Criminal
Death penalty abolished in 2008, with habeas corpus since 2008 too
Uzbekistan abolished capital punishment entirely from 1 January 2008 and simultaneously introduced judicial authorisation of detention. The 2023 Constitution entrenched abolition.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — District and city criminal courts, regional courts on appeal, Supreme Court on cassation.
- Deadline — Detention limited to 48 hours before a court must rule on custody
- Deadline — Appeal within 15 days of the judgment
Governing law
- Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan1994, as amended
- Criminal Procedure Code1994, as amended
- Second Optional Protocol to the ICCPRacceded 2008
Penalties and consequences
- Life imprisonment as the maximum penalty; no death penalty since 2008
- Imprisonment, restriction of liberty, fines and community service
In practice
Abolition in 2008 was paired with habeas corpus, and both are now constitutionally entrenched by the 2023 amendments. Later reforms narrowed the use of pre-trial detention, made evidence obtained by torture expressly inadmissible and introduced a duty to inform detainees of their rights. Serious concerns persist over prosecutions following the 2022 Karakalpakstan protests and over broadly framed extremism offences. Torture remains a distinct offence and the Ombudsman has a national preventive role.