Deputy Interior Minister Col A.Sharafutdinov met guests and held talks with them. The main topic of the discussion was the processes of reforming the judiciary sphere, which started from the first days of our country’s independence. Sharafutdinov said that the major goal of the reforms was, above all, to protect and ensure human rights stipulated in the Uzbek constitution, to adhere to the principle of humaneness which determined the liberalization of criminal penalties. In this regard the introduction of the Habeas Corpus institution was clear evidence of the adherence of our criminal legislation to international laws in the field of human rights and also a decisive step towards ensuring true independence of judicial bodies.

Thus, citizens’ right is ensured in practice to legal protection at the stage of preliminary investigation when their freedom is limited as they are held in custody.

The deputy interior minister also said that all reforms of the judiciary system were being carried out stage by stage. The adoption of the relevant laws were preceded by a thorough study of the international experience and the laws of other countries of the international community.

For his part, Richard Norland said that the USA, which is with interest following the reforms in our country’s judiciary, highly rated the laws which came into force on 1 January this year. It is clear that it is about giving courts the right to sanction arrests and the abolition of the death penalty. Richard Norland said that there have been and are legal mistakes in the USA where there is no common national policy on the application or not application of the death penalty. In particular, at present a moratorium has been imposed on a supreme court decision to apply the death penalty, as the case needs to be reconsidered.

During the meeting, Deputy Interior Minister Col A.Sharafutdinov answered a number of questions that were of interest to the American side and also expressed readiness to further strengthen cooperation. US Ambassador to Uzbekistan Richard Norland thanked [the deputy minister] for a warm reception and also hoped that mutually beneficial cooperation would be expanded.