Senate approves travel ban for suspects not in custody

On May 28, the Senate of Oliy Majlis approved a new law that allows investigators, prosecutors, and courts to temporarily restrict the right of suspects, defendants, and accused individuals who are not in custody from leaving the country.

According to the presenter of the bill, the current criminal procedure legislation lacks provisions allowing authorities to temporarily restrict such individuals from leaving Uzbekistan. This gap has enabled many suspects to flee the country to avoid investigation, prosecution, and trial.

Between 2021 and 2025, search warrants were issued for 39,038 individuals across Uzbekistan who committed crimes and subsequently evaded investigation or court proceedings. Of these, 17,535 people – 44.9 percent – left the territory of Uzbekistan.

Under the new legislation, a new chapter will be added to the Criminal Procedure Code, introducing the following measures:

The purpose and grounds for temporarily restricting the right to leave the country;
Procedures for submitting petitions to impose the restriction;
Review of the petition;
Issuance of a court ruling;
Provisions for lifting the restriction.

Such restrictions can be applied if there are sufficient grounds to believe the individual may leave the country to avoid investigative or judicial processes without a valid excuse – such as participating in a legal process abroad, undergoing medical treatment, or attending the funeral of a close relative.

Amendments to other parts of the Criminal Procedure Code are also being introduced, including:

Suspension of passport (or travel document) validity;
Procedures for imposing or denying exit restrictions;
Cancellation of exit restrictions as a form of procedural restraint.

Additionally, the law amends the “Law on Courts” to expand the jurisdiction of inter-district, district, and city courts (in civil, criminal, and economic matters) to include reviewing petitions related to suspending passport validity.

Amendments to the “Law on the Prosecutor’s Office” will also grant prosecutors the authority to review petitions for suspending passport validity and, if they agree, to submit them to the courts.

It was emphasized that the drafting of the law drew on the legal practices of countries such as Italy, Russia, Belarus, Moldova, Serbia, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Spain.

According to a senator, the law is expected to improve Uzbekistan’s standing in international ratings and indices, including components of the Rule of Law Index such as civil justice and criminal justice.

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