Alcohol Restrictions Implemented Unevenly
Alcohol Restrictions Implemented Unevenly
An anti-alcohol drive is in its first month in Uzbekistan, but NBCentralAsia observers say the government is not doing much to control the trade or even let sellers know they might be breaking the law.
New laws banning the sale of alcohol within a 500-metre radius of schools, hospitals, underground stations and many cafés and restaurants came into effect on May 1. Under the new regulations, alcoholic products can only be sold by designated shops which a special license from the local administration.
The penalties for illegally producing and selling alcohol and tobacco have been toughened, with fines of up to 3,000 US dollars instead of the previous 1,000 dollars, and maximum prison sentences jumping from three to seven years.
The new regulations have not yet been published in the newspapers.
NBCentralAsia analysts say the stricter rules were introduced too quickly given that the authorities did not put measures in place to control the import and production of drinks when the ban came into force.
Many people are oblivious to the change in the law since there has been no awareness-raising campaign.
“Repressive measures never have positive results,” said NBCentralAsia commentatr Sergei Yezhkov. “A comprehensive approach is needed starting from the import and production of alcohol to retail sales. The government still doesn’t have a programme like that.”
Banning the sale of alcohol in almost all eating places will also be counterproductive because people may simple buy bootleg and even home-made licquor.
“The government should review the list of shops, cafes and canteens where the sale of alcohol has been banned. It is better if they sell it legally than offer who knows what from under the counter,” said Yezhkov.
According to an NBCentralAsia source in the tax and currency crime department of the prosecutor general’s office, 7,500 offenses relating to illicit alcohol and tobacco were recorded in 2006, and goods worth more than 1.6 million dollars were confiscated.
Kamil Tuychiev, a fellow of the Uzbek Academy of Sciences and an expert on Islam, says that even though an overwhelming majority of Uzbekistan’s population are Muslims, a government-led anti-alcohol campaign will yield few results unless it is accompanied by a public awareness programme.
But Abdumurod Kimsanov, a researcher at the Institute for Oriental Studies, says a blanket ban on the production and sale of all alcohol should be ordered immediately. “In a country where 88 per cent of the population is Muslim, producing alcohol and making the trade in it part of government policy is nothing less than a slap in the face to Muslims and Islam,” he said.
Drinking in public has never been commonplace in Uzbekistan.
(News Briefing Central Asia draws comment and analysis from a broad range of political observers across the region.)
New laws banning the sale of alcohol within a 500-metre radius of schools, hospitals, underground stations and many cafés and restaurants came into effect on May 1. Under the new regulations, alcoholic products can only be sold by designated shops which a special license from the local administration.
The penalties for illegally producing and selling alcohol and tobacco have been toughened, with fines of up to 3,000 US dollars instead of the previous 1,000 dollars, and maximum prison sentences jumping from three to seven years.
The new regulations have not yet been published in the newspapers.
NBCentralAsia analysts say the stricter rules were introduced too quickly given that the authorities did not put measures in place to control the import and production of drinks when the ban came into force.
Many people are oblivious to the change in the law since there has been no awareness-raising campaign.
“Repressive measures never have positive results,” said NBCentralAsia commentatr Sergei Yezhkov. “A comprehensive approach is needed starting from the import and production of alcohol to retail sales. The government still doesn’t have a programme like that.”
Banning the sale of alcohol in almost all eating places will also be counterproductive because people may simple buy bootleg and even home-made licquor.
“The government should review the list of shops, cafes and canteens where the sale of alcohol has been banned. It is better if they sell it legally than offer who knows what from under the counter,” said Yezhkov.
According to an NBCentralAsia source in the tax and currency crime department of the prosecutor general’s office, 7,500 offenses relating to illicit alcohol and tobacco were recorded in 2006, and goods worth more than 1.6 million dollars were confiscated.
Kamil Tuychiev, a fellow of the Uzbek Academy of Sciences and an expert on Islam, says that even though an overwhelming majority of Uzbekistan’s population are Muslims, a government-led anti-alcohol campaign will yield few results unless it is accompanied by a public awareness programme.
But Abdumurod Kimsanov, a researcher at the Institute for Oriental Studies, says a blanket ban on the production and sale of all alcohol should be ordered immediately. “In a country where 88 per cent of the population is Muslim, producing alcohol and making the trade in it part of government policy is nothing less than a slap in the face to Muslims and Islam,” he said.
Drinking in public has never been commonplace in Uzbekistan.
(News Briefing Central Asia draws comment and analysis from a broad range of political observers across the region.)
