The ministry's predecessor was the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs of the Turkestan ASSR, which was founded on June 26, 1919 on a charter for criminal investigation which was adopted in 1948. It evolved as the USSR and the region changed over time, eventually becoming a ministry which covered the citizens of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic. On July 20, 1953, the Council of Ministers of the Uzbek SSR adopted a decree on "measures to strengthen the fight against crime and maintaining public order", which gave the ministry more flexibility to act independently from the Soviet ministry. After the announcement of the Republic of Uzbekistan as an independent sovereign state in 1991, all law enforcement bodies were changed and or restructured, with the internal affairs ministry going through a series of changes. The modern activities of the ministry were adopted by President Islam Karimov on January 8, 1993, which stated that the main tasks of the ministry is to protect the integrity of the Constitution of Uzbekistan and ensure the protection and security of citizens as well as their rights and freedoms. This was expanded in March 2001 to include domestic terrorism and Islamic extremism.
Departments and directly reporting units
Currently, the Ministry of Internal Affairs operates various independent units and departments:
The Internal Troops are one of the many elite militarized forces in the armed forces. It is a gendarmerie-like paramilitary force that is affiliated to the military but maintains a separate chain of command. It provides specific protection from foreign threats and quells public unrest. In conducting its duties, it relies on a force of around 20,000 men. They also consist of mostly field units, which are the types found in prison security units, various units attached to a certain facility and special forces. The Internal Troops were formed in January 1992 on the basis of units of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Uzbek SSR. Following the 2005 Andijan unrest, the SNB took control of the troops. In 2007, the Internal Troops were transferred to the structure of the Ministry of Defense. In May 2018, it was transferred from National Security Service control to the interior ministry. They are commonly utilized against Islamic terrorists in the border regions near Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It maintains several Spetsnaz battalions: It is composed of 5 brigades and the following action groups:
Scorpion Group
Bars
Ts
Alpha Group
Symbols of Ministry of Internal Affairs
Flag
The flag of the Ministry of Internal Affairs consists of a dark gray banner, with the emblem of the interior ministry in center of its front and back sides.
Emblem
The emblem of the interior ministry has a bronze ring with rounded edges of dark circles. In the center of the line is a red line representing vital force. In the top of the dash, the words in the section indicate the divergence, and the inscriptions are separated by two eight-pointed stars representing determination, courage, and glory. The circle is decorated with national ornament and represents a shield representing the protection against internal and external threats. It is an octogram that is centered on the circle in the center of the right turn, which means achieving order, balance, and maturation. Two swords - the ancient symbol of power and protection, crossed the back of the shield and crossed diagonally. Behind the shields and swords, a bird, made of gold, flared up, symbolized luck and happiness.
Academy
The Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Uzbekistan is the main educational institution of the Interior Ministry. It primarily has the purpose of grooming and training cadets to become enlisted officers who are ready for service in the interior ministry, as well as other law enforcement bodies in the armed forces.
Ministers
The post of Minister of Internal Affairs was created in September 1991 after the Soviet era ministry in the Uzbek SSR was dissolved. The following is a list ofInterior Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan:
