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| Ministry of Internal Affairs (Uzbekistan) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Ministry of Internal Affairs (Uzbekistan) |
| Native name | Ички ишлар вазирлиги |
| Formed | 1991 |
| Preceding1 | Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Uzbek SSR |
| Jurisdiction | Tashkent; Republic of Uzbekistan |
| Headquarters | Tashkent City |
| Minister1 name | Tashkent Region |
Ministry of Internal Affairs (Uzbekistan)
The Ministry of Internal Affairs (Uzbekistan) is the central executive body responsible for internal security, public order, and policing in the Republic of Uzbekistan. It succeeded the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Uzbek SSR after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and operates alongside the Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan, the National Security Service (Uzbekistan), and regional administrations in Tashkent Region, Samarkand Region, and Fergana Region. The ministry interfaces with international organizations such as the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe on matters of policing and security.
The ministry traces institutional roots to imperial and Soviet-era policing systems including the Tsarist police reforms and the Bolshevik-era Militsiya establishment, later formalized as the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Uzbek SSR. After independence in 1991 and the collapse of the Soviet Union, the ministry underwent legal and structural reforms informed by legislation such as the Constitution of Uzbekistan and decrees from the Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan. In the 1990s and 2000s, reforms responded to events including the Andijan Massacre and regional security challenges in the Central Asian Revolts. The ministry subsequently collaborated with international partners including United States Department of State, European Union, and Interpol to modernize policing standards and border management with neighbors Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.
The ministry is structured into central directorates and territorial directorates spanning Tashkent City, Namangan Region, Bukhara Region, and Khorezm Region. Its central apparatus includes directorates for criminal investigation, public order, traffic safety, and administrative policing, reporting to the minister and the Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan. Specialized departments liaise with the Prosecutor General's Office (Uzbekistan), the Supreme Court of Uzbekistan, and parliamentary commissions of the Oliy Majlis. The hierarchy reflects inherited Soviet models adapted through collaboration with entities such as the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and bilateral partners like the Ministry of Interior (Turkey).
The ministry's core functions encompass crime prevention, investigation of offenses, maintenance of public order, traffic regulation, and state registration tasks. It administers criminal investigations in coordination with the Prosecutor General's Office (Uzbekistan) and enforces legislation derived from the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan and the Code of Criminal Procedure (Uzbekistan). The ministry also oversees civil documentation services interacting with the State Tax Committee (Uzbekistan) and local khokimiyats in Andijan Region and Surxondaryo Region. In border-adjacent functions it coordinates with the State Committee for National Security (Uzbekistan) and customs authorities to address transnational organized crime and trafficking routes linked to the Silk Road corridors.
Under the ministry operate multiple law enforcement entities including patrol police units, criminal investigation departments, traffic police, and rapid response units modeled after special police forces. Specialized units include riot control detachments, forensic laboratories, and anti-narcotics divisions working with World Customs Organization and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. The ministry's internal troops historically parallel formations such as the Internal Troops (Soviet Union), while contemporary units cooperate with municipal police in Karshi and garrison administrations near strategic infrastructure like the Termez border area.
Personnel strength comprises career police officers, conscripted militiamen during earlier periods, and civilian administrative staff drawn from regions such as Sirdaryo Region and Namangan Region. Training is provided at institutions including the ministry's own academies and academies that interact with the Tashkent State University of Law, the Police Academy of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and international programs sponsored by the United States Department of Justice and the British Council. Equipment modernization programs have sourced vehicles and communications systems through cooperation with partners like China, Russia, and European suppliers, and logistics include forensic laboratories and information systems for criminal databases interoperable with Interpol.
The ministry's conduct has been subject to scrutiny by domestic and international bodies including the Human Rights Watch, the Amnesty International, and the United Nations Human Rights Council following incidents such as the Andijan Massacre. Accountability mechanisms involve oversight by the Oliy Majlis parliamentary committees, the Prosecutor General's Office (Uzbekistan), and internal affairs inspectorates; reforms have been promoted in collaboration with the European Union and the OSCE to align practices with standards reflected in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and regional jurisprudence from the European Court of Human Rights influencing comparative policy debates.
The ministry maintains bilateral and multilateral cooperation with regional and global partners including Interpol, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the European Union, and neighboring security services of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan to combat transnational crime, terrorism, and trafficking. Training exchanges, joint operations, and information-sharing agreements have been developed with the United States Department of State, the Ministry of Interior (Turkey), and law-enforcement agencies from Russia and China, while participation in forums such as the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism and UN policing programs supports capacity building and international legal cooperation.
Category:Law enforcement in Uzbekistan