A criminal case stemming from the mass poisoning of nearly 2,000 children at state-run kindergartens in Uzbekistan’s Tashkent region has been sent to court, with 11 people formally charged.

The incident took place in September 2025 across several districts where kindergartens operating under an outsourced catering system reported widespread cases of food poisoning among children, The Caspian Post reports, citing Kun.uz.

Authorities launched a criminal investigation soon after the cases were identified.

According to sources cited by Kun.uz, the investigation has now concluded and the case has been submitted to court with an indictment. The spokesperson for the Prosecutor General’s Office confirmed the development.

Investigators questioned the legal representatives of all 1,922 children officially recognized as having been poisoned. They were granted victim status and registered as civil plaintiffs in the case.

Multiple forensic examinations - including medical, food safety, chemical, technical, and comprehensive assessments - were carried out, with findings added to the case file.

The 11 defendants have been charged under Article 186, Part 4, Clause “b” of the Criminal Code, which concerns the production, storage, transportation, or sale of goods and services that fail to meet safety standards with intent to distribute. They also face charges under Article 257-1, Part 1, related to violations of sanitary and anti-epidemic regulations.

As a preventive measure, 10 of the accused have been placed in pre-trial detention, while one has been assigned house arrest.

With the approval of the Tashkent Regional Prosecutor, the detention period and overall investigation timeline were extended by five months, until February 25, 2026.

The indictment was prepared between January 28 and February 2, and on February 10 it was approved by the Tashkent Regional Prosecutor’s Office and forwarded to court.

According to the investigation, between September 24 and 27, 2025, children sought medical assistance in the following areas:

• Buka district - 540

• Almalyk city - 287

• Piskent district - 529

• Akkurgan district - 469

• Nurafshan city - 113

• Kuyichirchik district - 64

• Bekabad district - 110

Out of 2,112 children who sought medical care during that period, poisoning was confirmed in 1,922 cases, while 190 were diagnosed with other illnesses.