Uzbekistan’s Legislative Chamber Approves Amendments to Pretrial Detention Rules

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — On 18 November 2025, the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan reviewed and approved a draft law amending the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On Pretrial Detention in Criminal Proceedings” during a plenary session.

Ombudsman F. Eshmatova presented the report, explaining in detail the rationale and legal basis for the proposed amendments.

During the discussion, it was emphasized that the proposals are based on monitoring visits by the Ombudsman and civil society groups, as well as analysis of complaints from detainees. The main objective of the amendments is to improve conditions in pretrial detention facilities and strengthen humanitarian standards.

The report highlighted an increase in requests from detainees regarding provision of additional clothing and footwear on weekends and public holidays, as well as extending outdoor exercise time to at least two hours on such days.

Accordingly, the draft law establishes the right of detainees to two-hour outdoor walks on weekends and holidays and allows them to spend up to one minimum monthly wage on food and essential items.

In preparing the draft, international experience from the USA, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Germany, Canada, and several CIS countries was considered. The need to harmonize national legislation with international human rights standards and humane treatment of detainees was noted.

Deputies stressed that the adoption of the initiative will support the implementation of constitutional principles of humanism, respect for human dignity, resocialization of incarcerated persons, and further integration of national legislation with international practice.

The draft law was approved by the legislators and adopted accordingly.