Were vagrancy quotas ordered from above?

A number of pressing public questions — including the dismissal of a police officer’s brother following an assault on a patrol officer, alleged instructions to artificially register “vagrants,” and concerns over deaths in detention facilities — were addressed on April 11 during a press conference on the Interior Ministry’s first-quarter performance.

Earlier, it was reported that a man driving under the influence in Tashkent assaulted a patrol officer, and that his brother, a lieutenant colonel identified as Sherzod Pardayev, was dismissed after allegedly intervening. A journalist from QALAMPIR.UZ noted that the widely circulated video did not show Pardayev engaging in illegal actions or exerting overt pressure, and requested clarification on the grounds for his dismissal.

Responding to the inquiry, Husniddin Azizov, head of the Interior Ministry’s Internal Security Department, stated that there are specific regulations governing officers’ conduct. “The officer clearly knew what actions were required in that situation, but failed to act accordingly,” he said.

Separately, audio and video recordings circulated on social media allegedly captured an official from the Almazar district department in Tashkent instructing prevention inspectors to find individuals on the streets and register them as “vagrants” to meet targets. According to Deputy Interior Minister and head of the Investigation Department Ramazon Ashrapov, the employee in question has been dismissed.

It was also disclosed that 36 crimes were committed by Interior Ministry personnel in the first quarter of 2026. Of these cases, 25% were identified based on complaints from victims, while the remaining 75% were uncovered through internal investigations initiated by the ministry. All officers found to have violated the law have been dismissed, and the collected materials have been forwarded to the prosecutor’s office for further review.

Concerns about the conduct of law enforcement officers during investigations remain significant. This is reflected in the volume of public обращения: more than 148,000 submissions were filed regarding Interior Ministry matters last year, many of them expressing dissatisfaction with officers’ behavior and the quality of investigations. Officials also addressed these issues during the press conference.

A full report from the event is available on the outlet’s YouTube page.