The Legislative Chamber of Uzbekistan’s Oliy Majlis passed amendments to article 244 of the Criminal Code (mass riots) during a session on 24 December. The law has been forwarded to the Senate for approval.
Under current legislation, organizing, actively participating in or using violence during mass riots are already criminal offenses. The new amendments expand article 244 to introduce criminal liability for undergoing training aimed at organizing mass riots and financing such activities.
The draft law was approved on 11 December in its first reading without any objections. Deputy Saydullo Azimov on 24 December stated that no conceptual changes had been made to the draft, with most of the remarks focusing on text translation and legal-technical adjustments.
Key amendments
The new law stipulates that individuals who undergo training to organize mass riots — such as acquiring knowledge, practical skills and methods for organizing unrest, handling weapons, explosive devices or other dangerous substances — face penalties. These include fines ranging from 300 to 600 basic calculation units (112.5 million to 225 million soums), corrective labor for up to three years or imprisonment for five to seven years.
However, individuals may be exempted from criminal liability if they voluntarily inform authorities about the planned unrest, assist in uncovering the crime and help identify others involved in the training or financing, provided their actions do not constitute another offense.
Deputy Mukaddaskhon Ahmedova inquired about the timeframe for reporting to authorities to qualify for immunity.
Deputy Saydullo Azimov clarified that individuals must notify law enforcement voluntarily before the crime is discovered.
Deputy Diyor Khusanov questioned the liability of individuals who train others for mass riots. Azimov stated that such actions fall under harsher penalties in part 3 of article 244, which addresses organizing mass unrest.
Additionally, a new provision in part 2 of article 244 targets the financing of riots involving violence, looting, arson, property damage or resistance to authorities with weapons or threats. The punishment ranges from 10 to 15 years of imprisonment.
Justification for amendments
The explanatory note accompanying the draft law highlights “the need to update national legislation to address modern challenges”.
According to the National Guard, organizers of riots in neighboring countries underwent specialized training, as well as instances of financing such riots were documented.
A comparative study of foreign criminal legislation (including Russia, Belarus and others) revealed separate provisions for training and financing mass riots.
The amendments aim to strengthen legal frameworks to combat such negative phenomena, the explanatory note said.
Voting results
The draft law was not published for public discussion before its adoption.
In the first reading, 138 deputies voted in favor, 1 against, 1 abstained and 8 did not vote.
The second reading saw 138 votes in favor, 1 against, 1 abstention and 5 abstentions. In the final reading, 140 deputies supported the bill, 2 opposed it and 3 abstained.
