Uzbekistan: judicial system covers up pedophiles and rapists
“The Prosecutor General’s Office, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Supreme Court, tell me, please, can teenagers be raped in Uzbekistan?” Irina Matvienko, the editor-in-chief of the project Nemolchi.uz, addressed this question. The reason was the wave of rape of children in Uzbekistan, during the investigation of which a corruption component can be traced.
The journalist convincingly proves with examples that a monstrous practice is used in different regions of the country, when rapists are judged under a “softer” article, or even completely exempted from criminal liability.
In Yangibazar district of Khorezm region, after repeated rapes of a minor and the refusal of her relatives to take money, the victim was beaten right near the Department of Internal Affairs.
Before that, the examination even showed that the girl is a virgin and the bodies of inquiry caught her of lying against respected people. “The Internal Affairs Directorate accepted our statement, conducted an investigation and appointed an expert. Then they sent the materials of the case to the Department of Internal Affairs of Yangibazar district. The case was conducted by investigator Bobur Yuldashev. The examination in Urgench concluded that my daughter is a virgin and she has no injuries. However, she also had bruises on her body. When we asked to send photos from the examination, we received an answer that they were deleted from the phone’s memory. After that, a new examination was scheduled in Bukhara. It concluded that my daughter is not a virgin. However, over time, it wasn’t possible to identify the bruises,” said the girl’s father.
He was told that a criminal case was opened under article 118, that is, rape, violence, intimidation or sexual exploitation of the victim. “However, as far as we know, a criminal case was initiated under article 128. It provides for a milder punishment than article 118. We are in a daze,” the father assessed his reaction.
In the same region, an eighth-grader was raped by her four classmates. “And the case was closed, because the rapists are minors,” writes Irina Matvienko.
Law enforcement agencies were also complacent about the fate of a 15-year-old girl in Kashkadarya region. The eighth-grader became pregnant by her peer relative who came to the house under the pretext of helping and repeatedly raped her. The investigation ignores that the girl was raped and initiates a case under article 128, knowing that a minor rapist cannot be prosecuted under this article. The Investigation Department under the Internal Affairs Department of Kamashinsky district opened a criminal case under article 128 of the Criminal Code, indicating sexual intercourse by mutual consent, although it had all the evidence for the application of article 118 in a crime committed with the use of violence, threats or using the helpless state of the victim.
“In May, we were asked for help by a woman whose minor daughter was raped by her teacher together with his friends. He deceived the girl, knowing about her age,” writes Irina Matvienko. “The investigator qualified the case under article 128 for the teacher, and the investigation didn’t affect his friends at all. The mother fights for justice! They underwent many examinations, retained lawyers, but the investigator didn’t qualify this as gang rape and submitted documents under article 128 to the court. The first court hearing will take place in a few days. The lawyer is seeking a review of the case and its re-qualification to article 118.”
In Kushrabad district of Samarkand region, a suspect in the rape of a 9-year-old girl was released home on recognizance not to leave. The officer of the Internal Affairs Department explained this by the fact that the mahalla, where he lives, had vouched for the 82-year-old man. “Yes, we really let him go home. Let’s not keep the 82-year-old man under arrest!” The measures taken by the Internal Affairs Department are demonstrative, “We took from him a written note not to leave the district. He no longer has a desire to commit such pranks,” a district police officer said at the time.
Irina Matvienko asks the question, “Who makes the decision to hush up sexual crimes, incest and pedophilia, realize that the blood and tears of every child are on their conscience?”
The journalist proposes to transfer all cases of crimes against sexual freedom to the Prosecutor’s office, and not to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It’s required to create a special department to investigate such crimes and amend some legislative acts. If earlier she actively participated in various official events, now she is less and less invited to the Parliament due to her irreconcilable position in upholding the rights of women and children.
The ACCA expert notes that “pedophilia in the country is considered by some influential persons to be almost a component of the cultural code of the nation. This is also why the topic is considered taboo”.
According to official figures, the total crime in 2020 increased by 34.7%, while the incidence of rape increased by 27.7%.
