Sunday, 19, May, 2024

At the fifteenth plenary session of the Senate on May 29, the Presidential Security Service (PSS) of Uzbekistan Bill was passed, the Senate said in a statement.

The adoption of the document was justified by several factors, in particular, the regulation of the activities of the service, created in January 2018, by closed presidential decrees, as well as the lack of open regulatory documents.

The Security Service is a specially authorized body that conducts "legal, organizational, safety, security, operational-search, engineering and other measures" to ensure the safety of protected persons. At the same time, certain aspects of the operational and service activities of the PSS have a direct impact on the rights and legitimate interests of individuals and legal entities, the statement says.

For example, while working at objects and adjacent territories, where guarded persons will be present and security measures are carried out, as well as on the appropriate routes to these objects, the service restricts free movement, construction work and reconstruction, the labor activity of organizations involved in the provision of services, and other actions.

In addition, the meeting spoke about the absence of a specific procedure for the use of firearms by PSS officers, as well as by law enforcement officers and other power structures involved in the work of the service.

Based on this, the Presidential security service Bill should regulate the following points:

  • generally accepted concepts and terms used in the field of ensuring the safety of protected persons, the principles of this type of activity to clarify and correctly apply their content;
  • category of protected persons;
  • status, main tasks, rights and obligations of the PSS, issues of its cooperation with other state bodies;
  • procedure for formation of the personnel of the PSS, the status, rights and obligations of military personnel;
  • certain aspects of the passage of real military service by PSS officers, the organization of the assignment of military ranks and professional training to them;
  • guarantees of legal and social protection of SSBP employees;
  • issues of providing PSS officers with service certificates, tokens and military clothing;
  • detailed conditions and procedure for the use of force, special means, edged weapons and firearms by PSS officers;
  • procedure for monitoring the activities of the PSS.

The document was commented on only by the chairman of the Committee on Defense and Security Issues Kutbidin Burkhanov, who emphasized "the compliance of the Bill with international legal norms."

The PSS was formed in February 2018. In August 2019, its powers to protect the president, members of his family, as well as heads of foreign states during their visits to Uzbekistan were transferred to the PSS.

In December 2020, Alisher Usmanov took charge of the service, replacing Bakhodir Tashmatov, who became the deputy secretary of the Security Council under the president.

Latest in National