In Uzbekistan, significant personnel changes have occurred in law enforcement agencies, prompted by sharp criticism from President Shavkat Mirziyoyev regarding the performance of these structures. The changes affected the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Guard, and the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
At a meeting held on January 27, President Mirziyoyev criticized the work of the security forces, pointing out their ineffectiveness in combating cybercrime, organized crime, and fraud. He also reminded of the embezzlement of 186 billion sums within the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which led to the arrest of several high-ranking officials. As a result of the meeting, reprimands were issued to the head of the Tashkent City Internal Affairs Directorate, Ravshan Sultanhojaev, and the acting prosecutor of the capital, Anvar Urmanov.
Immediately after this, changes in the leadership of the National Guard were announced. Bahodir Tashmatov was appointed as the commander, having previously served as the deputy secretary of the Security Council. This marks Tashmatov's return to the security forces, as he had already headed the National Guard from 2017 to 2020, succeeding Rustam Juraev, who had led the agency for the past six years.
Rustam Juraev will now serve as the first deputy minister of internal affairs and head of the Department of Public Safety, replacing Bekmurod Abdullaev, who was arrested in connection with the embezzlement of budget funds. Juraev has extensive experience in law enforcement, having previously headed the Tashkent City Internal Affairs Directorate and the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
The position of first deputy minister of internal affairs — head of the Operational Search Department has been assigned to the former head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Botir Kudratkhodjaev. He previously held the position of military prosecutor and headed the Bureau of Enforcement. His predecessor, Ayubkhan Rahmatullaev, was relieved of his duties, and further details about his career are not disclosed.
The Department of Punishment Execution of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is now headed by Azizkhon Umarhonov, who previously served as the khokim of the Almalyk district of Tashkent. Umarhonov has experience working in the public order protection system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and his predecessor, Rustam Tursunov, is under investigation. The president also mentioned the Almalyk district as a territory with a high crime rate, including cases of bodily harm.
Two new appointments in the Ministry of Internal Affairs involved former employees of the presidential administration. Rustam Mirzaev became the deputy minister of internal affairs tasked with overseeing anti-corruption compliance, while Diyorbek Sattorov took the position of deputy minister for personnel issues, replacing the dismissed Davron Nazarmukhamedov.
Changes also occurred in the Ministry of Emergency Situations, where the new head is Azizbek Ikramov, who previously headed the Internal Affairs Directorate of the Fergana region. Ikramov has experience serving as deputy minister of internal affairs and deputy minister of defense, and his career began in the field of fire safety, where he worked for 17 years when this structure was part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
