Service review ordered for the deputy district mayor who used force against an environmental inspector (video)

Earlier, in Buvayda district of Fergana region, Saidalı Khizirov, the deputy district mayor, used force against Ahrorjon Niyazov, an inspector from the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change, and, with the help of law enforcement officers, took him to the district police department. Khizirov, who interfered with the inspector’s work and used force, has now been assigned a service review, the district administration’s press service reported.

According to the administration, preliminary inquiries are being conducted to assess the actions of the deputy mayor.

“Based on the results of the review, appropriate decisions will be made in accordance with the law, and additional information will be provided to the public,” the statement said.

Rasul Kusherbayev, adviser to the chairman of the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change, said that, responding to a citizen complaint, the inspector quickly arrived at the scene, identified the illegal tree-cutting, stopped it, and attempted to properly document the violation.

The regional Ecology Department has also commented on the incident.

It stated that ecological oversight is currently being enforced in the area, and, in cooperation with relevant organizations, investigation and monitoring measures are ongoing.

“Based on the results of these inquiries, additional final information regarding the incident will be provided,” the department said.

How can it be understood that, during this incident, a law enforcement officer merely observed while the deputy mayor used force, even dragging the inspector by the collar?

On 19 November this year, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a decree titled “On measures to create a management system capable of responding promptly to the needs of the population in the fields of ecology and tourism.” The decree states that employees of the regional and district (city) branches of the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change are not part of local executive authorities, operate independently, and are accountable to the committee. Despite the decree being signed only a week ago and environmental issues being a national priority, some district mayors and their deputies continue to disregard environmental inspectors, use force against them, and obstruct their work. Either they have not read the presidential decree, or they simply do not care.

It is worth noting that Rasul Kusherbayev had previously mentioned a similar incident. Last year, while measures were being taken against organizations polluting the environment in the capital, unknown individuals abducted the then–first deputy minister of ecology, environmental protection, and climate change.