Two former senior Interior Ministry officials detained in same criminal case

Two former senior officials of Uzbekistan’s Interior Ministry have been detained as part of an ongoing criminal investigation, according to sources cited by Kun.uz, in what appears to be one of the first high-profile cases following the government’s announcement of an intensified anti-corruption campaign.

Former Deputy Interior Minister Bekmurod Abdullaev, who held the rank of major general, has been taken into custody as a preventive measure while investigators conduct a probe into his activities, Kun.uz reported, citing two independent sources. Abdullaev was dismissed from his post in early November 2025.

The Interior Ministry’s press secretary, Shohrukh Giyosov, did not deny the detention when contacted by Kun.uz, stating that the case is being handled by the Prosecutor General’s Office. The Prosecutor General’s Office spokesperson, Hayot Shamsutdinov, declined to comment on the matter and did not refute reports that Abdullaev had been arrested.

No official information has been released regarding the specific charges against the former Deputy Minister.

Abdullaev had served as Deputy Interior Minister and head of the Public Security Department since April 2021. He was removed from office on 3 November 2025 by presidential decree.

On the same day, Rustam Tursunov, then head of the Penitentiary Department under the Interior Ministry, was also dismissed. Kun.uz has since reported that Tursunov is likewise under investigation and has been detained as a preventive measure.

According to sources familiar with the case, Tursunov and Abdullaev are being investigated within the framework of the same criminal proceedings. Authorities have not publicly disclosed details of the alleged offenses or confirmed whether formal charges have been filed.

Tursunov previously served as head of the Jizzakh regional police department in 2017–2018 and later led the Navoi regional police department. He was appointed head of the Penitentiary Department in February 2021 and was removed from the post in early November 2025.

The detentions come shortly after President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, in his address to parliament and the nation on 26 December 2025, sharply criticized corruption, describing corrupt officials as “traitors to reforms,” and announced that 2026 would be declared a year of “extraordinary measures” to combat corruption.

So far, law enforcement agencies have not issued an official statement confirming the arrests or outlining the scope of the investigations.