Visa Regime: UAE Warns Uzbekistan

Authorities in the United Arab Emirates have issued a warning that a rise in criminal offenses involving Uzbek citizens could jeopardize the visa-free travel agreement between the two countries, Orda.kz reports, citing Fergana.

Uzbek Foreign Ministry spokesperson Akhror Burkhanov made the initial announcement.

The warning follows a recent incident in Dubai involving a violent altercation between Uzbek nationals.

Meanwhile, Podrobno.uz reports that a fight broke out between two groups of Uzbeks in one of the city’s districts.

The confrontation reportedly left one person dead, several others hospitalized with severe stab wounds, and some in a coma.

An investigation is underway into the incident, 15 Uzbek citizens have been detained. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is cooperating with the relevant law enforcement agencies on this situation,
Burkhanov said, following a meeting between Uzbek diplomats and the Dubai Criminal Investigation Department.

The Foreign Ministry has urged Uzbek nationals abroad to refrain from actions that discredit their compatriots.

In a separate high-profile case, three Uzbek citizens were sentenced to death in late March in the UAE for the kidnapping and killing of Rabbi Zvi Kogan.

A fourth defendant received a life sentence. Following those arrests, dozens of Uzbek nationals were detained and questioned at Abu Dhabi airport, with most denied entry into the country.