The presidential chief of staff, Saida Mirziyoyeva, threw her weight behind tougher penalties for animal abuse, saying that respect for life has to be a shared value. To make the case for pet protection, she uploaded footage of two stray cats now living safely in the administration office.
Called Yalpiz and Darkhan, the feline administration “staffers” — as Mirziyoyeva has ironically referred to them — are seen wandering around the office and exploring their surroundings.
“We love them very much,” Mirziyoyeva wrote on social media. Striking a more serious tone, the senior official said she supported higher fines for those abusing animals.
“Tougher punishment for cruelty towards animals helps build a culture in which respect for all life is recognised as a fundamental value. That is the kind of world we want to live and raise our children in,” she stated.
Tougher penalties for animal abuse
The publication came after Uzbekistan doubled fines for animal cruelty under amendments to the country’s Code of Administrative Offences. The penalty has risen from about $110–$185 to $260–$370.
Repeat offences within a year, cases involving minors or incidents that result in the death or injury of animals will carry tougher penalties of around $520–$860 or up to 15 days of administrative arrest. Continued violations could lead to criminal charges, with penalties ranging from fines of about $860–$1,700 to community service or up to six months in prison.
“Laws like these do more than simply punish those responsible. They show the standards and values that society considers essential for everyone to follow,” Mirziyoyeva concluded.
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