The key facts

  • Pskent district hokim Muzaffar Aripov was issued a reprimand for violating the professional ethics of a civil servant.
  • The reason was an audio recording with threats against farmers; the district administration explained the conflict by failure to fulfill the potato planting plan.
  • The Council of Farmers turned to the prosecutor's office, and the business ombudsman launched an inspection.

Reprimand to the Pskent district hokim

Tashkent regional hokim Zoir Mirzayev on 13 October signed an order imposing a disciplinary sanction on Pskent district hokim Muzaffar Aripov. The document was published on the E-qaror portal. According to the order, Aripov failed to comply with the requirements of the Cabinet of Ministers resolution of 14 October 2022 on observing ethical rules by state civil servants and violated the professional ethics of a civil servant. He was issued a reprimand. The grounds were a protocol of the ethics commission of the regional administration, a submission from the Anti-Corruption Agency (dated 10 October), and the hokim's own written explanation.

Audio recording with threats

Earlier, an audio recording spread on social networks in which, as claimed, the head of the district insulted farmers, threatened to take away their land if they did not plant potatoes, and to 'shake the soul out of them'. According to Kun.uz, the hokim told farmers 'not to joke, not to play, let the land remain with them, and let them shake out their soul'.

Position of the district administration

The administration of Pskent district, commenting on the situation, admitted that the form of communication was inappropriate, but proposed assessing the situation on its merits as well. According to the hokimiyat, some farmers did not plant potatoes in accordance with the established plan and then sold the land cleared of plantings to other persons. 'The problem lies not only in the words spoken at one meeting. The problem is in the effective use of land, the fulfillment of set tasks, and providing the population with necessary food products. If the opportunities for growing potatoes are not used, not only one farmer but all of society may feel the consequences,' the district hokimiyat explained. In its official comment, the administration also blamed the farmers, pointing out that the land is not their private property.

Reaction and similar cases

After the incident, the Council of Farmers turned to the prosecutor's office asking for a legal assessment of the hokim's actions, and the business ombudsman said he had taken the situation under control and launched an inspection. Gazeta.uz recalls similar cases: in June, a reprimand was issued to Surkhandarya region's Muzrabot district hokim Abdulla Mamatkulov after an audio recording with insults and threats against farmers who failed to fulfill the grain plan; in July, a reprimand was received by Fergana region's Kuva district hokim Halimjon Umarov, who, according to an audio recording, insulted farmers and demanded they give up land plots; in August, after an official investigation, the employment contract was terminated with the head of the youth affairs department of the Nurafshan hokimiyat, Mirkarim Akhmadjonov, who admitted guilt in insulting mahalla leaders. Earlier, Gazeta, together with human rights activist Abdurakhmon Tashanov and political scientist Farkhod Tolipov, examined how officials' rude treatment of citizens should be assessed from a human rights perspective.