The Senate of Uzbekistan has approved a bill aimed at mitigating penalties for the illegal import of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones. The bill was considered at a meeting on January 19.
The new legislation introduces administrative liability for the first violation of rules regarding the import, purchase, transfer, storage, and use of drones. Prior to this, only criminal liability was provided for such violations.
Preventing the Growth of Violations
Senators believe that this step will help prevent the growth of such violations. The bill also plans to exempt from liability persons who voluntarily hand over imported drones and their components to the state.
In addition to these changes, alternative sanctions under this article are being introduced into the Criminal Code. Instead of imprisonment, the court will now have the option to sentence the offender to a fine or correctional labor.
Parliamentary Discussions
In mid-November 2023, the amendments were discussed by parliamentary factions. At a meeting of the Adolat party faction, it was noted that liberalizing sanctions for the illegal import of drones will reduce public dissatisfaction.
The Oliy Majlis began considering the bill at the end of the same month. As per the deputies, the amendments will help smooth out factors that negatively affect the tourist attractiveness of Uzbekistan.
Import Prohibition and Special Cases
The import of drones into Uzbekistan has been prohibited since 2015, except in special cases. Violators face up to three years in prison, and in the presence of aggravating circumstances, up to 10 years.
Legal entities can import and use drones for their own purposes with a special permit. This right is mainly used in the agricultural sector, particularly by members of the licorice producers association.
From November 2022, the Ministry of Tourism and the Charvak directorate also received the right to import drones. Before this, only the Geoinnovation Center at the Cadastral Agency and Uzbekistan's Project Research Institute of Engineering Surveys in Construction, Geoinformatics had this right.
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