President signs law on personal protection of witnesses involved in criminal proceedings

Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed the law “On protection of victims, witnesses and other participants in the criminal process”.

According to the document, the decision to provide protection is taken by the bodies carrying out pre-investigation checks, inquiries, preliminary investigations and the court in which the criminal case is being studied.

The following participants in criminal proceedings will be provided state protection:

1) the victim and his legal representative;

2) a witness;

3) public prosecutor and public defender;

4) the suspect, the accused, the defendant, their advocates and legal representatives;

5) convicted, acquitted, a person in respect of whom the criminal case has been terminated;

6) civil plaintiff, civil defendant and their representatives;

7) an expert, a specialist, a translator, a witness and a teacher or a psychologist involved in the case.

The law describes the rights and obligations of the protected persons and bodies that provide state protection.

At the same time, in order to ensure the safety of protected persons, the body in charge of the criminal case is entitled to apply the following security measures:

1) ensuring the confidentiality of information about the protected person;

2) personal security, protection of housing and other property;

3) issuance to the protected person of special personal protective equipment and technical equipment;

4) temporary placement in a safe place;

5) relocation to another place of residence, change of place of work (service) or study;

6) replacement of documents;

7) restriction of access to information about the protected person;

8) provision of additional security measures in relation to the protected person held in custody or in places where he/she is serving the sentence.

Funding and material-technical support of measures to protect such persons are carried out at the expense of budget funds and other sources not prohibited by law, allocated for these purposes to state authorities that provide protection.

The law will take effect after 6 months.