Uzbek blogger jailed for eight years over alleged extortion

04.12.2023, 15:25 exclusive.kz

An Uzbek blogger known for exposing official corruption has been sentenced to eight years in jail on charges of slander and extortion, the country’s Supreme Court said.

Olimjon Khaydarov, from the eastern city of Fergana, has denied the charges and said the case against him is politically motivated.

Khaydarov was arrested in July on suspicion of extorting 10,000 dollars from shopping centre owners in exchange for not publishing a critical story about their business.

The verdict by a district court in Fergana was announced on 1 December, following a closed trial, in which all the witnesses were local government and police officials. The court also ordered all of Khaydarov’s social media accounts and channels to be blocked.

Khaydarov had run the popular Turon Valley Media and Turon Mujdasi blogs, investigating and exposing alleged corrupt schemes within local government bodies. He harshly criticised the government over the winter 2022-2023 energy crisis – when the country faced severe natural gas and electricity shortages amid the coldest winter in 50 years.

Khaydarov’s lawyers told Radio Liberty’s Uzbek service that the accusations against him were “absolutely groundless”, “fabricated”, and not supported by any evidence. They said they would appeal.

Popular blogger Kobul Dusov said that the verdict against Khaydarov was “cruel” and unfair.

“Even if we believe that he did extort money, giving him eight years is unfair. There are plenty of known bribe takers walking free … Why does Olimjon Khaydarov get such a long term?” he asked in a YouTube post.

The Uzbek government launched a crackdown on popular independent bloggers following the July presidential election, in which President Shavkat Mirziyoyev secured a third term in office. The vote was held following constitutional changes that allowed Mirziyoyev to run for two more terms, effectively paving the way for him to stay in power till 2037.

Several journalists and bloggers were arrested over the summer. Some have left the country, and about a dozen more have stopped blogging citing official pressure.

In August YouTube blogger Abdukadyr Muminov was sentenced to seven years and three months in jail on charges similar to the ones brought against Khaydarov.

Also in the summer, the Interior Ministry said it put two other bloggers, Sanjar Ikramov and Sherali Komilov, on its wanted list. They too face similar charges.

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