Tashkent, Uzbekistan (DNA — On 7 December, the Palace of International Forums “Uzbekistan” in Tashkent played host to a festive meeting on the occasion of the 27th anniversary of the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev delivered a speech and congratulated people of the country on this bright holiday.

Determining its own course of development, any nation enshrines the most crucial goals and objectives in its Basic Law. And the Constitution, adopted at the dawn of Uzbekistan’s independence, reflected the principles of ensuring human rights and interests as well as the political system, consonant with the will and aspirations of people. The document secured guarantees for the equality of all citizens of Uzbekistan, regardless of gender, race, religion, ethnic or social origin, and created the foundation for modern democratic development. Therefore, we value, honor, and widely study the Constitution.

In his speech, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized that ensuring the supremacy of the Constitution and laws is the most important criterion for building a democratic state in the country, along with strict and unconditional compliance with the Constitution and laws of the country of the acts adopted by government bodies as well as actions of officials at all levels.

The Head of the state underscored that in achieving the superiority of the Constitution and laws there is barely a better means than public control.

The public and the media have “waken up” and now are active contributors to the process of establishing the rule of law and counteracting its violations. For example, based on the proposals of citizens and deputies during the discussion of the draft State Budget, it was decided to allocate an additional 50 billion soums to schools, and a moratorium on cutting trees was announced under the influence of public opinion. All this testifies to the growing sense of responsibility among the population and involvement in the process taking place in society.

The President noted the need for the continuation of work to increase legal awareness and legal culture in society, to nurture children in this very spirit from a very young age.

“Our Constitution should become a real code of living standards and rules for us, fully guaranteeing rights and freedoms, penetrating deeply into the consciousness and heart of every citizen”, Shavkat Mirziyoyev insisted.

The principles of humanism reflected in the Basic Law find their practical embodiment. In recent years, the President has signed 8 pardoning decrees, in accordance with which over 4 thousand people were released from the penitentiary.

On the eve of this holiday, the Head of the state signed another such decree. Thus, 92 people who sincerely repented and firmly embarked on the path of correction have been pardoned.

Another example of a humane policy became the closure of the penal colony this year in the village of Jaslyk. In addition, the procedure for the payment of pensions and social insurance to persons sentenced to imprisonment has been established for the first time.

This year, as part of the humanitarian operations Mehr-1 and Mehr-2, a group of 261 citizens, mostly women and children, was returned to their homeland from the zone of armed conflict.

Over the past three years, a total of 9,692 people, including 5,868 this year alone, have been granted citizenship of Uzbekistan.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted in his address that law enforcement agencies should become bodies acting exclusively in the interests of people. The Head of the state outlined urgent tasks in bolstering the independence of courts, in ensuring a system of checks and balances in the investigative-inquiry process, in improving the institution of the bar.

The presidential speech was followed by the National Anthem of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

State and public figures, representatives of science and art, embassies of foreign states and representative offices of international organizations, the general public attended the celebrations.

The festive gathering continued with a colorful concert.