The railway line “Pap – Kokand – Andijan” to be electrified. 2
Securing Human Rights in Court: National and International Practice. 3
POLItiCs
President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov met with Chairman and President of the Export-Import Bank (EximBank) of the Republic of Korea, Lee Duk-Hoon, on September 22 at the Oqsaroy
Welcoming the guest, head of our state noted the comprehensive and dynamic development of relations between our two nations.
Islam Karimov’s state visit to South Korea in May 2015, the first visit abroad following the presidential elections in Uzbekistan, underlined the scope and prospects for expanding the bilateral multifaceted and mutually beneficial cooperation.
During the talks at the Oqsaroy, the participants discussed issues pertinent to furthering the investment interaction between Uzbekistan and the Korea EximBank.
The parties gave a high appreciation of the interbank agreement signed during this visit with the Asaka Bank for a loan worth 160 million U.S. dollars.
The EximBank of the Republic of Korea is one of Uzbekistan’s key partners in the Asia-Pacific who has been participating in the implementation of strategic projects in our country. The bank has helped realize projects totaling 935 million dollars in Uzbekistan since 1999. Starting from 2012, schemes worth about 1.2 billion dollars have been in progress, while those valued at nearly 900 million dollars are on the stage of elaboration.
In addition, EximBank is one of the principal creditors of the construction of Ustyurt Gas Chemical Complex at Surgil deposit, and has thus allocated 1 billion U.S. dollars to this end.
During the meeting at the Oqsaroy, Lee Duk-Hoon expressed his sincere gratitude to the head of our state for the warm welcome and noted that the EximBank and South Korean businesspeople are interested in boosting the mutually advantageous and long-term cooperation with Uzbekistan.
(Source: Press-service of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan)
transport
The railway line “Pap – Kokand – Andijan” to be electrified
The Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal of “Uzbekistan Railways” for the electrification of the railway section “Pap – Kokand – Andijan” length of 186 km, with the inclusion of these works in the project “Construction of an electrified railway line “Angren – Pap” within its approved general value.
The electrification of the railway section “Pap – Kokand – Andijan” will be carried out at the expense of the State budget of the Republic of Uzbekistan, own funds of JSC “Uzbekistan Railways”, JSC “Uzbekenergo”, loan of the Fund for reconstruction and development within the approved sources of funding for the project “Construction of electrified railway line “Angren – Pap”.
Exceptionally, JSC “Uzbekiston Temir Yollari” and JSC “Uzbekenergo” permitted to implement before April 1, 2016 electrification of the railway section “Pap – Kokand – Andijan” and the construction of external power supply in conjunction with the design and development of working and project documentation.
The document entrusted JSC “Uzbekenergo” to provide at its own expense design, construction and commissioning of external power supply facilities of the railway section “Pap – Kokand – Andijan”.
Moreover, JSC “Uzbekenergo”, the Ministry for development of information technologies and communications of the Republic of Uzbekistan entrusted to provide at their own expense, supplies, transfer and connection of existing utilities within the construction zone, and connection of utilities and facilities of the electrified railway section “Pap – Kokand – Andijan”, according to the project documentation.
Khokimiyats of Namangan, Ferghana and Andijan regions in the prescribed manner entrusted to ensure:
– Following the submission of project documentation, within one month to allot the land plots under objects of electrification;
– If required, to carry out timely resettlement of the citizens living on the land designated for the facilities as part of the electrification of the railway section “Pap – Kokand – Andijan”;
– Effect payment and compensation to settled out citizens at the expense of the local budget and other sources not prohibited by legislation.
The construction of an electrified railway line “Angren – Pap” is scheduled for July 2016.
(Source: UzReport.uz)
International cooperation
An Uzbek-Chinese Business Forum with participation of business circles of two states was held in Tashkent city
Representatives of ministries and departments, companies and firms of two states, working in such spheres as machinery, electrotechnics, oil and gas, energy, food, agriculture, construction industry, transport and logistics attended the event.
At the forum, the Chinese side received information on preferences and benefits provided at the free economic zones Navoi, Angren and Jizzkah.
Within the business forum Uzbekistan and China signed several investment agreements directed at further expansion of cooperation in various areas.
Trade turnover between Uzbekistan and China rose three times in last six years and reached SU$4.7 billion in 2014. In the first half of 2015, the bilateral trade rose by 11.7% year-on-year.
There are 482 joint ventures in Uzbekistan, which were created with participation of the Chinese investments. Some 70 Chinese companies have their offices in Uzbekistan.
(Source: UzDaily.com)
Society
Securing Human Rights in Court: National and International Practice
Securing Human Rights in Court: National and International Practice Systemic efforts have been in progress in Uzbekistan under the leadership of President Islam Karimov to transform the judicial sphere and liberalize the criminal and criminal-procedural law.
Enhancement of the reforms underway on this front and perfection of the criminal and criminal-procedural law have been discussed at the international conference “Pressing issues in improving the criminal proceedings: Uzbekistan’s experience and international practice”. The forum also served to exchange expertise garnered in the field.
The event was organized by the Supreme Court, the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan jointly with the Project Coordinator of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Uzbekistan, the international nongovernmental organization “Regional Dialogue” (Slovenia) and the regional office of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (Germany). It was attended by deputies of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis, judges of the Supreme Court and district courts for criminal cases, officials of the prosecutor’s offices, internal affairs, lawyers, scholars, as well as specialists from such countries as Germany, Denmark, South Korea, Japan, United States, Serbia and France.
It was noted at the conference that under the leadership of President Islam Karimov, systemic works are carried out in Uzbekistan to reform and liberalize the judicial system on democratic basis. Legislative acts passed in this area proved to be an important factor in ensuring the independence of the judiciary and improving the effectiveness of law enforcement agencies in the protection of human rights and freedoms.
Operation of the courts has been perfected, and a solid foundation of legal guarantees of individual rights in criminal proceedings has been instituted. Possibilities of determining punishment types not connected with isolation from society have been expanded. In particular, the composition of many offenses has been reclassified into a category of not representing a great social danger. Reconciliation institution has been introduced to ensure protection of human rights at a high level. As a result of these reforms, the number of those sentenced to imprisonment decreased in 2014 by 16.5 percent compared with figures of the year 2000.
Among important steps in this direction was the establishment of Habeas Corpus institution in our country, that is, issuing sanctions for arrest as a preventive measure was transferred to courts in 2008. The timeliness of adoption of this carefully forethought decision is confirmed today by numerous cases. The introduction of this institution into practice is an important factor in ensuring the protection of constitutional rights and freedoms of the individual and the latter’s sanctity.
In accordance with the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On the introduction of amendments and addenda to some legislative acts of the Republic of Uzbekistan in connection with the intensification of reforms of the judicial system”, passed 18 September 2012, a practice was implemented in the judicial procedure for the application of coercive measures for removal from office, as well as placement of a person in a medical institution. The right to launch a criminal proceeding has been lifted up from the powers of the court. Rules were introduced under which the duty of indictment rests with the prosecutor, creating thus conditions for bolstering the judicial oversight at the stage of preliminary investigation.
The Law “On the introduction of amendments and addenda to some legislative acts of the Republic of Uzbekistan”, adopted 5 September 2014, pioneers a number of amendments and addenda to the Criminal and Criminal Procedure Codes. In particular, the introduction of a new type of preventive measure, namely, the house arrest, into the criminal-procedural law has come to be another important guarantor of the rights and freedoms of citizens.
International experts present at the conference noted that these reforms in Uzbekistan’s judicial system fully comply with universally accepted principles of humanism.
“Uzbekistan has in the years of independence made tangible progress in the judicial sphere, along with accomplishments in other areas,” Dragomir Milojevic, President of the Supreme Court of Cassation of the Republic of Serbia. “By getting familiar with the justice system in Uzbekistan, we came to believe that thanks to wide-ranging reforms this field has been improving at the level of international standards.”
State Attorney of Western lands of the Kingdom of Denmark Ian Reckendorff pointed out that noteworthy is the effective implementation of the Habeas Corpus institution into the judicial sphere of Uzbekistan, and that the enhancement of the range of its application serves for the protection of the rights and freedoms of citizens.
“Every time I come to Uzbekistan, I discover scores of novelties,” the Massachusetts Supreme Court (USA) Justice Robert Cordy has said. “The practical results of reforms in the judicial system are reflected in the peaceful and prosperous life in this nation their confidence in the future.”
According to the judge of the federal state of Berlin and Brandenburg (Germany) Stefan Finkenstein, at the heart of reforms undertaken in Uzbekistan in all areas are human interests. It was revealed during the conference by the example of practical works. Discussion of the ways and means of perfecting the judicial system and the exchange of experience will contribute to the enhancement of scales of such noble endeavors as ensuring human rights.
It was also stressed during the conference that the amendments and addenda to the acting legislation introduced on the basis of the Law “On amendments and additions to some legislative acts of the Republic of Uzbekistan aimed at bolstering the reliable protection of private property, entrepreneurship entities, the removal of barriers for their accelerated development” , which entered into force on 21 August this year, serve for the elimination of hurdles and obstacles to the advancement of entrepreneurship.
“Addition of a new chapter entitled “Crimes associated with the obstruction to and illegal interference with entrepreneurship activities and other crimes that infringe on the rights and legitimate interests of economic entities” to the Criminal Code on the basis of the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On measures to secure the reliable protection of private property, small business and private entrepreneurship, and remove barriers to their accelerated development”, signed of 15 May 2015, has further strengthened the guarantees of the rights of private property owners,” said Rustam Abdullaev, chairman of the Samarkand Regional Criminal Court. “It provides for inevitability of prosecution for violation of the rules of inspection of business entities and audit of financial and economic activities, illegal freezing of banking operations accounts of entrepreneurs, their forced involvement in sponsorship and other activities, which certainly is an important guarantee of freedom of enterprise. This helps to eliminate barriers and obstacles on the way of entrepreneurship development, to ensure the inevitability of liability of officials of law enforcement, regulatory and other government agencies for obstruction and unlawful intrusion into entrepreneurial activity.
“We have received a lot of useful information about the criminal legislation of Uzbekistan, the processes on the way to improve it,” Choi Hoang Yong, director of the Bureau for Planning and Evaluation at the Korea Legislation Research Institute, has suggested. “I liked especially the norm that envisages the elevation of accountability of public officials for obstruction and illegal interference in the entrepreneurial activity. It is an effective mechanism for the promotion of free development of private property and enterprise, for the protection of the rights and legitimate interests of entrepreneurs. These very factors form the bedrock for an affluent life of the population and, ultimately, for ensuring all of their rights.”
Professor of the Graduate School of Law of Nagoya University Rikiya Kobayama (Japan) stressed that the introduction of a new type of criminal penalty in Uzbekistan in August this year in the form of restriction of freedom, that is, the establishment of a complete ban by the court in relation to convict on leaving the home under one pretext or another, or restriction on leaving the home at a certain time of day, is indicative of the substantial efforts being undertaken in country to further humanize the system of criminal penalties, to ensure the social rehabilitation of convicts and to preserve their family ties. To be sure, such a humane approach will serve as an incentive for correction and, in general, will help to reduce crime.
The conference participants praised the innovations in the criminal and criminal-procedural legislation of Uzbekistan with a view to its liberalization. The contributors to the forum expressed their visions toward the enhancement of reforms in the judicial system, improvement of legislative frameworks in the sphere, consolidation of the judiciary’s independence.
(Source: UzA)
literature
The Fabulous Sci-Fi
The books of Uzbek science fiction authors are in greater demand today than ever before. This year alone, works by four fiction writers have been published here at home and abroad.
An Uzbekistan Today reporter has had a chat with the sci-fi novelist Vladimir Vasilyev, chairman of the Council for Russian Literature at the Writers’ Union of Uzbekistan, on the current activities of the intellectual and his plans for the future. His texts have been printed this year at the publishers Milky Way in Israel and Snezhny Kom (The Snowball) in Moscow.
“Please tell us a little about your colleagues in sci-fi”.
“Works of many local authors are translated into Russian. Books by Abdukayum Yuldashev, Mavluda Ibragimova and other colleagues have already been printed in Russia-based publishing houses and in the journal Zvezda Vostoka (Star of the East).
Many authors write in Russian. Among them is Abduhakim Fazylov – a brilliant representative of the ‘hard’ science fiction (and how can a specialist in solar lasers not to be such?), and at the same time a fiction satirist, critic, author of popular scientific works. Galina Vostokova has authored several historical novels and at the same time she is an interesting science fiction writer. Ariadna Vasilyeva, a celebrated playwright (the Tashkent State Theater of Musical Comedy (Operetta) is currently running a show on her play “Maysara”), is the author of a historical novel, fabulous tales and fiction stories. Alexander Svistunov prefers ironic science fiction, and he works in the genre of ‘alternative history’; he has published many popular scientific articles, and is the very author of small fairy tales for mobile applications. Eljon Abbasov, the film director, screenwriter, author of a dozen documentaries, but the series of his parables, “The Kingdom of Shadows”, can be safely attributed to fiction. For me, as is for my colleagues, science fiction is not a hobby, but a natural way of artistic thinking.
Under the leadership of Aleksey Ustimenko and Bahodir Ahmedov, the Creative Seminar the Council for Russian Literature operates for the ‘literary study’ of the youth. A special column, New Names, is launched in the journal Zvezda Vostoka for young authors. The young visionary Daniel Vasilyev was presented in it with his work “The Storyteller”. Later, his story entitled “Stages of Memory” was published in the category Prose.
“What new trends are manifest in the works of our writers?”
“What goes to print are the new genres of Alternative History of Alexander Svistunov and Vladimir Vasilyev, the mystic with the participation of representatives of another world or dimension of Olga Grigorieva, as well as fantasy.
New, synthetic directions are also in progress. Thus, Alexandra Spiridonova positions her story as mystery while I have dubbed mine, “The Hotel”, a novel-myth, and the second part of the trilogy “Miserable Gods – Vasilidov’s Tales” as tale-epic-myths, and the third book – the novel “A-a-up-ckhi! or Bu-zdr!” a novel-tragiphantasmogory.
In synthesis of genres interesting is the form ‘fantasies on the topic’ of a product that is on the verge of philosophical (critical-journalistic) essays and artwork. These include my book under title “Dialogue with mirror and a book in hands”. Quite often the ‘fantasy the topic’ turns into a work of art, and this genre is not accurately and not always respectfully called sometimes a ‘fan fiction’. For example, my story “Further into the forest” is a fantasy on the theme “Snails on the Slope” by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky’s in the genre of ‘new cinema’ is actually a continuation of “The snail”. The story “In enchanted marshes”, a fantasy on the premise “Roadside picnic” by the Strugatsky’s, was released audio version in the international anthology “Fantaskop”. In the same genre sometimes work Alexander Svistunov (the story “Blot”) and Ariadna Vasilyeva (the book about adventures of Walt Disney cartoon characters of Mickey Mouse and Co.).”
“How is the work of sci-fi authors assessed by local and foreign publishers and readers?”
“Judging by the responses of readers to the publications in the journal Zvezda Vostoka – it is positive. Publishing houses are also willing to publish them, but they ask for prepayment. The exception is the Publishing and Printing Company “Uzbekiston”. Currently they are planning to release a novel and a collection of short stories.
Some sort of an indicator of the rank of our domestic authors is the publication of their works in foreign countries. In recent years, two of our local writers become authors of the journal by Boris Strugatsky “Noon. The 21st Century” published in Russia, another two contributed to the Ukrainian journals “Threshold” and “The reality of fiction”, while the other one got published in the books and magazines of the Israeli publishing house Milky Way. The works of our fellows have been published in Russian anthologies of alternative history – “Imperium”, “Gusarium” and “Istorikum”, and in the anthology of Mira Strugatsky. Time of students in the 21st century, the most critical in arts, in the collection “Gentle hugs of the iron maiden” in Milky Way Publishers, Jerusalem.
In the last two or three years, Canadian publishers have been printing the works of our writers with great pleasure. It is not to suggest that foreign publishers are looking forward for the works of Uzbek science fiction authors with open arms. The writer needs to convince the publisher of his/her viability. And here you cannot do without talent.”
(Source: «Uzbekistan Today» newspaper)
Reference to the source is a must in reproducing materials