In Uzbekistan, the land is frequently redistributed in favour of developers, compromising the public interest. This conclusion is drawn by researchers from the Centre for Public Administration at Ulster University in their report titled “A False Sense of Legacy”.
The report examines property seizures in Uzbekistan over eight years, from 2017 to 2024. It highlights that the primary beneficiaries of these seizures are officials and/or their friends and relatives.
The report’s authors assert that these land expropriations, aimed at facilitating private commercial developments, often involve serious abuses of state power that may violate Uzbekistan’s Criminal Code and Constitution.
Citizens have limited recourse against these actions, as administrative courts have proven reluctant to overturn illegal decrees, even when oversight bodies, including the Human Rights Ombudsman, condemn such violations.
The academics urge international financial institutions and private companies investing in real estate or agribusiness to implement more substantial procedures to detect illegal property transfers in Uzbekistan and thoroughly scrutinise projects supported by their investments.
