Tashkent Courts Order Closed Trials for 30 in Graft Cases
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Tashkent city courts announced on July 29 that trials in high-profile corruption cases, including that of Deputy Interior Minister Bekmurod Abdullaev and 29 others, will be held in closed session. The decision excludes media and public observers, citing the presence of legally protected information. It follows repeated appeals by Uzbekistan’s anti-corruption agency for live broadcasts of such trials.
The Closed Proceedings
All hearings in the case of mass budget embezzlement against Bekmurod Abdullaev, Rustam Tursunov and 28 co-defendants will be held behind closed doors. The same closed regime applies to separate corruption trials involving Migration Agency officials, including Alijon Ashurov, and State Asset Management Agency head Akmal Ortikov. The court’s order affects media, public, and independent observers, effectively shielding the proceedings from external scrutiny.
Official Justification and Precedents
The court press service cited ‘the presence of information protected by law’ as grounds for closing the hearings. This marks the latest instance of Uzbek courts limiting transparency in trials of senior officials. Earlier, proceedings against former executives of Uzbekneftegaz, Enter Engineering, and Eriell were conducted with media access but a ban on photo, video, and audio recording. The Anti-Corruption Agency had previously urged that cases involving public officials be broadcast live on television and online.
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