OSCE Facilitates Needs Assessment Mission to Uzbekistan on Cross-Border Electronic Evidence Requests

From 22 to 24 July 2024, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department, jointly with the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan, facilitated a needs assessment mission to Uzbekistan, focusing on requesting electronic evidence across borders. The mission was held as part of the E-VIDENCE project dedicated to building the capacity of law enforcement in requesting electronic evidence across borders for investigating online criminal matters, including terrorism-related.

A key component of the mission was an expert-level meeting held on 23 July 2024 in Tashkent. The meeting brought together over 30 officials and representatives from Uzbekistan’s parliament, law enforcement, judiciary, academia, and international organizations. The participants discussed the legal and regulatory aspects of electronic evidence, focusing on the challenges and opportunities in national and international contexts.

"In an era of rapid technological advances leading to a surge in cybercrime, it is crucial for law enforcement to adeptly navigate the complex legal terrain of domestic and international frameworks when requesting electronic evidence across borders. This ensures accountability for offenders and adherence to the rule of law,” said Ambassador Antti Karttunen, OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan.

The expert-level meeting supported ongoing national efforts to harmonize the regulatory frameworks related to electronic evidence, enhance scientific research on digital forensics conducted by the Law Enforcement Academy of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and introduce good international practices for requesting electronic evidence from internet service providers based in other jurisdictions in a manner compliant with human rights and international laws.

“Today's expert meeting proved to be invaluable as we explored advanced international practices in the context of developing and adopting the draft Law on Electronic Evidence in our country," said Zuhra Shodieva, a deputy of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis (Parliament) of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

In addition to the expert-level meeting, various bilateral and multilateral discussions were held within the framework of the needs assessment mission. These discussions involved international organizations and partners such as the EU and UNODC offices in Tashkent, aiming to explore potential collaborations on this pressing issue.

“The OSCE is particularly well placed to address electronic evidence in national legislation by providing a platform for dialogue and exchanges of information, sharing good practices and lessons learned. This is one of the reasons Germany supports the implementation of this activity, as it facilitates meaningful and constructive dialogue,” said Clemens Schwanhold, Head of the Political Section, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The E-VIDENCE project is an extrabudgetary initiative supported by Germany that aims to enhance national capacities across the OSCE area to request electronic evidence for investigating online criminal matters, including terrorism-related cases, while adhering to human rights.