“We need to achieve 100 percent public trust in the courts in Uzbekistan,” the president said.
The President stated that the primary criterion for judicial reform should be public trust. "Are people satisfied with the courts?" he asked at a meeting with judicial system leaders. Mirziyoyev called for achieving 100% trust in the courts and declared that the country should have a modern court system by 2030.
"We must achieve 100% public trust in Uzbekistan's judicial system," President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said on August 14 at a meeting with judicial leaders where the "Justice 2030" Strategy was presented. He emphasized that, despite ongoing reforms, the judicial system remains unresolved, and public trust should be the primary criterion for its effectiveness.
"Judicial reforms are of paramount importance. We have certainly accomplished much and continue to work in this direction. However, we face the question: are people satisfied with the work of the courts? We must find an answer to this fair question together," the president said on the Uzbekistan 24 television channel.
According to Shavkat Mirziyoyev, everyone who applies to the court should feel the changes that have taken place in the country. "We must act in such a way that every person who crosses the threshold of the court feels the spirit of the New Uzbekistan. The court is one of the three pillars of state power. "The Constitutional Court must act as an impartial arbiter and provide an assessment," he emphasized.
The President acknowledged that, although reforms have been carried out in the judicial system in recent years, significant work remains. "What have we achieved over the past ten years, and what must we achieve in the future? We have appointed a new leader. We are acting based on the interests of the people, their satisfaction, and enhancing their dignity. But if we say that there is more work to be done than has already been done, that would be true."
He also stated the need to create conditions for citizens to fully trust the courts. "We must create the conditions to achieve 100% trust among those who turn to the courts. By 2030, we must have a modern court," said Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
Supreme Court Chairperson Robakhon Makhmudova reported that the "Justice 2030" Strategy, presented to the President, includes 57 objectives, 160 measures, and 33 goals. "When reforming the judicial system, every practical measure must reflect the idea of 'For the Sake of Human Dignity,'" she emphasized.
One key area will be bringing civil courts closer to the population. Specifically, there are plans to establish civil courts in all 208 districts and cities across the country. "As a result, everyone—from the Aral Sea region to the most remote villages of Surkhandarya—will be able to resolve their problems on the spot, without unnecessary red tape," the head of the Supreme Court stated.
Service offices will also be opened in all court buildings, where citizens will be able to receive information, consultations, and necessary assistance in one place, using the "one-stop shop" principle.
Another important change will be the reform of the procedure for reviewing court decisions. "Five interregional courts will be created to consider appeals through the review procedure. This means that an entirely different court will hear the appeal. The Supreme Court will focus on the most complex and systemic issues," explained Robakhon Makhmudova.
The head of the Supreme Court also announced plans to expand the powers of investigative judges based on the prima facie principle ("reasonable suspicion"). "They will be provided with a mechanism for comprehensively reviewing the validity of a petition to detain a person, with the ability to request additional documents," she noted.
According to Robakhon Makhmudova, another innovation will be the creation of an open registry of precedents, where the final legal positions of the Presidium of the Supreme Court will be published. "Anyone will be able to predict the outcome of their own case, based on the Supreme Court's legal position formulated in a specific case."
Five interregional courts are planned to be established starting July 1, 2027. Appeal and cassation courts will remain in regional courts, while the authority to review cases through revisional procedures is proposed to be transferred to interregional courts. This should eliminate the practice of a single court reviewing its own decisions at different levels.
By 2030, civil courts are expected to be gradually established in almost all districts and cities. If a citizen files an application with the wrong court, the documents will not be returned—the court will forward them to the appropriate court. If the application contains minor deficiencies, the court will be required to assist in resolving them.
The "Digital Court" concept is intended to be implemented in all courts. The share of applications filed electronically is planned to be increased to at least 50%, audio recording of 100% of court hearings is planned, and the number of users of the Supreme Court's information systems is to be increased by at least fivefold.
Furthermore, it is planned to expand the use of mediation and conciliation procedures, create an open registry of administrative acts declared illegal by the courts, and increase the number of categories of criminal cases heard with the participation of public representatives.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev approved the "Justice 2030" Strategy and signed a decree on its implementation.