Uzbekistan to abolish criminal liability for violating rules of stay in the country

On September 30, at the plenary session of the Legislative Chamber of Oliy Majlis, deputies considered a number of bills, the parliamentary press service reported.

During the meeting, the draft law “On amending certain legislative acts aimed at liberalizing responsibility for violations of the rules of stay in the Republic of Uzbekistan” was discussed.

As it was emphasized, the study of the criminal law of a number of foreign countries shows that there is no criminal liability for violation of the rules of stay in the country. This, in turn, creates the need to decriminalize Article 224 (violation of the rules of stay in the Republic of Uzbekistan) of the Criminal Code.

Also, an analysis of national legislation and statistics on violations of the rules of stay in the Republic of Uzbekistan require differentiation of administrative responsibility for citizens of the republic, foreign citizens and stateless persons.

Based on this, the bill introduces amendments to the Criminal Code, the Criminal Procedural Code and the Administrative Responsibility Code of Uzbekistan, aimed at liberalizing liability for violation of the rules of stay in the country.

According to deputies, adoption of the bill will provide a legal guarantee to the competent authorities to ensure the speedy consideration of this category of activity, as well as reforms aimed at further increasing the country’s tourism potential.