The key facts

  • The reprimand was issued by order of region hokim Zoir Mirzaev dated October 13 for violating the rules of conduct and professional ethics of state civil servants
  • The grounds were a submission by the Anti-Corruption Agency dated October 10, a conclusion of the regional hokimiyat's ethics commission, and Aripov's written explanation
  • The Farmers' Council petitioned the prosecutor's office on October 9; the hokimiyat explained the meeting by failure to fulfill the potato plan on ~1,000 hectares

Reprimand to the Piskent district hokim

A disciplinary measure in the form of a reprimand has been applied to Muzaffar Aripov, hokim of Piskent district of Tashkent region. The grounds were non-compliance with the rules of conduct and professional ethics of state civil servants. This is enshrined in the order of region hokim Zoir Mirzaev dated October 13. According to the document, the sanction was applied due to non-compliance with the requirements of the Cabinet of Ministers resolution No. 595 of October 14, 2022.

Grounds and oversight of implementation

The grounds for issuing the order were a submission by the Anti-Corruption Agency dated October 10, a conclusion of the regional hokimiyat's Ethics Commission, and an explanatory letter from Muzaffar Aripov himself. Oversight of the implementation of the order has been assigned to the head of the Organizational and Personnel Group of the regional hokimiyat.

Conflict with farmers and the audio recording

Earlier, the Farmers' Council of Uzbekistan petitioned the prosecutor's office over reports of pressure by the Piskent district hokim on farmers. The appeal, sent on October 9, requested a legal assessment of the hokim's actions. The reason was an audio recording of a meeting between the hokim and farmers that spread on social media. On it, as claimed, Muzaffar Aripov insulted farmers, threatened to take away their land if they did not plant potatoes, and, according to Gazeta.uz citing the recording, to "shake the soul out" of them.

Position of the district hokimiyat

The Piskent district hokimiyat, in turn, reported that the meeting was held due to failure to fulfill the plan for growing late potatoes as a secondary crop on nearly a thousand hectares of land vacated after grain crops.