Thousands of children poisoned, Mirziyoyev earns Trump’s respect, locals blamed for traffic jams, and a wedding scandal involving a 15-year-old girl – Weekly Analysis

Details of major events that took place during the week are covered in QALAMPIR.UZ’s Weekly Analysis program.

How did Mirziyoyev’s visit to the United States go?

President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who traveled to New York to attend the 80th jubilee session of the United Nations General Assembly, met with U.S. President Donald Trump. The first meeting between the two leaders took place at the White House on May 16, 2018, during Trump’s first presidential term.

During the conversation, President Trump said he had great respect for Mirziyoyev and emphasized that he had been leading Uzbekistan for 15–16 years. However, Shavkat Mirziyoyev has only recently completed nine years as president. Trump also mentioned that Uzbekistan is purchasing a significant amount of goods from the United States and noted that the country has abundant money and oil.

The President of Uzbekistan began the conversation by thanking Trump for keeping his promise to meet him and described the U.S. leader as worthy of a Nobel Prize.

According to Mirziyoyev’s presentation to Trump, a contract worth $19.4 billion was signed between the two countries in 2018, and by 2025 this figure had reached $105 billion.

Mirziyoyev once again invited Trump to visit Uzbekistan and reminded him of his previous promise to visit Samarkand.

On August 7 of this year, Donald Trump announced at a White House press conference that he might visit Kazakhstan. However, he did not clarify whether he would visit Uzbekistan.

Speaking about Mirziyoyev’s visit to the United States on the occasion of the UN’s jubilee session, it should be noted that before his meeting with Trump, the Uzbek president held talks with Sergio Gor, the U.S. President’s Special Representative for South and Central Asia. During these meetings, 10 documents were signed. Among the most notable was a long-term cooperation agreement in the transport sector between the Ministry of Transport of Uzbekistan and Boeing. While the Uzbek side did not disclose the details or objectives of the agreement, Trump revealed them on his Truth Social platform. According to him, Mirziyoyev signed a major deal for Boeing aircraft.

"Earlier this month, I spoke with the President of Uzbekistan, His Excellency Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Today, I congratulate President Mirziyoyev on signing a major deal with Boeing! Uzbekistan Airways will purchase 22 '787 Dreamliner' aircraft worth more than $8 billion. This will create over 35,000 jobs in the United States," Trump wrote.

The U.S. President also expressed his desire to work with Mirziyoyev on many issues, calling him a man of his word.

Shortly after meeting with Trump, Shavkat Mirziyoyev delivered a speech from the UN General Assembly podium.

According to the Uzbek president, the role and significance of international institutions in the world are weakening, while conflicts, disputes, and wars are intensifying. Technological and social inequality is sharply increasing, and economic and humanitarian crises are becoming more severe. In this context, the president called for the transformation of the UN Security Council and the expansion of its composition.

Speaking about reforms in Uzbekistan, Mirziyoyev stated that in recent years the poverty rate has been reduced from 35 percent to 6.6 percent.

The president recalled a speech he delivered eight years ago in which he spoke about the need to build an atmosphere of stability in Central Asia.

He stressed that to support the Afghan people’s aspiration for a peaceful and prosperous life, the international community must unite its efforts and prevent the country from becoming isolated. Uzbekistan intends to implement major economic and infrastructure projects in Afghanistan.

Mirziyoyev called for an end to military operations in the Gaza Strip and the continuation of political negotiations. He once again reaffirmed his commitment to the "two states for two peoples" principle.

Expressing concern about the situation surrounding Ukraine, Mirziyoyev welcomed the launch of high-level diplomatic talks aimed at resolving the issue peacefully.

15-year-old girl married off in Surkhandarya

A 15-year-old girl was married off in Denov district of Surkhandarya region. While some sources say the wedding took place in July and others claim it was held on August 10, the incident only became public in the past week. The confusion surrounding the wedding, as well as contradictory statements from state agencies, is not limited to the wedding date. Listening to the full story makes the situation clearer.

According to the Office of the Children’s Ombudsman, on July 8 this year, a woman born in 1958 – the girl’s grandmother – organized a wedding ceremony in Denov, marrying her granddaughter, born in 2009, to a young man born in 1997. However, the National Agency for Social Protection reported that the wedding ceremony was held on August 10.

Since the girl was underage, the marriage was not officially registered according to the law. Nevertheless, a citizen born in 1950 performed an Islamic marriage ceremony for a material benefit. A criminal case was initiated against him under Article 125-1 of the Criminal Code (violation of legislation on the legal age of marriage or the procedure for entering into marriage).

The groom also faced legal consequences. He was charged under Article 128 of the Criminal Code (sexual relations with a person under sixteen years of age).

In a surprising development, the Committee on Family and Women’s Affairs, which usually remains on the sidelines in such matters, announced that it had investigated the case and claimed that the girl was 17, not 15. However, even after this statement, other state agencies continued to provide evidence confirming that the girl was indeed 15 years old. Despite attempts by the committee, led by Zulaykho Mahkamova, to portray the girl as 17 and downplay the situation, the Children’s Ombudsman stated that the criminal case was opened precisely because the girl was 15 and the man had sexual relations with a minor.

According to information obtained by QALAMPIR.UZ, the girl was born on October 3, 2009, and has not yet turned 16. So, where did Mahkamova’s committee get the claim that the girl was 17?

In Uzbekistan, marriage and divorce are not just matters for grandparents, relatives, or local communities – they are also the responsibility of the state. According to Article 15 of the Family Code of Uzbekistan, the legal age for marriage is 18 for both men and women. A marriage concluded between individuals under this age is considered invalid. Parents or intermediaries who allow such a situation to occur may face heavy fines, and if repeated or resulting in serious consequences, criminal charges may be brought against them.

Government adopts resolution to regulate weddings

This week, amid public outcry over the marriage of a 15-year-old girl, Uzbekistan adopted another resolution aimed at regulating weddings, family celebrations, and ceremonies — though it is highly doubtful that this one will be effectively enforced either.

The resolution, adopted by the Cabinet of Ministers on 16 September, is titled “On measures to effectively utilize food waste generated in public catering establishments, reduce its negative impact on the environment, and prevent excessive waste.”

According to the document, the years 2026–2030 have been declared the “Period of Urgent Food Security,” during which weddings, family celebrations, gatherings, and ceremonies will be strictly monitored to ensure they are held in accordance with established rules. By “established rules,” the government refers to the regulation approved by the Legislative Chamber and Senate Councils of the Oliy Majlis on 14 September 2019, which sets requirements for holding such events. But has that regulation ever been enforced before, and will oversight make a difference now? I personally participated in the discussions and adoption of this resolution, yet in six years, I have not seen a single wedding comply with it. If the government could not monitor weddings even during the pandemic, how does it plan to do so now — especially when government officials themselves have been violating these rules by holding lavish weddings?

Who benefits and who pays the price?

According to the regulation, family events may host up to 200 guests, while accompanying pilaf ceremonies are limited to 250 participants. Double weddings and community events (hashar) may host up to 250 guests, with the related pilaf ceremony capped at 300 attendees.

The regulation also prohibits the holding of additional rituals and shows that are alien to national traditions, contradict moral norms, or require excessive time and expenses. These include customs such as “groom’s entourage,” “calling guests,” “meeting the father,” “displaying the dowry,” “inviting in-laws,” “inviting the groom,” “inviting the bride,” and “sending the basin.”

Shall I name the officials who have organized such events? That is not the point — I have no intention of interfering in how anyone holds their wedding. The issue is that standards should not be applied selectively. If the government adopts a resolution and the Senate passes a document setting the rules, then officials themselves must lead by example in practice.

Uzbek woman murdered in Istanbul

In Istanbul’s Fatih district, a 36-year-old Uzbek woman was found murdered in her rented apartment in the Aksaray neighborhood, her throat slit.

Friends of the woman had alerted the landlord after being unable to reach her for several days. The landlord and one of her friends arrived at the apartment and opened the door with the help of a locksmith. Inside, they discovered the woman’s lifeless body with a deep knife wound to her throat. Police and emergency medical teams arrived shortly after, but doctors confirmed that the woman had already died. Her body was sent to the Forensic Medicine Institute morgue.

According to Uzbekistan’s Consulate General in Istanbul, the woman had previously been deported from Turkey for violating the country’s residency rules and was banned from re-entry. She later returned to Turkey under a different name.

Local law enforcement agencies have launched an investigation into the murder. The Consulate General is providing the woman’s family with the necessary consular and legal assistance to repatriate the body to Uzbekistan.

Staying on the topic of Uzbeks in Turkey, three Uzbek women suspected of human trafficking were detained in Istanbul this week and deported to Uzbekistan.

One of them, known as “Sonya” and born in 1974, was accused of being part of a criminal group that operated a brothel in Bangkok between 2013 and 2015. The group lured Uzbek women to Thailand via Kazakhstan with promises of high-paying jobs and forced them into prostitution.

Victims of illegal activities committed by her and the two other detained women are urged to contact Uzbekistan’s law enforcement agencies or the Consulate General in Istanbul.

Children poisoned by food in state kindergartens

In many countries, an incident like this would mobilize not only the education and healthcare systems but also local authorities — perhaps even the entire government. But in Uzbekistan, we quickly forgot the deaths of nearly 70 children linked to Doc-1 Max. So why am I alarmed? Because children in state-run kindergartens in Tashkent region have suffered mass food poisoning. The incidents occurred in kindergartens in the Buka, Piskent, Quyi Chirchiq, and Oqqo‘rg‘on districts.

According to the Ministry of Preschool and School Education, initial medical examinations diagnosed the affected children with “acute functional gastrointestinal disorder, foodborne toxic infection.” Necessary treatments were administered, and most children’s conditions improved sufficiently for them to be discharged on the same day. No severe cases were reported.

The ministry reported that 12 children were hospitalized in Quyi Chirchiq district and 97 in Oqqo‘rg‘on — a total of 109 children. However, this does not reflect the full scope of the situation. Poisoning cases were also recorded in Buka and Piskent districts, but the ministry did not disclose how many children from those areas were receiving hospital treatment.

Preliminary findings suggest that low-quality dairy products may have caused the illnesses. A batch of 3.2% kefir delivered to preschool institutions that day was found to have been produced in one of the workshops in Oqqo‘rg‘on district.

Following the incident, a criminal case was opened under Article 257-1, Part 1 of the Criminal Code (Violation of sanitary legislation or epidemic control rules). The Children’s Ombudsman announced that monitoring of the situation would continue to ensure the protection of children’s interests.

This is not the first case of mass poisoning involving children in Tashkent region. Between 2 and 11 August 2021, more than 30 children from Preschool Institution No. 5 in Oqqo‘rg‘on district were hospitalized with symptoms of poisoning. Back then, Prosecutor General Nigmatilla Yuldoshev personally visited the site, a criminal case was opened, and investigations began. However, no public information was released about the outcome of that case, the cause of the poisoning, or the measures taken against those responsible.

OMON raids Jaloliddin Ahmadaliyev’s concert in Krasnoyarsk

Russian law enforcement agencies continue their inhumane treatment of migrants, particularly labor migrants from Central Asia. In the Krasnoyarsk region, OMON special police units raided the “Korona” restaurant during a concert by Uzbek singer Jaloliddin Ahmadaliyev.

Officers from the regional headquarters of the Interior Ministry, the Federal Security Service (FSB), and the National Guard carried out the raid, searching 620 guests, including 210 foreign nationals. The operation was officially described as part of efforts to identify foreign citizens in Russia and individuals possibly involved in drug trafficking. However, no prohibited items or substances were found among those attending the concert.

Despite this, 26 foreign nationals were taken to a police station. Eight of them — all Uzbek citizens — were found to be residing in Russia illegally.

Following the raid, police filed a total of 19 administrative reports for violations related to the entry, stay, or immigration status of foreign nationals or stateless persons in Russia. Additionally, three criminal cases were opened under Article 322.3 of the Russian Criminal Code (illegal registration of a foreign citizen or stateless person).

Administrative fines and deportation orders were issued against four Uzbek citizens, while the remaining four were placed in a temporary detention center for foreign nationals in the Krasnoyarsk region.

Uzbekistan’s External Migration Agency announced that it had dispatched a lawyer to the scene to protect the rights and interests of the detained citizens. It stated that the incident is being reviewed within the framework of Russian legislation.

Uzbekistan’s Consulate General in Novosibirsk emphasized that such raids must have a legal basis and should not disrupt cultural events. The consulate added that all necessary documents had been submitted to Russian law enforcement bodies to ensure a legal assessment of the actions taken by the Krasnoyarsk security forces.

Meanwhile, in St. Petersburg, five Uzbek citizens aged between 22 and 40 were detained this week on suspicion of participating in a mass brawl.

The fight broke out in a store late on 20 September. According to reports, the dispute was linked to a female shop assistant — a compatriot of the detainees — who was found to have violated Russia’s migration laws.

Uzbek man commits brutal murder in Kazakhstan

In the city of Saryagash, Kazakhstan, a 39-year-old Uzbek man brutally murdered an elderly woman with an axe. Although the killing took place in May this year in the village of Jibek Joly, details of the crime have only now been made public.

According to court documents, the man struck the woman with an axe and tied her up. After she lost consciousness, he slit her throat and then severed her hands and genitals. He was charged with murder.

A forensic report concluded that the woman died from traumatic and hemorrhagic shock caused by chop and cut wounds to the neck. The trachea, esophagus, first cervical vertebra, spinal cord, and major blood vessels were damaged, and the victim had been decapitated.

The court found the man’s guilt fully proven. However, a psychiatric examination determined that he suffers from chronic paranoid schizophrenia and has been under medical supervision for more than six years.

The Turkistan Regional Interdistrict Criminal Court ruled that the man committed the act in a state of insanity and therefore cannot be held criminally responsible. The court ordered that he be placed under compulsory treatment with intensive supervision in a special psychiatric hospital.

The accused was sent to a psychiatric facility in the village of Oqtosh in Talgar district, Almaty region. The victim’s relatives have appealed the court’s decision.

2 children died in traffic accident in Syrdarya

This week, Uzbekistan saw a series of severe and tragic road accidents. In Syrdarya district of Syrdarya region, two minors were killed in a car crash.

The accident occurred when a 15-year-old boy, driving his father’s Lacetti at high speed, lost control of the vehicle and veered into a roadside ditch. The boy at the wheel survived and was admitted to the intensive care unit of a local medical center, but two other minors in the car died at the scene.

A criminal case has been opened under Article 266, Part 3(a) of the Criminal Code (violation of traffic safety rules or vehicle operation resulting in death), and an investigation is ongoing.

In another incident, an electric bus ran over a girl born in 2007 in the Yangi Hayot district of Tashkent. Security camera footage shows the girl walking in a bus stop area when the driver, apparently failing to see her, hit and ran over her.

The incident occurred at 06:53 on 19 September involving a Yutong electric bus operating on route No. 57 and driven by a man born in 2000. As the bus was entering its final stop on Choshtepa Street, it struck the pedestrian with its right side, causing the accident.

The driver immediately stopped the bus, took the girl to a hospital, and provided first aid. “Toshshahartranskhizmat” JSC later reported that the girl’s condition is stable, but no other official agencies have provided further details.

Another fatal road accident occurred in Khorezm region, where a 20-year-old driver of a Cobalt hit a scooter rider who was crossing the road from right to left. The scooter driver died at the scene from his injuries.

Meanwhile, in the Yakkasaray district of Tashkent, a pregnant woman lost her baby following a road rage incident on Muqimiy Street between the drivers of a Gentra and a BYD.

The altercation began when one driver attempted to switch to the right lane. The BYD driver and his father attacked the Gentra driver, smashed the car’s windows, and assaulted his pregnant wife.

A criminal case has been opened under Article 277, Part 2(b) of the Criminal Code (hooliganism). A forensic examination has been ordered to determine the exact cause of the fetus’s death.

Senator blames regional residents for traffic jams in Tashkent

Erkin Gadoev, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Budget and Economic Issues, blamed residents from other regions for the traffic congestion in Tashkent.

He sent a senatorial inquiry to the Ministry of Transport regarding the issue, stating that traffic jams in the capital are severely affecting the daily lives of residents. According to Senate information, traffic intensity in Tashkent has sharply increased with the start of the school year, with congestion levels sometimes reaching the highest point — 10 out of 10. As a result, thousands of people traveling to work, school, or for other purposes are losing significant time stuck in traffic.

The senator noted that nearly one million people enter the capital every day, including about 275,000 from Tashkent region. Thousands of vehicles from neighboring districts enter Tashkent in the morning and return in the evening, further worsening congestion.

In his inquiry, Gadoev requested detailed information on the measures being implemented to reduce traffic congestion, the current state of the “Intelligent Transport” system, and the process of integrating public transport into a unified agglomeration system.

“If I say that Tashkent’s traffic congestion has reached its peak, I will not be mistaken,” Gadoev said. “In particular, the closure of roads due to ongoing construction and reconstruction work across various districts of the capital has caused public dissatisfaction and worsened traffic. Those traveling through Yakkasaray and Mirabad districts know very well how much of their lives they are spending in traffic jams due to roads that have been closed for months. Commuters are now used to being late to work, home, or school, spending at least an hour stuck on the road.”

Traffic congestion is not the only issue troubling Tashkent residents. Many are also worried about the worsening air quality, which is fueling public discontent. On September 22, Tashkent ranked first in the world for air pollution — and this is not the first time such a result has been recorded.

The concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in Tashkent’s air reached 99 micrograms per cubic meter — 19.8 times higher than the World Health Organization’s recommended average air quality standard.

“Tashkent tops the list of the most polluted cities in the world. It is neither a livable place nor one worth buying property in, because the environment is toxic. It’s better to move to other parts of the country. There is no reason to expect the situation to improve in the near future. Tashkent is not a city where dreams come true. Think about your health,” said Navbahor Imamova, a journalist at Voice of America.

The Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change explained that the recent air pollution was caused by strong and persistent westerly winds blowing from eastern Navoi region and around the Aydarkul lake system, which shifted slightly northward starting from the Chardara reservoir area. As a result, dust clouds that rose from eastern Kyzylkum, the Aydarkul area, and southern Kazakhstan entered Tashkent on September 22.

That afternoon, the Horiba automatic monitoring station installed in front of the Uchtepa district administration building recorded PM2.5 levels at 142 micrograms per cubic meter — four times the national standard. The national permissible standard for PM2.5 is 35 micrograms per cubic meter.

By evening, multiple monitoring stations across Tashkent reported a sharp increase in PM2.5 levels, reaching around 150 micrograms per cubic meter. This meant pollution levels in much of the city exceeded the national permissible limit by up to five times. During the same period, visibility at Tashkent International Airport worsened significantly, dropping to about 4,000 meters.

How funds confiscated from Gulnara Karimova will be used

This week, the United Nations office in Uzbekistan announced that $20 million confiscated from Gulnara Karimova — the eldest daughter of Uzbekistan’s first president, Islam Karimov — in Switzerland will be allocated to improving access to education.

The Board of Trustees of the “Ishonch” Fund confirmed its commitment to a transparent and strict process of returning and distributing the funds during the “From Poverty to Prosperity” III International Forum held in Namangan on September 17. It announced that $20 million will be directed to the “Modeling Climate-Resilient Schools and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH)” project, which will officially begin on October 1.

The project aims to renovate at least 45 rural schools across Uzbekistan and provide them with safe water, modern sanitation facilities, reliable heating systems, and clean energy. These measures are expected to reduce energy consumption by 30% and greenhouse gas emissions by 50%. The project will directly improve daily learning conditions for 31,500 children, especially adolescent girls.

Uzbekistan ranks among the top countries in the world in terms of rapidly growing school-age populations. More than 1.4 million students attend schools without adequate water supply or with limited access to water. Many schools, especially in rural areas, still rely on outdated toilets and inefficient heating systems. This project aims to address these urgent problems by introducing climate-resilient, inclusive, and gender-sensitive infrastructure.

In February this year, Uzbekistan’s Minister of Justice Akbar Toshqulov and Switzerland’s Ambassador to Uzbekistan Konstantin Obolensky signed an agreement on the distribution of confiscated assets. Under this agreement, approximately $182 million will be returned to Uzbekistan.

The funds were illegally acquired by certain Uzbek citizens and were fully confiscated in 2012 by the Swiss Office of the Attorney General as part of a criminal investigation against Gulnara Karimova. The money will be returned through the United Nations “Uzbekistan Vision 2030 Fund,” a multi-partner trust fund.

Later, the Brussels Prosecutor’s Office in Belgium submitted a request to the Central Office for Seizure and Confiscation (COIV) to transfer a total of $108 million — believed to belong to Gulnara Karimova — to the state treasury account. The court concluded that the illegally obtained funds should be divided between the two states, following a principle similar to the existing legal mechanism for distributing confiscated assets between EU member states. According to the court decision, $108 million will be transferred to Uzbekistan. However, the statement did not disclose which crime or individuals the funds are linked to.