New law raises sentences for human trafficking offenses

Uzbekistan has increased penalties for crimes related to human trafficking. On May 19, the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On Amendments to Article 135 of the Criminal Code in connection with the strengthening of punishment measures for the crime of human trafficking” was officially adopted.

Under the new amendments, committing human trafficking using forged documents, or confiscating, hiding, or destroying the victim’s identification documents, is now punishable by imprisonment for a term of 5 to 10 years. Previously, the punishment ranged from 5 to 8 years.

The law also introduces harsher penalties in cases where human trafficking results in the victim’s death or other serious consequences. In such cases, offenders will face 10 to 15 years in prison, up from the previous sentence of 8 to 12 years.

The new law will come into force upon its official publication.

It is worth recalling that in December last year, the Senate of the Oliy Majlis approved amendments to the Criminal Code aimed at strengthening punishment for human trafficking offenses.