Migration agency lodges a complaint to AIMC following Kun.uz criticisms

The Foreign Labor Migration Agency, which has become a target of criticism through serial materials and inquiries, forgot to eliminate the problems and corruption cases raised in them, and started quarreling with the publication.

In recent months, Kun.uz has published several inquiries about the problems associated with organized labor migration.

In the inquiries, questions were raised about “games” in going to work in Korea, suspicious activities during language exams, cases of cheating in exams, exams held without public announcement, payments not provided for in interstate contracts. Citizens who were dissatisfied with the work of the Migration Agency were interviewed.

Even a phone conversation was organized with a broker who solves the issue of migration to Korea: he openly told about the methods of “100 percent result” and its price.

Instead of trying to solve these obvious problems in the system, the Foreign Labor Migration Agency filed a complaint against the Kun.uz website to the Agency for Information and Mass Communications under the Presidential Administration.

In its complaint, the agency accused the site of posting material that “lacks clear evidence”.

“Despite the fact that the information service of the agency issued substantiated statements on each material published in the publication, a meeting was organized between the author of the material and the management of the agency, and a press tour was organized in order to introduce the test procedures for going to work in the Republic of Korea, in order to discredit the agency and its employees, the publication of materials based only on assumptions and rumors is continued,” a copy of the report submitted by the agency to the editorial office reads.

It should be noted that none of the series of materials published in Kun.uz about the problems and “games” in going to work in South Korea are based on rumors or assumptions.

For example, in the material published on March 24, 2023, it is said that South Korea announces late the dates of the exam that gives the opportunity to work, and in 2022, 4 exams were held, two of which were missed without public announcement. The reasons for the opinions expressed in the articles are presented in the appropriate order. The agency could not comment on the situation.

In the material published on May 10, 2023, the opinions of applicants who came to the capital from Surkhandarya region and are dissatisfied with the activities of the Migration Agency are presented in the form of an interview.

In the material published on May 15, 2023, as a “client”, a telephone conversation was organized with a “broker”, who solves the issue of migration to Korea. There is also no speculation or assumption: the agency and the relevant authorities could find these dealers and investigate the case if they wanted to. But neither the law enforcement agencies nor the agency were interested in the situation.

“Taking into account the journalist’s responsibility for the veracity of the news and materials he prepares and distributes, if the materials published by Kun.uz are studied within the framework of the broad legislation, other cases of violations of the law may be identified,” the letter of complaint states. However, the agency officials for some reason do not “want to see” cases of violations of the law, even cases that point to an obvious crime, which are being prepared for their consideration by the journalist.

Also, in the letter of complaint, it is said that the Kun.uz journalist is currently not responding to the agency’s offer to present the evidence to the agency or other authorized organizations if there are clear cases of violations of the law in these processes. However, neither the publication nor the Kun.uz journalist received such an offer from the agency.

In fact, the head of state said yesterday that this corrupt system needs a complete reformation. Indeed, this is an objective evaluation of the agency’s work.

In addition, until this time, the agency has had a lot of leadership changes, and its several leaders have been brought to justice.

In particular, following the conflict observed during the tests conducted in March and April 2017 for the registration of applicants for work in South Korea, Ulugbek Nazarov, the head of the agency at that time, left his post. In the spring of 2018, Khojibakhlil Asamov replaced him in this position. Later, Asomov vacated his post to Ravshan Ibragimov. However, after he was arrested, at the end of 2019, Bakhtiyor Tursunov came to the agency. He left his post in the summer of 2020 and was replaced by Muhammadzokir Mamatkhonov. After Muhammadzokir Mamatkhonov started working as the governor of Uychi district (Namangan region) in February 2021, Khayrulla Umarov became the agency head.

Furthermore, Afzal Ermatov, who worked as the head of the Foreign Labor Migration Agency from 2010 to 2013 and returned to this position in March 2022, was also imprisoned earlier. He is suspected of committing a crime under Article 205 of the Criminal Code (abuse of official power).

It seems that the new leader Jakhongir Khudoykhodjaev, who was expected to improve the work of the agency after such cases, has started trying to justify the system, no matter how corrupt it is. Otherwise, he would not have signed this letter of complaint.