MPs of the Legislative Chamber passed the bill according to which the right of accused and suspects to leave the country may be restricted by the inquiry, investigation, attorney's office or court bodies Wednesday.
According to Deputy Attorney General Sherzod Tukhtaboev, in a number of cases, persons who have committed a crime are not assigned detention as a preventive measure, which gives them the opportunity to leave the territory of Uzbekistan and hide from the investigation or court.
This, in turn, reduces the likelihood of restoring the rights of victims and compensating for damages, he underscored.
The Criminal Procedure Code does not regulate travel abroad of suspects who have signed a written undertaking not to leave, provided a letter of guarantee, bail or are under house arrest.
the analysis found that 23,863 people hiding from the court and investigation were placed on the wanted list in 2020-2024. Of these, 21,338 (89.4%) were able to leave the territory of Uzbekistan.
The bill provides for amendments to some laws. If there are “sufficient grounds” to believe that a suspect, accused or defendant may leave the territory of Uzbekistan without good reason and evade investigation or trial, law enforcement agencies may temporarily restrict their right to leave.
The restriction may only be granted through a court ruling. It can be protested or appealed.
In certain cases, individuals may be allowed to leave Uzbekistan:
- to attend in criminal proceedings abroad;
- for medical treatment;
- in the vent of death of a relative.
