Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — A court in Tashkent has sentenced Demokrat.uz website head Fazliddinkhon Mekhmonov and blogger Aziz Goipnazarov to more than 10 years in prison each over the alleged extortion of US$50,000 from representatives of a car dealership.
The Mirabad District Criminal Court found Mekhmonov guilty of extortion, fraud and the illegal circulation of firearms, ammunition and explosives under Articles 165, 168 and 248 of Uzbekistan’s Criminal Code.
Goipnazarov was found guilty of extortion under Article 165 of the Criminal Code.
Mekhmonov was sentenced to 10 years and three months in prison, while Goipnazarov received a 10-year and one-month sentence. Both will serve their sentences in general-regime correctional colonies.
The court also ordered Mekhmonov to pay compensation for material damage caused to the victims.
According to the report, the defendants were detained in February after a video discrediting the activities of a car dealership was posted on social media. They allegedly demanded US$50,000 in exchange for removing the video.
