Eleven Convicted Over Mass Poisoning in Tashkent Region
The Buka District Criminal Court has convicted eleven individuals over the mass food poisoning of nearly 2,000 kindergarten children in September 2025.
Eleven Individuals Found Guilty in Tashkent Region Mass Poisoning Case
Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — The Buka District Criminal Court has issued its ruling in the case related to the mass poisoning of kindergarten children in the Bekabad, Buka, Akkurgan, Pskent, and Kuyichirchik districts of the Tashkent Region, which took place in September 2025. The Supreme Court of Uzbekistan has confirmed that eleven people have been convicted.
All those convicted were found guilty under Part 1 of Article 257-1 of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan, which pertains to violations of sanitary laws or regulations aimed at epidemic control.
The director of Shark Milk Product, R. O., along with chief technologist A. S. and technologist R. H., received sentences of three and a half years in prison.
Three additional defendants, S. S., the founder and sales manager of Shark Milk Product; F. O., the founder and deputy director; and M. N., an assistant technologist, were each sentenced to three years in prison.
J. Kh., the director of Governess Business; I. S., the director of Innavation Outsourcing Servise; B. R., the director of Nishon invest; F. D., the director of Kinder Garden Group; and D. K., a laboratory technician at Shark Milk Product, were given three years of restricted freedom.
Alongside their primary sentences, the court also revoked the convicts' rights to engage in specific activities. The verdict can be appealed or contested in the appellate or cassation courts of the Tashkent Regional Court.
As previously reported by Supreme Court press secretary Aziz Abidov, who referenced the indictment, employees of Shark Milk Product, based in the Akkurgan District, failed to adhere to sanitary regulations and food safety standards.
Investigators revealed that representatives from the company colluded with employees from Governess Business, Kinder Garden Group, Innavation Outsourcing Servise, and Nishon invest. These companies were responsible for providing catering services and supplying dairy and other products to 123 state kindergartens in the Pskent, Akkurgan, Buka, Kuyichirchik, and Bekabad districts.
The investigation found that, despite contractual obligations to use specialized vehicles equipped with operational refrigeration units and to follow sanitary standards, the deliveries were made in violation of these protocols. Prosecutors stated that these infractions resulted in the widespread illness and poisoning of the children.
The mass hospitalization of kindergarten children was first reported on September 25, 2025. Initially, 109 children were hospitalized, but the total number seeking medical help later rose to 1,922. Fewer than 1,000 children required hospitalization, with 941 assessed as being in mild condition.
Preliminary investigation findings suggested that the poisoning may have been caused by kefir produced by Shark Milk Product, which operates under the Royal Milk brand.
In the aftermath of the incident, the Investigation Department of the Main Department of Internal Affairs of the Tashkent Region launched a criminal case under Part 1 of Article 257-1 of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan.