Head of Demokrat.uz also detained

A criminal case has been opened against Fazliddinxon Mehmonov, head of the online publication Demokrat.uz, and blogger Aziz G‘oipnazarov, the Tashkent City Main Department of Internal Affairs reported.

According to the statement, the Investigation Department under the city police launched a case against the two under Article 165, Part 3(a) of the Criminal Code (extortion).

Police said that on December 15, 2025, G‘oipnazarov filmed and posted a video online that allegedly damaged the reputation of a car dealership in the Sergeli district. After that, Mehmonov and G‘oipnazarov allegedly demanded $50,000 from the victim in exchange for deleting the video from social media and refraining from publishing another video prepared by the outlet that would allegedly harm the businessman’s reputation.

Mehmonov was detained with evidence while receiving $17,000 on February 10, after previously taking $3,000 from the victim on January 29, police said.

Authorities called on citizens who may have been affected by the suspects’ actions to contact the nearest police department or dial the 102 hotline.

Earlier, on January 16, four employees of the Taftish.uz website were detained on suspicion of extortion and fraud. Gayrat Aberayev, born in 1988, and Taftish.uz staff Azizjon Yuldashev (born 1992), Sardor Hamidov (born 2000), Marjona Eshquvvatova (born 2006), and Dilshod Nishonov (born 1998) were detained in accordance with procedural rules. Investigators are also examining their possible involvement in crimes under Article 139 (defamation) and Article 244-6 (spreading false information) of the Criminal Code.

Later, a journalist from Xalqparvar Guruhi in Uzbekistan was sentenced to four years in prison after being found guilty under multiple articles of the Criminal Code, including defamation, insult, extortion, resisting a public official, damaging or concealing documents and vehicle registration plates, and spreading false information.