A 73-year-old pensioner in Chirchik, Uzbekistan, who was fined for feeding stray cats in late June, was found dead in her apartment on the morning of July 22. A volunteer had arrived to have her sign an appeal against the fine but discovered her body after emergency services forced open the door.

The woman and a girl with cerebral palsy were held administratively liable for feeding stray cats in the entrance of their building following complaints from neighbors about unsanitary conditions, bad odors, and an accumulation of animals. Each was fined approximately 1.2 million soums (about $100).

On July 21, representatives of the animal protection society Mehr va Oqibat met with the woman, the local precinct officer, and the mahalla chairman. The volunteers reported no signs of unsanitary conditions in the yard. A lawyer from the organization helped prepare a court appeal to cancel the fine.

In her explanatory statement for the appeal, the woman wrote: “I feel very sorry for the stray cats. I see them being kicked and stoned, and no one stands up for them.” She also claimed that after being reprimanded by the mahalla chairman, she stopped feeding animals near the building, but neighbors began monitoring her every move: “I haven’t been able to leave my apartment for days because of the surveillance. There are no cats left either; they have scattered.”

The official cause of death has not been disclosed. Representatives of Mehr va Oqibat urged against jumping to conclusions linking the tragedy to the administrative case, but noted that the woman had been deeply distressed by the situation in recent weeks.

This incident is part of a broader conflict in Uzbekistan over stray cats, where current legislation has jeopardized the work of the “Mushukkent” project and volunteers are being fined for caring for animals.

Source: podrobno.uz