Combating Organized Crime and Corruption in Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan has been working to combat organized crime, corruption, and money laundering. While progress has been made, significant challenges remain.

Geographic Location: Uzbekistan’s central Asian location makes it a major transit point for most organized criminal markets.
Border Security: The country’s extensive borders are challenging to monitor and police, making them fairly porous.
Corruption in Law Enforcement: Corruption remains rampant throughout the entire chain of command.

Judicial Independence: The judicial system is highly corrupt and not independent, despite constitutional provisions.
Collusion between Judges, Prosecutors, and Police: Judges often act together with prosecutors and police to produce convictions.
Intimidation of Whistle-blowers: Corruption in law enforcement is used to intimidate whistle-blowers and prevent them from exposing corruption.

Anti-Money Laundering Measures: Uzbekistan has anti-money laundering (AML) measures in place.
Government Capacity: The government’s capacity to ensure that legitimate businesses operate free from the influence of criminal groups has improved over the past two decades.

Non-state Actors: Non-state actors are more active in treating and caring for victims of organized crime.
Victim Support Services: The government requires victims to file a criminal complaint with their community authorities to be eligible for rehabilitation and protection services.
Increased Protection for Victims of Human Trafficking: The Uzbekistan government has made some efforts in recent years to increase protection for victims of human trafficking.

Prevention of Systemic Child Labor and Forced Labor: Prevention efforts against systemic child labor and forced labor in the cotton harvest industry have resulted in a notable decrease in these crimes.
Forced Labor in Cotton Production: Cotton production quotas imposed by local officials inevitably lead to some adults entering into forced labor.
National Commission on Trafficking in Persons and Forced Labor: The government continues activities under its National Commission on Trafficking in Persons and Forced Labor, but there remains a lack of communication and coordination between the commission and civil society.