In April 2025, the Navoi City Criminal Court convicted a woman under Part 4 of Article 113 of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan for knowingly placing multiple persons at risk of HIV infection. The court found that the defendant had been diagnosed with HIV in October 2024, registered with the regional AIDS Center, and formally warned about prevention measures and criminal liability. Despite this, she engaged in repeated unprotected sexual intercourse with several individuals between December 2024 and January 2025, without disclosing her HIV status, including while working in saunas in Navoi city.
During the trial, the defendant fully admitted guilt and expressed remorse. The victims testified that they had consensual sexual relations with the defendant without protection and were not informed of her HIV status at the time. Medical examinations later confirmed that none of the victims had contracted HIV. The court considered the defendant’s confession, lack of prior convictions, remorse, and the fact that she had a child under the age of three as mitigating circumstances, while treating the repeated nature of the conduct as an aggravating factor.
Taking these factors into account, the court sentenced the defendant to three years’ imprisonment, applying a reduced term under Article 57 of the Criminal Code. The execution of the sentence was postponed until the defendant’s child reaches the age of three. The victims did not seek material or moral compensation, and the precautionary measure of bail was cancelled upon the verdict entering into legal force.
