Constitutional Commission approves first proposals

On June 10, the third meeting of the commission on the formation of proposals for amendments and additions to the Constitution of Uzbekistan was held.

The meeting was broadcast live for the first time. The Commission approved the inclusion in the relevant draft law of the proposals developed on 41 amendments and additions to 24 articles of the Constitution.

All the proposals put to the vote at the meeting were approved. Kun.uz correspondent lists the proposals that have been approved by the Constitutional Commission and will be considered by the Legislative Chamber:

•  The state is responsible for ensuring the peace of citizens and society; (Article 14 is being supplemented)
•  Human rights and freedoms in Uzbekistan are recognized and guaranteed in accordance with generally accepted norms of international law and the Constitution of Uzbekistan; (Article 18 is supplemented)
•  Human rights and freedoms may be restricted only on the basis of law, in order to ensure the rights and freedoms of others and public order, and in proportion to the extent necessary for this purpose; (Article 20 is supplemented and the words “state and society” in this article are replaced by “society and state”)
•  No article of the Constitution may be construed to the detriment of human rights and freedoms. (Article 16 is supplemented)
•  The norm of Article 49: “Cultural monuments are under state protection” is changed to: “Historical, spiritual and cultural heritage is under state protection”. The article is supplemented: “The state and society care about the protection of national values and identity, the preservation of the cultural heritage of the people of Uzbekistan for future generations”.
•  Everyone is free to develop his or her own personality, which is not prohibited by law and does not violate the rights and freedoms of others. (Article 25 is being supplemented)

A number of important norms in criminal law are included in the Constitution:
•  The accused has the right to be informed of the nature and grounds of the charge, to confront the witnesses who testified against him, to summon the witnesses who testified in his favor, and to use the assistance of a lawyer to defend himself;
•  The suspect, accused or defendant is not obliged to prove his innocence. They may exercise their right of silence at any time;
•  Everyone has the right to demand that the state compensate him for the damage caused by the illegal actions or omissions of public authorities or their officials;
•  Other norms of criminal law;
•  Everyone is entitled to social security for unemployment and disability. (Article 39 is supplemented)

As of 20:00 on June 9, a total of 19,188 proposals have been received from the population to amend and supplement the Constitution.

“In 1990-1992, 6,000 proposals were received during the almost 2.5-year discussion. Most of these 19,000 proposals have now been sent through new information technologies.

What makes me happy is that our young people are not indifferent. Of the 19,000 proposals, nearly 11,000 were submitted by men, nearly 6,000 – by women, and about 2,000 came anonymously. We are also studying anonymous proposals,” Akmal Saidov, chairman of the commission, said.

6,728 proposals were sent through the “My Constitution” platform, 1,744 – through the call center, 1,680 – through mahallas, 804 – through local councils, and more than 2,000 – by e-mail.

Members of the Constitutional Commission submitted 54 proposals. 61 members of the Legislative Chamber and 11 members of the Senate also made proposals. Proposals from factions of political parties: 240 – from UzLiDeP, 108 – from PDP, 21 – from Milliy Tiklanish, 85 – from Adolat, 15 – from the Ecoparty.