A film was made in Tashkent about forced evictions

Strong documentary filmmaking is uncommon in Uzbekistan. But such is the case with Khurshid Alimardanov’s “No Reason to Evict” about the illegal seizure of private houses in Tashkent, posted on YouTube on 17 December. It is dedicated to the memory of Mavjuda Mamatkasmova, who was forcibly evicted from her home and died shortly afterwards, and to all those who suffered as a result of having their homes taken away in this way.

The film can be viewed here:

The heroes of the 48-minute film are Javlon Makhmudov, Olga Abdullaeva, Valeria Kuznetsova, Elvira Gainullina and Chingiz Rasulov, who have already been thrown out or are still trying to be thrown out of their own homes by developers tacitly supported by the current government.

Mavjud Mamatkasymova and Farid Sharifullina

“In recent years in Uzbekistan, due to the mass construction of new facilities, there has been a sharp increase in the number of complaints from citizens to executive, judicial and supervisory bodies [complaining] about violations of their rights to own, use and dispose of their property when private developers seize land for urban development activities,” reads the petition “We ask the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan to stop illegal-forced evictions!”, published on www.change.org. («Просим Президента Республики Узбекистан остановить незаконные-принудительные выселения!», )

“Despite the fact that the Constitution and laws of Uzbekistan expressly prohibit the seizure of private property for commercial needs, the khokimiyats (administrations – ed.) of regions, districts (cities) and Tashkent city have issued hundreds, if not thousands of decisions to seize land and private property for business, hiding behind state and commercial needs, while the executive, judicial and supervisory bodies approved these decisions “without seeing” violations of citizens’ rights, as set out in article 53 of the Uzbek Constitution. (“Private property, along with other forms of property, is inviolable and protected by the State. The owner may be deprived of it only in the cases and according to the procedure provided for by law”.)

Citizens have been pounding the doorsteps of judicial, executive and supervisory bodies for years and cannot prove violations of their rights, which are set out clearly, concisely, in simple and clear language in the Constitution and laws of Uzbekistan.

Despite presidential decrees and resolutions, explanations repeatedly given by the Ministry of Justice, decisions of the constitutional court of the Republic of Uzbekistan on this issue, amendments to existing laws and the adoption of new laws on the protection of private property in the seizure of land for public needs, the courts of ALL instances rule in favour of private developers, in violation of the Constitution and laws. The courts’ disregard of the norms of the Constitution and laws, their confidence in impunity, and their giving private developers an illegal advantage in the adjudication of land and housing disputes, is CORRUPTION, which has almost completely absorbed Uzbekistan’s judicial system.

The reason is criminal collusion between the executive, judicial and supervisory authorities, incompetence, elementary illiteracy, protectionism and, most importantly, confidence in impunity enshrined in law”, says Javlon Makhmudov, owner of a private house on Niyozbek Yuli str. in Tashkent.

Tellingly, a petition urging the President of Uzbekistan, the guarantor of the Constitution, to address this lawlessness is posted on a dedicated collective petition platform, which has been blocked in Uzbekistan for several years, precisely to prevent people from creating such petitions.

As a reminder, the problem of property seizure as a mass phenomenon emerged soon after Shavkat Mirziyoyev came to power in 2016. The khokimiyats, which report to the head of state personally, began to sell land along with the residential houses standing on it (officially, according to documents, allocated free of charge) to developers who, with the help of courts and prosecutors, who report to the same head of executive power, with the fewest exceptions, take the side of the latter.

As a result, people are tried to be forced to pay compensation well below the value of their property and, if they do not agree, are evicted from their homes. Shavkat Mirziyoyev “ignores” what is happening or reacts with laws, which his subordinate agencies for some reason stubbornly refuse to implement.