A young man who tried to sell a saker falcon for 2 million soums was fined over half a billion soums.
A young man from Namangan had been caring for this bird for 2 months. Later, when he tried to sell it due to needing money, he was caught. 7 months after the falcon was handed over to the Fergana Zoo, it died because it could not adapt to the cage. "The staff did not know how to care for the bird and caused its death," the young man said in court. It is noted that the fined individual does not have a permanent job.
A fine was imposed on a person in Fergana who kept a falcon (shaheen) listed in the Red Book at home. Zamon.uz reviewed the court document.
According to the court verdict, I.I., born in 2003 in Namangan city, kept a saker falcon from January 2025 until the beginning of March, having separated it from its natural habitat. He stated that the bird was not caught from anywhere.
"In January 2025, around 7:00 PM, I was sitting in my living quarters, then I heard the sound of an unknown bird hitting the wall and went outside. The bird was on our neighbor's roof. Then, when I raised my hands to shoo it away, it couldn't fly and fell to the ground. I took it inside, photographed it, and identified what kind of bird it was using Google," said the defendant.
After that, I.I. began feeding the falcon, called "Shaheen," using the Internet. He kept it for 2 months and decided to sell it for 2 million 500 thousand soums. A buyer was found from Yozyovon district of Fergana region. The young man took the bird to that district. The person who introduced himself as a driver initially gave 1 million 500 thousand soums. While he was getting the rest from his car, ecology and internal affairs officers appeared at the scene.
"They explained that the bird I sold was a saker falcon, listed in the Red Book, and that it cannot be kept or sold. Then they formalized a report. I have no complaints against them, but I did not know that selling a falcon was a crime, and I regret it," he said in his testimony.
Furthermore, he stated that he is not regularly involved in bird trading.
"I learned in court that the falcon died in the zoo. I had treated the bird from its sick condition myself; the zoo staff did not know how to care for the bird and caused its death. I am dissatisfied with this. I committed the crime unknowingly, and I ask you to show leniency considering my youth," he said.
In court, U.U., the head of the Fergana Regional Environmental Control Inspectorate, was questioned as a civil plaintiff. He stated that he was a conditional buyer for the rare falcon in nature and requested full recovery of the damages from the defendant.
"Regardless of the age, size, weight, and sex of the saker falcon, the recovery amount for each animal (head, skin, horns, etc.) is specified to be calculated at a coefficient of 1500 times the base calculation amount for citizens of Uzbekistan. Accordingly, considering that the base calculation amount at the time of the crime was 375,000 soums, I request you to recover damages amounting to (1500*375000) 562 million 500 thousand soums to the account of the Ministry of Ecology (now the Committee)," he said in his testimony.
In the court, the veterinarian of the Fergana Zoo, O.S., gave testimony. According to him, the falcon was brought on February 28, 2025, in a serious condition, i.e., without being provided food and water. Subsequently, it was placed in a 14-day quarantine. During this time, the bird's condition improved, but it did not reach the level of hunting on its own. Then it was kept in the zoo's department for fish and birds of prey. The falcon, unable to adapt to the cage, died on August 22.
The witness noted that this falcon is listed in the Red Book of Uzbekistan as a vulnerable, naturally rare, semi-sedentary subspecies.
On April 7, 2026, the Criminal Court of Yozyovon District found I.I. guilty of committing the crime stipulated in Article 202, Part 3, Clause "e" of the Criminal Code and imposed a fine of 400 times the base calculation amount (150 million soums) under that article.
Additionally, the 1 month and 7 days the defendant spent in custody as a preventive measure were equated to 6 million 937 thousand 500 soums based on Article 62 of the Criminal Code, and that amount was deducted from the imposed sentence. The remainder is to be recovered as state revenue.
Furthermore, the court ordered the recovery of 562 million 500 thousand soums in damages caused by the case to the account of the National Committee for Ecology and Climate Change and released the defendant from custody.
Author: Shahzod O'roqboyev
