Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Dec. 3
By Diana Aliyeva – Trend:
Testimony of a victim, witness, suspect, accused, and defendant can no longer become the basis for accusation in Uzbekistan if it isn't confirmed in court by a set of available evidence, according to a new rule in a decree of Uzbek president “On additional measures to strengthen guarantees of citizens’ rights and freedoms in forensic investigation” dated November 30.
It is considered inadmissible to use information obtained with significant violations of procedural legislation or illegal methods in criminal cases, according to the decree.
Criminal responsibility is being introduced for falsifying evidence, coercion to testify. Responsibility for perjury and false denunciation is being increased.
The new rules envisage that such investigative and judicial actions as inspection of a scene of an incident (for particularly grave crimes), search, verification of testimony at a scene of an incident, investigative experiment are carried out with mandatory video recording.
During a trial, a transcript will be kept and attached to a criminal case. These measures will allow to accurately record the course of investigation and the trial process.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Finance of Uzbekistan have been instructed to ensure video surveillance in pre-trial detention facilities, temporary detention facilities and places of administrative arrest in a three-month period.