Governor’s Visit to a Home Sparks Controversy: What Did the Human Rights Activist Say?

Controversy is intensifying over a video showing Shahrisabz District Governor Samad Hasanov entering one of the homes and inspecting its cleanliness. The footage, in which the official reprimands a woman in front of her child and warns that she could be shamed on social media, has drawn strong public criticism.

Gulnoz Mamarasulova, head of the Uzbekistan office of the Association for Human Rights in Central Asia, called for an official investigation into the incident and a legal assessment of the governor’s actions.

What was shown in the 11-minute video?

The video circulated on social media lasts 11 minutes and 6 seconds. It shows the district governor entering a home and inspecting its sanitary conditions and cleanliness.

During the conversation, the official harshly criticizes the female homeowner in front of her child. The video also contains remarks to the effect that “no one will take a bride from this house” and “we will post it on the channel.”

According to Mamarasulova, such statements do not help resolve the problem but serve to publicly shame and demean the citizen.

“The duty of government authorities is not to shame citizens, but to act in accordance with the law,” the human rights activist emphasized.

Where do the governor’s powers end?

The district head may oversee compliance with sanitary and landscaping regulations in the area. However, Gulnoz Mamarasulova emphasized that this authority does not give an official the right to interfere arbitrarily in a citizen’s private life.

In her view, a civil servant must respect a person’s honor and dignity even while carrying out official duties. A citizen’s social status, living conditions, or level of cleanliness at home cannot serve as grounds for humiliating them.

Article 26 of Uzbekistan’s Constitution establishes that human honor and dignity are inviolable. Article 31 guarantees the inviolability of private life, personal data, and the home. Under this provision, no one may enter a home against the wishes of its residents.

However, it is impossible to determine from the video whether the homeowner consented to the governor’s entry, the filming, or the distribution of the footage online. These questions can only be answered through an official investigation.

Can a fine be imposed through a verbal order?

The human rights activist also drew attention to the fact that the issue of imposing an administrative penalty was discussed in the video in the form of a verbal order.

She stressed that a fine cannot be imposed at an official’s discretion or verbal instruction. First, the offense must be recorded in accordance with the procedure established by law, after which the relevant documents must be оформized by an authorized person.

A governor or another official cannot replace the procedure established by law with a verbal directive. Therefore, it is also necessary to provide a separate legal assessment of the penalty mentioned in the video.

Does the explanation that “the wrong house was identified” close the matter?

In its response, the governor’s office said that the wrong home had been identified, meaning that the house had been mistaken.

However, Mamarasulova believes this explanation does not change the essence of the incident. The issue is not which home was entered, but how the official treated the citizen, filmed her, and threatened to make the video public.

She stated that the following circumstances must be investigated:

— did the citizen consent to entry into the home;
— was permission granted to film the woman and her child;
— was consent given to post the video on social media;
— did the official exceed the scope of his authority;
— was the citizen’s honor and dignity harmed.

Human rights activist calls for the governor to be held accountable

Gulnoz Mamarasulova said that an official investigation should be conducted into the incident, the governor’s actions should receive a legal assessment, and, if violations of the law are established, the issue of accountability should be considered.

At the same time, whether the governor’s actions contain signs of an offense or crime can only be determined following an investigation by authorized bodies and a court ruling.

So far, the public has not been informed of the results of any official investigation into the incident or the final legal assessment by the responsible state authorities.

The controversy is not limited to one home

The incident in Shahrisabz has once again raised the question of what relations between a state official and a citizen should look like.

An official may study residents’ problems and take steps to address shortcomings. However, this process should not turn into reprimanding citizens in front of a camera, discussing their private lives, or damaging their reputations.

After all, the authority of a civil servant does not take precedence over a person’s honor, dignity, and private life guaranteed by the Constitution.

In your opinion, what legal assessment should be given to the actions of the Shahrisabz District governor? Leave your opinion in the comments and share the article with your acquaintances on Telegram or other social networks!