Uzbekistan Sentences Man for Syria Recruitment Case

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — A court in Uzbekistan has delivered a verdict in a case involving attempts to recruit citizens to participate in armed conflicts abroad, the State Security Service reported.

According to law enforcement authorities, a resident of Tashkent traveled to Syria in 2018, where he joined armed groups.

He later used the social media platform Instagram to influence young citizens, attempting to persuade them to take part in hostilities by spreading misleading information and related materials.

One of those influenced was a 30-year-old Uzbek citizen, who stated that in 2024, after viewing religious extremist video content, he began to support such ideas.

He said he did not personally know the individual exerting influence, as communication took place exclusively through social media. It was also reported that he sold his car to finance a potential trip to a conflict zone.

In addition, he encouraged relatives and acquaintances to view participation in hostilities as obligatory and attempted to persuade them to follow his example. As a result, he invited three more individuals to travel to Syria.

Authorities established that all four detainees had also been consuming propaganda materials containing signs of religious extremism.

The court found the 30-year-old defendant guilty under Part 2 of Article 156 (incitement of national, racial, ethnic or religious hatred) and Part 1 of Article 244-2 (creation, leadership and participation in religious extremist, separatist, fundamentalist or other prohibited organizations) of the Criminal Code.

He was sentenced to five years in prison.