A large number of complaints submitted to the Commissioner of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Human Rights (Ombudsman) express dissatisfaction regarding the lack of responses within one month to statements and complaints filed with preliminary investigation bodies.

It should be noted that Article 28 of the Law “On Appeals of Individuals and Legal Entities” stipulates that an appeal must be reviewed within fifteen days from the date it is received by the authorized government body, organization, or official. If additional investigation and/or examination, or the collection of supplementary documents is required, the response period may be extended to up to one month.

However, Article 1 of this Law clarifies that it does not apply to appeals governed by administrative, civil procedural, criminal procedural, criminal-executive, economic procedural legislation, or other relevant legal acts.

Accordingly, the time limits related to preliminary investigations are regulated by Article 351 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which sets a standard investigation period of three months. In cases requiring additional review, this period may be extended to five or even seven months.

Based on the above, it is advisable that appeals concerning ongoing preliminary investigations be addressed within the timeframes established by the Criminal Procedure Code.