Penalty is set to clone IMEI codes in Uzbekistan

Yesterday, on September 19, during the meeting of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis, the draft law titled "On Amendments and Additions to the Criminal, Criminal-Procedural Codes, and Administrative Responsibility Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan" was discussed. This information was provided by the press service of the lower chamber of the Oliy Majlis.

It has been observed that in recent years, there has been a rising trend in cases involving the replication of IMEI codes from mobile devices imported from abroad or unblocking them for a small fee. This practice infringes upon the rights of citizens and contributes to an increase in mobile phone theft, along with other serious crimes such as invasion and robbery, many of which go unresolved.

This draft law was initially accepted in principle by deputies during a meeting of the Legislative Chamber held on September 5 of this year. In the process of preparing the project for the second reading, the responsible committee organized seminars and roundtable discussions in collaboration with relevant ministries and agencies. During these discussions, all suggestions and opinions provided by deputies, experts, and lawyers were thoroughly analyzed, with the majority of them being incorporated into the text of the project and subsequently passed into law.

According to the deputies, the adoption of this draft law aims to prevent the emergence of new types of crimes facilitated by information and communication technologies, establish the inevitability of accountability, and enhance the safety of citizens.

The draft law was passed by the deputies during the meeting.