New law in action: Syrdarya resident fined for defaming traffic officer online

In Syrdarya, a girl who posted a photo of a Syrdarya Region Internal Affairs Directorate Traffic Safety Department officer on Instagram with the intent to discredit him has faced administrative punishment. Kun.uz reviewed the court’s ruling.

According to the court documents, on February 23-24, 2025, 20-year-old Z.Yu. shared a photo on her Instagram account of O.R., a senior specialist in the information group of the Syrdarya Region Internal Affairs Directorate’s Traffic Safety Department, taken during his official duties. She accused O.R. of being a “liar and blackmailer.” An administrative protocol was filed against her for distributing information in a way that discredits a law enforcement officer.

During the court hearing, Z.Yu. admitted to her offense, stating that she acted out of anger. “O.R. took me to court for driving without documents, requiring me to gather paperwork. He had the court proceedings recorded on video, resulting in me receiving a 7-day administrative detention sentence. Footage of me being handcuffed in court was recorded and broadcast on television and his social media page for public viewing. I am not yet married, and the video report from the court could negatively impact my future family life. After serving my administrative detention, I posted this video on my social media account in a fit of anger but later deleted it,” she explained in her testimony.

Z.Yu. expressed regret for her actions and assured the court that such behavior would not be repeated.

The affected party, O.R., stated that he had a claim against Z.Yu. and requested legal action be taken against her.

The court ruled that Z.Yu. had violated Article 195-2 of the Administrative Responsibility Code, which pertains to distributing distorted photos or videos of law enforcement officers in a manner that discredits them. She was fined 20 times the base calculation amount (BCA), equivalent to 7.5 million soums, with the fine to be collected in favor of the state.

As a reminder, in March 2022, the Ministry of Internal Affairs proposed banning the posting of photos and videos of traffic safety officers’ activities online without their consent, sparking widespread debate. In November 2023, a draft law was introduced and adopted by the Legislative Chamber, establishing liability for publishing photos and videos of law enforcement officers’ activities online with the intent to “discredit or insult” them.

At the time, Legislative Chamber deputies Doniyor Ganiyev and Bobur Bekmurodov, along with the “Yuksalish” Nationwide Movement led by Bekmurodov, criticized the measure as contrary to the policy of openness. Following discussions, citizens retained the right to photograph or record law enforcement officers and share such materials. However, it was stipulated that these images must not be distorted in a way that discredits the officers—meaning their actions, words, or the context of the situation must not be altered or edited for such purposes.

A law prohibiting the distorted distribution of law enforcement officers’ photos and videos took effect on February 21, 2025. Amendments to the Administrative Responsibility Code introduced penalties for disseminating discrediting photo and video materials of law enforcement officers. Accordingly, distributing distorted photos or videos of an officer performing official duties in a way that damages their reputation carries a fine of up to 50 times the BCA or up to 10 days of administrative detention.