In Samarkand, in 2012, the punishment for a man who committed sexual violence against a girl was lightened. The Children's Ombudsman reported about this.
As reported, within the scope of his authority, the Children's Ombudsman reviewed the case of a man charged under Article 119 of the Criminal Code (Satisfying sexual needs in a violent, unnatural manner) and Article 137 (Human trafficking) in relation to sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl.
According to the court documents, the Samarkand City Court sentenced the man to 19 years for violating Article 119 of the Criminal Code and to 7 years for violating Article 137, with a total sentence of 20 years in prison based on Article 59 of the Criminal Code (Sentencing for committing multiple crimes).
However, in the appellate decision of the criminal division of the Samarkand Regional Court (based on the defendant's appeal), the first-instance court imposed a lighter sentence on the man within the sanctions of Article 119 of the Criminal Code (changing from 19 years to 15 years).
In relation to this appeal, the Children's Ombudsman, within his authority, considered the unjustified mitigation of the criminal sentence to be against the interests of the child and submitted a request to the Prosecutor General's Office of Uzbekistan for a protest in procedural order.
Based on this, the court documents were examined by the Samarkand Regional Prosecutor's Office, and supporting the position of the Children's Ombudsman, a protest was filed to leave the verdict of the Samarkand City Court on June 10, 2024, unchanged.
For your information, the Children's Ombudsman will continue to monitor the protection of child interests during the trial process in the appellate instance court of this case.
