Contaminated Cough Syrup Tragedy: Uzbekistan sentences 23 convicts; Indian importer gets 20 years in jail
Uzbekistan has sentenced 23 individuals, including an Indian citizen, over the deaths of 68 children who consumed contaminated cough syrup imported from India. The individuals were found guilty of various charges, including tax evasion, negligence, and bribery. Compensation has been awarded to the families of the victims, totaling $80,000 for each family.
FollowThe Uzbekistan judiciary has handed down prison sentences to 23 individuals implicated in the devastating incident involving tainted cough syrup that resulted in the deaths of 68 children. The tragedy unfolded after these children consumed a contaminated cough syrup imported from India, igniting a legal saga that sought justice for the victims and their families.
The central figure in the case, Singh Raghvendra Pratap, an Indian national and director of the company responsible for importing the hazardous syrup, received the harshest sentence, a 20-year prison term. The court's decision was informed by a wide array of charges, including tax evasion, the sale of substandard or counterfeit medicines, abuse of office, negligence, forgery, and bribery. Additionally, former high-ranking officials responsible for licensing imported medications faced severe penalties for their roles in the tragedy.
The judiciary also addressed the issue of compensation for the families affected by the catastrophe. Each family of the 68 children who tragically lost their lives after ingesting the tainted syrup, as well as the families of four children who sustained disabilities, will receive financial compensation totalling $80,000 (1 billion Uzbek sums). Moreover, eight additional families, whose children suffered adverse effects from the drug, will receive compensation ranging from $16,000 to $40,000. The funds for compensation will be collected from seven of the convicted individuals, as directed by the Supreme Court.
The origins of the tragedy traced back to the identification of hazardous chemicals, diethylene glycol or ethylene glycol, in samples of the cough syrup tested by the World Health Organization in January 2023. These chemicals, commonly used as industrial solvents, are known to be lethal even in small doses. Subsequently, India revoked the production license of Marion Biotech, the company responsible for manufacturing cough syrups, in response to the findings.
This incident in Uzbekistan is not an isolated occurrence. Similar cases involving contaminated cough syrup from India have been reported in other countries. In the Gambia, smuggled syrup led to acute renal failure, claiming the lives of at least seventy children. In Indonesia, nearly 200 children lost their lives between 2022 and 2023 due to syrup packaged in similar containers.
