Uzbekistan’s Interior Ministry Reports Arrest of Telegram Channel Administrators Involved in Child Pornography

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — In Jizzakh region, authorities detained a man who was distributing pornographic materials involving minors via the Telegram messaging app, the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Cybersecurity Center reported.

According to the investigation, the suspect published 403 child pornography materials on a Telegram channel he controlled, which had 442 subscribers.

In a separate case, law enforcement officers detained a 22-year-old resident of Tashkent region. Investigators determined that he had created six Telegram channels under female personas and posted a total of 3,750 pornographic materials.

The investigation suggests that the individual distributed these materials to 837 users through social networks, generating illegal income of 29.2 million Uzbek soms.

Criminal cases have been opened under Part 3, Article 130 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan, which covers “distribution of pornographic products depicting or involving minors, or involving a minor as a performer in pornographic acts.” The statute provides for imprisonment from five to seven years.

Both suspects are currently in custody.