A court verdict has been delivered in a high-profile and disturbing case involving the illegal detention, torture of a woman, and the forcible removal of her newborn child in Uzun district of Surkhandarya region.
According to the ruling of the Uzun District Criminal Court, a defendant born in 1981 (A.Sh.) was found guilty of committing crimes under Articles 126-1, 127, 25, 135, and 138 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The court sentenced him to 13 years of imprisonment.
Who else was convicted?
Within the same criminal case, three other individuals were also found guilty:
M.Sh. (born in 1975), K.Sh. (born in 1978), and
Z.A. (born in 1951).
By court decision, M.Sh. and K.Sh. were each sentenced to
9 years in prison, while Z.A. received a sentence of
5 years of restricted freedom.
What happened?
The case became public in September 2025 and sparked widespread public outrage.
Investigators established that the woman was brought to the household
while pregnant, gave birth at home, and
her newborn child was taken away immediately after delivery.
Conditions of detention
After childbirth, the victim was
locked inside a barn, subjected to
physical abuse, and kept in
inhumane and degrading conditions.
To survive, she reportedly ate
watermelon rinds and leftover feed intended for livestock.
Journalists from Kun.uz visited Uzun district and conducted an independent investigation based on witness testimonies and verified details of the incident, bringing the case to national attention.
Source: Court ruling of the Uzun District Criminal Court and investigative reporting by Kun.uz.