In Uzbekistan, it is proposed to introduce liability for concealing early marriages and other offenses

In Uzbekistan, it is proposed to establish liability for concealing early marriages and other offenses

The Prosecutor General's Office of Uzbekistan has prepared a draft law proposing to introduce administrative liability for failure to report offenses.

The amendments are planned to be made to the Code of Administrative Responsibility.

According to the draft law, liability will arise if an official or employee of a state body or other organization, who is duty-bound to report offenses, fails to transmit such information in accordance with the procedure established by law to the internal affairs bodies and the "Inson" social service centers.

For such a violation, it is proposed to introduce a fine under the new Article 188-5 of the Code of Administrative Responsibility:

If such a violation is committed repeatedly within a year after the application of an administrative penalty, it is proposed to increase the fines:

It is proposed to refer cases under this article to the competence of criminal courts.

The Prosecutor General's Office notes that current legislation currently lacks separate administrative liability for officials and employees of state bodies and other organizations for failing to report detected offenses.

According to the developers' assessment, in some cases this leads to the concealment of such facts or to the fact that necessary measures are not taken in relation to them in a timely manner.

The explanatory materials state that the draft law was developed in pursuance of the presidential decree dated March 3, 2026, on strengthening the protection of the rights of women and children and preventing harassment and violence against them.

In particular, the decree provided for the introduction of liability for failure to report cases of early marriages, pregnancies among girls under 16, and other offenses to the internal affairs bodies and "Inson" centers.

According to the document, such an obligation applies to representatives of citizens' self-government bodies and registry offices, educational and healthcare institutions, as well as religious organizations.

The authors of the project note that timely reporting of offenses is important for their early detection and prevention, as well as for protecting the rights and freedoms of citizens.

It is expected that the amendments will strengthen the responsibility of employees and officials for failing to report offenses and reinforce the system of protection for citizens, especially women and minors.

If the law is adopted, it will enter into force from the day of its official publication.

Acting Prosecutor of Tashkent Anvar Urmanov reported on February 18 that nearly 1,000 cases of crime concealment had been detected in the capital. In the capital, 954 illegal decisions to refuse to initiate criminal cases were overturned, under which cases were subsequently opened. Of these, 23 relate to serious crimes, and another 3 cases are related to concealment through non-registration.