Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov in the attack on Allamjonov. In response, Kadyrov denied involvement, stating that the media attributed the incident to him. “I don’t want to respond to this provocative leak. Moreover, work in all spheres, including information and law enforcement, is excellently organized in Uzbekistan thanks to the wise policy of the respected President Shavkat Miromonovich Mirziyoyev. I will only add that if I had really planned something, I would have completed it and with a 100% result,” he stated. Kadyrov emphasized the close ties between Chechens and Uzbeks, describing them as “brotherly peoples with a common historical past.” He added: “I regard this information leak as a tool of political play by some third parties and a clear attempt to sow discord between our countries. I am sure that other publications in the style of Western fakes will follow. Be that as it may, my dear brothers in Uzbekistan and I will definitely find out who is behind this provocative information leak.” The General Prosecutor’s Office stated that the investigation is ongoing, and promised further updates.

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Uzbekistan Bans the Use of Animals in Circus Performances

From January 1, 2025, Uzbekistan will ban the use of wild animals in circus performances. This law will affect all circuses, including traveling ones. The ban also restricts individuals' right to keep wild animals at home. The list of animals who must not be allowed to perform in circuses was published on the UzA's Telegram feed. These animals can be kept only in specialized institutions such as zoos, terrariums, and oceanariums established by legal entities with a permit from the Ministry of Ecology. Several countries have laws prohibiting the use of wild animals in circus performances. Corresponding bans are adopted in most European countries, Cyprus, Malta, Hungary, Croatia, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Finland, Denmark, Ireland, Greece, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, as in many states of the USA and Canada, in Israel, China, Singapore, Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Iran, Chile, El Salvador, Ecuador, Australia, India, Taiwan, and many other countries. Kazakhstan will ban petting zoos and dolphinariums from January 1, 2025. In Russia, a bill to restrict the use of animals in circuses was discussed in 2023, but the final decision has yet to be made.

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Germany Closes Money Laundering Case Against Uzbek-Russian Billionaire Usmanov

The Frankfurt Prosecutor’s Office has completed its money laundering investigation against Uzbek-Russian businessman Alisher Usmanov. The case was settled on October 11, 2024, when Usmanov agreed to pay 1.5 million euros to non-profit organizations and 2.5 million euros to the German treasury. When these payments are completed, the case will be completely closed. Prosecutors say the alleged actions in question occurred long ago and did not cause financial damage in Germany. This decision was made under section 153a of the German Criminal Procedure Code, which allows cases to be dropped if the crime is minor and prosecution isn’t in the public interest. Usmanov’s lawyers praised the result, calling it a step towards restoring his reputation. They noted that the investigation found no evidence to support money laundering charges. Usmanov has now decided not to file a counter lawsuit against prosecutors or demand damages. In 2022, a Frankfurt court deemed the searches of properties linked to Usmanov in Germany illegal, and all seized items were ordered to be returned. However, in 2023, the German Constitutional Court declined Usmanov’s complaint over the searches, stating that he had not exhausted all legal options before filing the complaint. Previously, The Times of Central Asia reported that the news from the Hamburg court about Usmanov as broadcast by the German TV channel ARD was found to be unreliable. ARD accused Usmanov of creating a system of bribing International Fencing Federation (FIE) judges. According to the report, the court found the information published by the ARD channel unreliable and banned its distribution as “inappropriate news based on suspicion.” If the court order is violated, the party found to be in violation can be fined up to 250,000 euros per episode or face imprisonment.

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Uzbekistan: Suspects Arrested in Attack, Media on Notice

Several suspects have been arrested in Uzbekistan following a shooting attack on a vehicle in a case that is being treated as attempted murder, according to the prosecutor general’s office. The investigation and public uncertainty about some of the key details of the assault has highlighted tension in Uzbekistan over the role of media and state control of the flow of information. The attack by two people early Saturday, a type of violence that is rare in Uzbekistan, prompted a flurry of reports by Uzbek media organizations and social media posts that a former high-profile figure in the government of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev was traveling in the vehicle and was the target. The organizations did not identify their sources. Authorities did not directly confirm or deny the reports, but they warned that people who spread false information can be prosecuted because it can lead to panic and destabilize society. “The Prosecutor General's Office is conducting investigative actions concerning the criminal case related to the attempted murder in Qibray,” the office said, referring to an area in the Tashkent region where the attack occurred. “During the investigation and operational search activities, three additional individuals involved in committing this crime were identified and detained as suspects.” The arrests brings the total number of people in detention to four. The prosecutor general’s office has not commented on widespread Uzbek media reports that Komil Allamjonov, former chief of the presidential information department, had survived an attempt to kill him. But it has said in a separate statement that “unverified and baseless information” about the case “has been widely circulated on social media, lacking reliance on credible official sources.” The statement continued: “The law clearly defines both rights and responsibilities in the information sector—bloggers, group admins, and social media channel operators with large audiences should particularly be aware of this. Many in the public may accept any information they disseminate as fact. Media representatives must also adhere to the applicable legal norms in the same way that state agencies are required to.” The office appealed to media outlets to “rely on and reference only official information” that the prosecutor general’s office provides about such investigations. The law in Uzbekistan says the spread of false information that leads to the denigration of “a person´s dignity” or threatens “public order or security” can lead to prison sentences; advocates of freedom of expression say such regulations are used to muzzle criticism of the government. A recent criminal case against a blogger who made comments deemed to be offensive shows how the state seeks to regulate speech. For now, questions remain about the weekend attack on the vehicle. Inadvertently or not, at least one Uzbek media outlet was still linking Allamjonov to the case, even though authorities have not publicly mentioned him. An online headline in UzDaily.com read: “Three more suspects in the attempted assassination of Komil Allamjonov detained.”

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Prosecutor’s Office Urges Caution in Reporting on Alleged Attack on Allamjonov

According to Uzbek media, an assassination attempt was made on October 26 against Komil Allamjonov, the former head of the presidential information department. At about 1:40am near Allamjonov's home in Tashkent's Kibray district, two unknown people fired several shots at the car he was sitting in and fled the scene. No-one was hurt. The type of weapon used in the attack has not been determined. An attempted murder case has been opened, and a search is underway. However, in its statement, the General Prosecutor’s Office did not confirm that this was an assassination attempt against Allamjonov. The media reported the incident under headlines about "Allamjonov's assassination," prompting an official response from the General Prosecutor’s Office. They clarified that the information being circulated about the shooting lacks confirmation from reliable official sources. The prosecutor’s office stated that the investigation was ongoing and promised further updates.