TV presenter accuses Tashkent traffic police of verbal abuse (video)

TV presenter Husnora Shodiyeva has accused a traffic police officer in Tashkent of insulting her and her mother. She shared a tearful video message recounting the incident on her Instagram page.

According to Shodiyeva, the incident occurred on Nukus Street in the capital. Describing the situation, she said she was waiting in her car at a designated section of the road, observing a stop sign. At that moment, a traffic police officer allegedly shouted at her, calling her an “idiot,” using profanity, and insulting her mother.

Shodiyeva stated that when she turned around to confront the officer and ask why he was swearing at her, the inspector had already left the scene. She added that other patrol officers on duty in the area attempted to conceal the identity of the officer who had insulted her.

“What right does a TSS officer have to insult a woman? I feel bad. By the time I returned, he was gone. What did I do wrong? I don’t know what to do about this incident. I didn’t break any rules, but I don’t understand—why did he insult me?” she said.

Shodiyeva also addressed the capital’s Main Department of Internal Affairs, questioning, “At a time when there is a nationwide effort to eliminate violence against women in Uzbekistan, can TSS officers speak to a woman in this way and insult her?”

“The TSS officers should actually serve the citizens. I want justice. I went to the area where all the TSS officers were, and they acted as if they didn’t know each other. I asked, ‘If you were in my place—if it was your wife, your child, your mother being abused—would you react like this? Would you stay silent?’” she continued.

Shodiyeva claimed that the officers were covering up each other’s actions.

“What can be done? They are covering each other’s backs. While the fight against violence toward women is ongoing across Uzbekistan, our TSS officers are sitting and freely abusing others,” the presenter said.

Shodiyeva noted that there was no camera in her car to record the incident. She also expressed concern that, more than 18 hours after she reported the incident, neither the Tashkent City Department of Internal Affairs nor the Traffic Safety Service had responded.