The Bekabad District Court in Uzbekistan’s Tashkent Region has sentenced a 39-year-old local resident, identified as A.A., to six years in prison for taking part in the special military operation. He was convicted under the article on mercenarism, UzNews.uz reported.
According to court documents, in 2024 the man traveled to Russia for work, finding a job at a construction site until February of this year. He was then detained by police after his migrant work permit expired. The defendant said that officers threatened him with arrest but offered him the alternative of signing a contract with Russia’s Ministry of Defense.
On February 22, A.A. enlisted in the Russian army. In court, he testified that he spent 10 days in training before being deployed to the combat zone, where he lost his belongings and documents during shelling.
A few days later, due to health issues, he was transferred to a hospital and given a 30-day leave. Taking advantage of the opportunity, he appealed to Uzbekistan’s embassy in Moscow for help returning home. Diplomats assisted him, but upon arrival in Uzbekistan he was detained and put on trial.
During the proceedings, A.A. partially admitted guilt, stating that he went to the conflict zone under pressure and threats from police. Nevertheless, the court found him guilty under Article 154 (“Mercenarism”) of Uzbekistan’s Criminal Code and sentenced him to six years in a general-regime prison.
Similar cases have been reported in Uzbekistan before. Although the law provides for a prison term of five to ten years for mercenarism, courts often consider mitigating circumstances and impose lighter sentences not involving imprisonment.