Foreign nationals punished for burning Uzbek soum and smoking tobacco (video)

Earlier, reports emerged that foreign workers in Syrdarya region burned Uzbekistan’s national currency, the soum, and used it to light cigarettes. A video of the incident circulated widely on social media, triggering strong public backlash. The press secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Shohrukh Giyosov, commented on the incident.

According to the statement, officers of the Syrdarya regional internal affairs bodies identified the individuals involved and conducted explanatory interviews with them. Based on the incident, administrative case materials were prepared against the individuals under Article 184-3 of the Administrative Responsibility Code and submitted to the Syrdarya District Criminal Court for consideration.

Under the court ruling, each of the offenders was fined an amount equivalent to 100 times the base calculation value, totaling 41.2 million soum.

“Assalamu alaikum. On December 23, we burned Uzbekistan’s currency. I now realize that what I did was wrong. I sincerely apologize to the people of Uzbekistan. I regret my actions,” one of the workers said.

It was also reported that the employer has unilaterally terminated the employment contracts of the individuals involved in connection with the incident.