Rule of law in Uzbekistan: improvement of national legislation

Аннотация

The rule of law is a fundamental principle in any democratic society, and Uzbekistan has been making significant strides in improving its national legislation to uphold this principle. This article examines the recent improvements in the rule of law in Uzbekistan, the research methods used to analyze these improvements, the results of the analysis, and provides recommendations for further progress. Keywords: national legislation, international legal issues, progress. Introduction: The rule of law is a fundamental principle that underpins a fair and just society. Uzbekistan has recognized the significance of this principle and has been actively working towards improving its national legislation and studying international legal issues. Uzbekistan has been undergoing a period of significant reform and modernization under the leadership of President ShavkatMirziyoyev. One of the key areas of focus has been the improvement of national legislation to ensure the rule of law is upheld. This article aims to analyze the recent improvements in the rule of law in Uzbekistan and provide recommendations for further progress. Since 2016, Uzbekistan's Government initiated a comprehensive package of legal and judicial reforms to strengthen the rule of law, promote and protect fundamental human rights and freedoms and enhance the justice system's efficiency in alignment with international standards. These efforts included ratifying the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), adopting new laws on gender equality, revising 457 criminal procedural legislation, and introducing new tools and services to improve access to justice in conformity with international human rights practices and standards. In addition, the mandate of the National Human Rights Institution (Ombudsperson's Office) in Uzbekistan was enhanced, which was for the first time accredited by GANHRI (with B-status in 2020).These reforms improved Uzbekistan's stance in internationally recognized indices and rankings, i.e., Rule of Law Index 2021 (85th out of 139 countries globally) and the 2020 World Bank's Women, Business and Law (134th out of 190). Despite the progress and achievements, the people of Uzbekistan, particularly the most vulnerable populations such as women, youth in rural areas, and people with disabilities, continue to lack awareness about their rights and skills for their protection. They also have limited access to affordable and effective justice remedies, including free legal advice, representation, and justice services in compliance with human rights standards.[1] The progress made in improving national legislation and studying international legal issues has had positive implications for the rule of law in Uzbekistan. The reforms have contributed to increased transparency, accountability, and access to justice. The country's active participation in international legal discussions has fostered a deeper understanding of global legal frameworks and enhanced cooperation with other nations. As a preliminary reform, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan approved Decree “Strategy of Actions for the five priority areas of development of the Republic of Uzbekistan for 2017-2021” No. PF-5953[2] “In the year of science, enlightenment and digital economy” on March 2, 2020, and the inclusion of items related to the creation of the norm. Paragraph 5 of the state program called for “expansion of the practice directly adopting laws, increasing level of regulation of social relations by law”. The program led to the enactment directly a number of laws in the following period. The enactment of directly applicable laws is essential to 458 ensure that reforms are carried out quickly and without excessive difficulty. The practice of adopting a number of normative and legal acts takes time to regulate in particular social relationship. It has led to the adoption of simple, perfect laws.[3]. Under this strategy, numerous laws and regulations were introduced or re-written in support of the government’s drive to reform and modernize Uzbekistani society in many of its economic, political, legal, educational, and other aspects. The adoption of the new version of the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan by popular vote in the referendum held on April 30, 2023, served to strengthen the constitutional foundations for the creation of the New Uzbekistan.[4]. The presidential elections, held in accordance with the new version of the Constitution, once again demonstrate the political maturity of our society and the full support of our people for the reforms being implemented to build a New Uzbekistan. The new edition of the Constitution, the decree "On the strategy of Uzbekistan - 2030", signed by the head of our state on September 11 of this year, and measures on qualitative and timely implementation of the strategy "Uzbekistan - 2030". We can say that it served as a tool to support the decision taken. After all, it is not by chance that the pre