In Uzbekistan, prison sentence for slander and insult will be replaced by a fine
The Agency of Information and Mass Communications initiated the publication of a bill with the abolition of the procedure for imprisonment for slander and insult. Thus, the Department implements the Decree of the President Shavkat Mirziyoev, which was signed in December.
In accordance with the draft law, from the sanction of part 2 of article 139 of the Criminal Code (slander), it is proposed to exclude punishment in the form of restriction of liberty for up to 1 year or imprisonment for up to 1 year, leaving a penalty of 200 to 400 basic calculation units ($4250 and $8500) – ed.) or compulsory community works from 300 to 360 hours. This part provides liability for slander and insult ‘in Internet information resources”.
Part 2 of article 140 of the Criminal Code (insult) is proposed to be revised, also including the reference to the Internet, “Insult in printed or otherwise reproduced text, in the media or on the Internet’s information resources”.
From the sanction of part 3 of article 139 of the Criminal Code (slander combined with the charge of committing a grave or especially grave crime; entailing grave consequences; committed by a dangerous recidivist; for mercenary or other base motives), the norm related to restriction of freedom from 1 up to 3 years or imprisonment up to 3 years will be deleted. Instead, it is proposed to impose a fine of 400 to 500 base estimate indicators ($8500 and $10 630 – ed.) or compulsory community works from 300 to 360 hours.
Point “a” (insult in connection with the victim’s performance of his official or civil duty) of part 3 of article 140 of the Criminal Code is proposed to be transferred to the category of administrative offenses as part 2 of article 41 of the Code of Administrative Responsibility (insult). For this offense, a fine of 40 to 60 base estimate indicators ($850 and $1275 – ed.) is proposed instead of restriction of liberty for up to 1 year or imprisonment for up to 1 year.
Updated part 3 of this article will read, “An insult caused by a dangerous recidivist or a person previously convicted of slander is punishable by a fine of 400 to 600 base estimate indicators ($8502 and $13 000 – ed.) or correctional work from 2 to 3 years”. Sanction in the form of restriction of liberty up to 1 year or imprisonment up to 1 year will also be excluded.
The bill also proposes to supplement article 327 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (media reports that may give rise to criminal proceedings) with the phrase “and Internet information resources”.
The bill is expected to be adopted, as amendments to the legislation are in accordance with the will of the President. This strengthens the trend of punishment with money for freedom of expression on the Internet, as it was at the end of last year.
Recall, on December 30, the blogger Abdufatto Nuritdinov (a pseudonym of Otabek Nuritdinov on the network) received 15 days of administrative arrest. According to the Regional Prosecutor’s office, citizen of Andijan was punished for “slander, insult and disorderly conduct” and fined over $1400.
