Supreme Court: At least one murder case reviewed daily in 2024

Kun.uz presents an analysis of crime statistics published by the Supreme Court, based on cases reviewed by first-instance criminal courts in 2024.

The number of criminal cases and individuals involved has been rising annually. In 2020, 30,282 criminal cases were reviewed, involving over 38,000 individuals. By 2024, the number of cases had exceeded 61,000, with nearly 78,000 people involved.

By region, the highest number of cases was reviewed in Tashkent city, Fergana, and Tashkent regions. These three areas have consistently led in crime rates over the past five years. The lowest number of cases was recorded in Khorezm, Syrdarya, and Navoi regions, which also have the smallest populations.

The number of convicted individuals—including those given conditional sentences—has increased 2.2 times since 2020, rising from 28,000 to 61,000.

Meanwhile, acquittals had been increasing until 2023, reaching 1,244, but in 2024, this number dropped to 723. Of all cases reviewed by first-instance criminal courts in 2024, 5% involved extremely serious crimes, 29% were serious crimes, and 66% were classified as moderate or minor offenses.

According to Supreme Court data, serious and extremely serious crimes have been increasing over the past five years.

- Murder cases rose from 358 in 2023 to 402 in 2024.

- Sexual assault cases increased from 234 in 2023 to 272 in 2024.

This means at least one murder occurs daily in Uzbekistan, and a sexual assault case is recorded every two days.

Between 2020 and 2024, cases of intentional bodily harm, robbery, hooliganism, theft, and drug-related offenses increased 2 to 3 times.

Key crime trends (2020-2024):

- Drug-related crimes surged from 3,941 to 8,373.

- Theft cases doubled, rising from 4,403 to 8,321.

- Embezzlement cases saw the most significant increase, quadrupling from 1,528 to 6,046.

Who are the convicted?

Among those convicted in 2024:

- 54,370 were men

- 7,132 were women

- 2,214 were minors

First-instance courts imposed eight types of punishments, including fines, loss of certain rights, community service, correctional labor, restricted freedom, imprisonment, life imprisonment, and conditional sentences.

The most frequently applied punishments were:

- Imprisonment – 20,655 cases

- Correctional labor – 17,390 cases

- Restricted freedom – 14,644 cases

Since 2020, the number of prison sentences has increased in line with the rise in crime. In 2020, 7,100 people were imprisoned, and by 2024, this number had tripled, surpassing 20,000. Among those imprisoned last year, 1,500 were women.

Over the past five years, 17 individuals were sentenced to life imprisonment, with 2023 recording the highest number (5 life sentences).