In the first 10 months of 2024, courts across Uzbekistan sentenced 15,826 individuals for domestic violence, press secretary of the Supreme Court Aziz Abidov said.
Under article 59−2 of the Code of Administrative Responsibility, which addresses domestic violence, 15,427 people were held accountable. Of these, 9,210 were fined, and 6,217 faced administrative arrest.
Additionally, 399 individuals were convicted under article 126−1 of the Criminal Code for repeated or aggravated domestic violence. Among them, 126 were sentenced to imprisonment, 255 received non-custodial punishments and 18 were handed suspended sentences.
In the first quarter of this year alone, 4,477 individuals faced administrative or criminal charges for domestic violence.
Legislative amendments aimed at protecting the rights and freedoms of women and children, signed into law by the president on 11 April, 2023, introduced penalties for domestic violence and sexual harassment. From the enactment of these amendments until the end of 2023 (a period of less than nine months), over 9,100 individuals were convicted.
The amendments were developed by a working group comprising representatives from ministries, non governmental and international organizations and civil society activists, including the Nemolchi.uz (“Don't be silent”) project.
Article 59−2 of the Administrative Code carries penalties of up to 20 base calculation units ($701) in fines or up to 15 days of administrative arrest. Article 126−1 of the Criminal Code allows for sentences of up to 12 years in prison.
In October 2024, the president signed additional amendments stipulating that reconciliation between parties in domestic violence cases can now occur only at the trial stage, not during the investigation phase.
Earlier, legal experts Zayniddin Shamsiddinov and Utkirbek Kholmirzaev from Tashkent State University of Law, who examined court practices in domestic violence cases, revealed instances where investigative and judicial processes had been used to penalize victims or pressure them into reconciliation.
