November 25, 2020
State registration of genomic information
On November 24, 2020, Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan No. ZRU-649 “On state registration of genomic information”.
Genomic information refers to personal data that includes encoded information about certain fragments of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of a person or an unidentified corpse.
State registration of such information includes activities related to the selection, use, storage and destruction of biological material, as well as the processing and protection of genomic information for the purpose of identifying a person, an unidentified corpse and (or) establishing biological kinship carried out by state bodies and institutions.
State bodies that register genomic information are:
- bodies that carry out pre-investigation verification, inquiry, preliminary investigation, and the court;
- forensic institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Uzbekistan (hereinafter referred to as forensic institutions).
The authorized body for state registration is the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
Like all personal data, genomic information is confidential and is provided the consent of the individual or their representative. The exception is cases when genomic information is issued at the request of the bodies that carry out pre-investigation verification, inquiry, preliminary investigation, and the court. These bodies, when selecting biological material during state genomic registration, are required to comply, in addition to this Law, with the requirements of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan established for obtaining samples for expert research.
Registration of genomic information will take place in three stages:
- the first stage is the selection of biological material;
- at the second stage, genomic information is obtained from biological material;
- at the third stage, genomic information is entered into a Unified database of genomic information.
Registration can be either voluntary or mandatory.
The law will come into force on January 1, 2023.