Uzbekistan Heritage Agency Asks Prosecutors to Review Tashkent Demolition

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan’s Cultural Heritage Agency has asked the General Prosecutor’s Office to provide a legal assessment of circumstances surrounding a material cultural heritage site at 7 Babur Street in Tashkent’s Yakkasaray district.

The building is currently under state protection. The agency also considers it inappropriate to remove the site from the National List of Material Cultural Heritage Sites.

The agency said that in 2020, the Scientific and Expert Council under the agency approved the inclusion of the building in the National List. A year later, a proposal to remove the site from the list was rejected.

At the same time, the agency established that on 30 October 2018, the Tashkent city hokim issued Decision No. 1550, under which UNIVERSAL PACKING MASTERS LLC was granted a land plot to demolish the existing residential and non-residential buildings at the address and construct a multi-storey residential building.

According to the agency, the decision was made before the building was granted material cultural heritage status.

Elmurad Najimov, First Deputy Director of the Cultural Heritage Agency, said that all circumstances surrounding the demolition decision and the building’s current status require an objective legal assessment. According to him, an earlier administrative decision should not become grounds for the loss of a cultural heritage site.

In its appeal, the agency asked prosecutors to determine whether Tashkent hokim’s Decision No. 1550 of 30 October 2018 complies with legislation, including regulations governing the protection of cultural heritage.

If violations are identified, the agency proposes that measures prescribed by law be taken to cancel or review the decision in accordance with established procedures.

The agency also asked that necessary measures be taken to preserve the building and prevent its demolition, damage or other harm to its historical and cultural value.

Until all legal issues are resolved, the site will remain under state protection. The agency continues to monitor its condition and said that matters concerning cultural heritage sites must be addressed in accordance with the law, taking into account their historical and cultural value and the need to preserve them for future generations.