First deputy appointed to Minister of Justice

Mahmud Istamov Shukhratovich has been appointed as the First Deputy Minister of Justice, the ministry’s press service reported.

Mahmud Istamov was born in 1979 in Bukhara city, Bukhara region. He holds a higher education degree in law and is a First-Class Legal Adviser. He graduated from Tashkent State University of Law in 2000.

Istamov began his career in 2000 as Senior Adviser at the Department for State Registration of Normative Legal Documents under the Ministry of Justice. He later served as Chief Adviser, Head of Department, and Deputy Head of the same department. Between 2004 and 2005, he headed the Legal Information Center under the Ministry of Justice, and in 2005–2006, he was Head of the Department for Monitoring the Implementation of Normative-Legal Documents.

From 2006 to 2011, he worked as an inspector on issues related to the Ministry of Justice and the judiciary in the State Adviser service of the Presidential Administration responsible for coordinating law enforcement and supervisory agencies. Between 2011 and 2014, he served as Senior Inspector of the relevant division. From 2014 to 2017, he headed the Political Parties Cooperation Department of the Presidential Administration’s Service for Cooperation with the Oliy Majlis, political, and public organizations. In 2017, he led the Legislative Department on Judicial and Legal Matters of the Presidential Administration’s Political-Legal Service. Between 2017 and 2019, he served as Deputy and First Deputy Minister of Justice.

From 2019 to 2021, Istamov was Deputy Chairman of the Central Election Commission of Uzbekistan. Between 2021 and 2024, he served as Prosecutor of Bukhara region, and in 2024–2025, he headed the Secretariat of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis. Prior to this appointment in 2025, he served as Deputy Minister of Justice.

For reference, earlier, a new mayor was appointed to Gijduvon district.