The authorities have taken firm measures to crack down on organized crime in Uzbekistan, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said, commenting on a drive to combat corruption and crime in the country. Mirziyoyev made the remarks on December 22nd, at an extended meeting of the National Council on Spirituality and Education.
In his speech, President Mirziyoyev said, “We can never remain on the sidelines. Be it criminal gangs calling themselves ‘street gangs,’ corrupt officials, or those who break the law and cause harm to the state and society. Our streets, our neighborhoods, our lives should literally be peaceful and clean, free of crime. In the new Uzbekistan, the law must prevail, and punishment for crimes must be inevitable. And, of course, it will be so.”
On December 22nd, Uzbek media reported that the former governor of the Izboskan District in the eastern region of Andijon, Serobiddin Ismoilov, was arrested two days earlier on charges of abuse of power. The reports come days after officials announced the arrest on corruption charges of former Agriculture Minister, Aziz Voitov; former Bekobod District chief, Shuhrat Mirzaev; the deputy governor of the Namangan region, Saidahmad Sultonov; the former governor of the Bukhara district, Khairullo Joraev; and several top Customs Committee officials.
