After the footage of a man punching his bride in the head during their wedding went viral, police in Uzbekistan tracked him down and charged him with hooliganism.
A vengeful husband has been charged with punching his wife in the head on their wedding day after she beat him at a party game.
The unnamed man hit his bride after she won a race to unwrap sweets organized by guests at their wedding on June 6 in the southern province of Surkhandaryo, with film going viral online.
The video caught the attention of Saida Mirziyoyeva, the president’s daughter, who condemned the incident, causing police to track down the couple.
Officers said the man has been charged with ‘hooliganism,’ but if convicted, he faces only 15 days in jail and a fine.
According to a committee in the Uzbek legislature’s upper chamber, the young man “apologised to the bride and expressed regret at his actions” before a neighborhood hearing attended by community elders and the couple’s relatives.
‘On the same day, the bride and groom reconciled and now live together,’ the committee said.
Ms Mirziyoyeva speaking out against the violence said, ‘We shouldn’t remain silent about such cases, we should not pretend that they are one-offs.
‘This is why we need education that opens horizons and makes women independent and strong.’
Following the incident, video showed an obviously upset bride putting her head in her hands before being taken off the stage by another woman.
The groom stayed on stage, staring out at the silent guests as if nothing had happened, as his best man fidgeted with his phone.
Arranged marriages have a long history in Uzbekistan, however they are less popular nowadays. It is unknown whether this was an arranged marriage.
Two ladies assisted the bride off stage as the groom walked emotionless from the stage.
The wedding video has gone viral on social media in Central Asia, with angry reactions on Twitter.
‘This is so sad,’ one person wrote on the social media platform. ‘I hope she will find courage to charge him and keep him accountable for his actions.’
‘What horror!’ another wrote. ‘Good this was out on the internet to shame this horrible man. But I hope she can be taken away from him. How can her parents watch this? What is he some mafia goon? How appalling.’
A third wrote: ‘It’s horrific how much this is normalized. I hope she gets away from him sooner better than later,’ while posting three broken-heart emojis.
Strangely, this is not the first time a video of a man yelling at his new wife has surfaced in the country.
In 2019, a video of a similar occurrence in Uzbekistan went viral, showing a man violently hitting out at his bride after she taunted him by pretending to take away his wedding cake.
In the prior incident, the groom strikes an unnamed woman so hard that she stumbles backwards onto a seat behind her.
One of the astonished guests soothes the bride as she stands back up, while a man standing behind the groom grabs him.
‘That guy needs to be taught a lesson on human rights and the woman needs to file for an annulment, ASAP!’ said one social media user at the time.