Uzbekistan, Tashkent, April 13 / Trend D. Azizov /
Amendments to the Criminal Code and the Code of administrative responsibility, according to which responsibility for crimes and offenses relating to the promotion of the cult of violence, cruelty and pornography toughens, came into force in Uzbekistan.
The Law on amendments to these codes was signed by President Islam Karimov. The document was adopted by the Legislative (lower) chamber of the Uzbek parliament on March 6 and approved by the Senate on March 23.
Amendments made to two Codes increase the responsibility for the manufacture, importation, distribution, promotion and demonstration of pornographic materials, as well as impose responsibility for similar actions in respect of production, which promotes a cult of violence or cruelty.
In particular, the Code of Administrative Responsibility was supplemented with an article, according to which the manufacture, importation, distribution, advertising, display of pornographic materials and materials, which promote a cult of violence or cruelty, shall be punishable by a fine on citizens from 50 to 100, and public officers - from 100 to 150 minimum wages with the confiscation of the product and its manufacturing facilities.
In the previous edition a fine ranged from 40 to 100 minimum wages both for citizens and public officials.
According to the innovations in the Criminal Code, these offenses committed after the application of administrative penalties, will be punished either by a fine from 400 to 600 minimum wages, or correctional labor for up to three years, or imprisonment for up to six months. Recurrence of the same action shall be punished with imprisonment up to three years.
Code is supplemented by a norm, according to which the same offenses with the description or depiction of a minor or the minor's involvement as a performer in the actions of a pornographic nature shall be punished with imprisonment of three to five years.
The Criminal Code is also supplemented by the corresponding terms under which pornographic products materials and items that are not of artistic value and have no scientific, medical or educational purpose, describing either photos, videos or other images of sexual organs or a person or coitus actually committed by a person or they simulated; materials promoting a cult of violence or cruelty are materials and items that are not of the artistic, scientific or cultural value, encouraging the commission of violence or cruelty.