Genesis of The Activity of Internal Affairs Bodies of The Republic of Uzbekistan in Administrative-Offense Proceedings

This article examines the historical and legal genesis of the activity of internal affairs bodies of the Republic of Uzbekistan in administrative-offense proceedings, tracing the evolution of this institutional function from the Soviet era through the foundational post-independence period and into the contemporary reform phase initiated in 2017. The study draws on primary legislative sources including the Code of Administrative Responsibility of the Republic of Uzbekistan (1994), the Law “On Internal Affairs Bodies” (2016), successive presidential decrees reforming the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and procedural regulations governing case-initiation, evidence collection, adjudication, and enforcement. The article demonstrates that the genesis of the current procedural framework reflects a dialectical interaction between inherited Soviet administrative-law architecture and autonomous legislative choices made by the Uzbek legislature in response to constitutional mandates, human rights commitments, and state-building imperatives. The analysis identifies four principal developmental phases: Soviet institutional foundations (1917-1991), post-independence reconstruction (1991-2001), procedural consolidation (2001-2017), and systemic modernisation (2017-present). The article further assesses structural tensions between the dual function of internal affairs bodies as both enforcement agencies and as adjudicatory authorities in administrative-offense cases, and identifies reform priorities for aligning Uzbekistan’s administrative-offense proceedings with international standards of due process.