Court in Andijan Region Sentences Man to Three Years in Prison for Mercenary Activities

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — A court in Andijan Region has found a 38-year-old Uzbek citizen guilty of mercenary activities and sentenced him to three years of imprisonment.

The decision was issued by the Bustan District Criminal Court on 4 December.

According to the case materials, in April of this year, the man traveled to Russia for work. In June, he was detained by law enforcement authorities due to the absence of proper documents, after which he signed a series of papers that, according to the investigation, constituted a military contract.

Initially, he was engaged in unloading food supplies for Russian military personnel. He was later sent to the Donetsk region, where, according to the court, he sustained serious injuries: he lost his little finger and suffered a wrist injury while attempting to dismantle the top part of a grenade following an explosion.

In October, the accused left the military hospital where he was receiving treatment without authorization and soon returned to Uzbekistan.

The court classified his actions under Part 1 of Article 154 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan (“Mercenary Activities”) and imposed a sentence of three years of imprisonment.