Uzbek court overturns fine for woman who hit sexual harasser
An appeals court in Uzbekistan’s Namangan region has overturned a fine imposed on an 18-year-old woman who struck a man after he touched her thigh on a city bus, ruling that she acted in self-defence.
The Namangan Regional Court reviewed the administrative case after the woman was initially fined for causing minor bodily harm to the 66-year-old man.
The incident occurred on July 27 on a public bus in Namangan. According to court records, the man grabbed the woman’s thigh during the journey. She responded by hitting him, causing minor injuries that did not affect his health.
A lower court had found both people responsible for separate administrative offences. The woman was fined 0.5 times the basic calculated value, equivalent to 206,000 soums, for causing minor bodily harm.
The man was fined 2 times the basic calculated value, or 824,000 soums, after being found guilty of sexual harassment under Uzbekistan’s administrative code.
Appeals court recognises self-defence
The regional appeals court reached a different conclusion after reconsidering the woman’s case.
Judges found that her actions had been carried out in a state of necessary defence. The court therefore cancelled the original decision against her and terminated the administrative proceedings.
The appeals court also reviewed the ruling against the man and concluded that his initial punishment had been too lenient given the nature of the offence.
As a result, the relevant part of the first-instance ruling was cancelled and a more severe penalty was imposed on the man. UzNews did not specify the new amount of the fine in its report.
The case drew attention after the initial ruling resulted in both the woman and the man being fined for their actions during the confrontation.
The appeals decision changes the legal outcome for the woman, who is no longer subject to an administrative penalty over the incident. The court’s finding that she acted in necessary defence was central to the termination of proceedings against her.
