A 19-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman have been punished by a Tashkent court after a fight broke out between them over a begging spot outside the Uzbekiston metro station.
The clash occurred on the evening of August 23, when the two — identified in court records only as O.J., born in 2007, and Sh.A., born in 2003 — began arguing over territory outside the station entrance around 8 p.m. The dispute escalated into a physical altercation before police officers arrived and detained both individuals.
Investigators charged the pair with disturbing public order and deliberately flouting rules of public conduct. At trial, both told the court they were unemployed and had young children depending on them, and said they regretted their actions.
The Shaykhontokhur District Criminal Court ultimately convicted both defendants under the Code of Administrative Liability — Article 183, which covers Petty hooliganism, and Article 188-3, Part 1, which criminalizes Begging. The man was sentenced to three days of administrative detention. The woman was ordered to pay a fine of 1,236,000 soums.
The case is the latest in a string of begging-related prosecutions tied to Tashkent's metro system, which has become a recurring flashpoint for authorities cracking down on street begging in the capital. In April, the mother of a minor girl was fined after her daughter was found grabbing at passengers' legs to solicit money in the same transit system.
Stay up to date with all the latest news:
