Uzbekistan has opened a criminal case against officers of the Department for the Execution of Punishments under the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The charges stem from circumstances uncovered during the investigation of a sexual assault against a minor in the Akhangaran district of Tashkent region.
According to the official statement of the National Agency for Social Protection, the case was opened against Sergeant Sh.O. of the Central Pretrial Detention Center’s regime department and other employees under paragraph “v,” part 3, article 214 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan — “knowingly unlawful receipt by public officials of material assets or benefits for performing or failing to perform certain actions in the interest of the bribe-giver.”
Earlier, on October 16, reports circulated on social media about indecent actions committed against a third-grade girl in Akhangaran district, Tashkent region.
Law enforcement agencies opened a criminal case over the incident. According to the Main Department of Internal Affairs of Tashkent region, a 31-year-old suspect (M.T.), born in 1994, was detained. He has been charged under paragraph 4 of articles 118 (“rape of a person under the age of 14”) and 119 (“forcible satisfaction of sexual desire in an unnatural form against a person under 14”) of the Criminal Code. The suspect has been placed in custody.
The National Agency for Social Protection announced that it had taken the situation under control. A task force composed of specialists from the Inson Social Services Center was formed to protect the rights of the victim and provide psychological and social assistance.
The victim has been placed in a primary care room and is receiving counseling from a psychologist. The agency emphasized that it will monitor the progress of the investigation and ensure the protection of the child’s rights.
Social media reports indicated that the victim is a third-grade student and that the suspect had previously been convicted of sexual crimes against minors. He escaped from a penal settlement and assaulted the schoolgirl while she was returning home from classes.