I wanted to follow my father’s path – son of “Baxti Tashkentskiy” (video)

Bekzod Zafarov, the son of Bakhtiyor Kudratullayev, known in Uzbekistan’s criminal world as “Baxti Tashkentskiy,” has said that he wanted to follow his father’s path but later realized that it was a mistake. Zafarov, who has been sentenced to 11 years in prison, made the remarks in an interview for the Interior Ministry’s “So‘nggi Pushaymon” (Final Regret) project.

“I am the son of Bakhtiyor Zafarovich Kudratullayev, known as Baxti Tashkentskiy. I used to live with the idea that I would follow my father’s path as well. Everything I thought turned out to be a big mistake. I help with household work and construction work. At other times, I go to work at a manufacturing enterprise. There, we do welding and work with scrap metal. My life now is very different from my life a year ago,” he said.

Zafarov also said that following well-known figures from the criminal world brings no benefit.

“Here, whether you are Bekzod or Bek, whoever you are, the law is the same for everyone. There is no benefit at all in following famous figures of the criminal world or becoming their support. I have understood that if a person serves their parents, their neighborhood, and is useful to society, that is what matters. People understand what they have lost only when it happens to them. I have two children. Next year, my eldest son will start school. He said, ‘Come back sooner, I miss you.’ Those words still do not leave my mind. At night, when I close my eyes, my children appear in my dreams. Remembering the time when I myself was starting school, I regret that now I cannot take my son to first grade, to the ‘First Bell.’ There are parent-teacher meetings, and it hurts that I cannot attend them, that I cannot help him with his lessons, that I cannot be a good example or stand before my children as someone they can rely on.

I regret these things. At a time when my daughter is starting to speak and new things are appearing in her life, I cannot see any of it. I am missing it all. Blaming someone else now would be wrong. The fault is mine. I made the wrong choices. One should learn one profession, one good skill, and do work that benefits society. I wish I were in my family’s embrace. Now they travel such a long distance just to see me. If only it were possible to turn time back, I would very much want to live with my family and earn an honest living. Punishment is inevitable for everything. One must know the law and live according to it,” he said.

According to Zafarov, eating a simple piece of bread with one’s family outside is better than eating food from a golden plate in prison.

“I have been sitting in detention for more than two years now. I have come to understand that eating food in prison, even if your plate is made of gold, is far worse than eating a simple piece of bread with your family outside.

This looks beautiful from the outside, from the street, but once you enter it, regret comes too late. That is why I am deeply remorseful. I apologize to my parents, my relatives, my neighborhood, my family, our respected president, the leadership, and everyone. I sincerely regret what I have done. My advice to young people today is this: the foundation of the future depends on walking the right path. My advice to them is to seek their parents’ blessings as much as possible, serve their communities and neighborhoods, learn good professions and skills, learn languages, cooperate with different countries and organizations, raise and promote the flag of Uzbekistan, engage in sports, and not chase empty dreams. They should value everything,” he said.

It should be recalled that in July 2024, the Yunusabad District Criminal Court announced its verdict in the case related to “Baxti Tashkentskiy.” Under the ruling, Bekzod Zafarov was sentenced to 11 years in prison, to be served in a general-regime penal colony. The younger son of “Baxti Tashkentskiy,” Ikhtiyor Kudratullayev, was sentenced to nine years in prison under the same conditions. Bekzod Zafarov, the eldest son of Bakhtiyor Kudratullayev, was charged under Article 165, Part 3 (v) of Uzbekistan’s Criminal Code (extortion) and Article 168, Part 4 (v) (fraud). The state prosecutor had requested an 11-year prison sentence.

Earlier, courts sentenced Bakhtiyor Kudratullayev himself to 20 years in prison, his brother Shuhrat Kudratullayev to 10 years and six months, and the only female defendant in the case, Nargiza Jumaniyozova, to four years and four months of restricted freedom.