A well-known publication in Uzbekistan operates under the Russian flag

The newspaper "Muqaddas Burch," which primarily covers the activities of internal affairs and other law enforcement bodies, is published under the Russian flag, as revealed by Zavqibek Mahmudov, a junior researcher at the History Institute of the Academy of Sciences, in an interview with QALAMPIR.UZ.

In the upper left corner of this newspaper, which bears slogans such as "In the New Uzbekistan, dear people, dear people," "Loving the country is a matter of faith," and "Where there is no spirituality, there will never be justice," an image of the statue of Amir Temur on Amir Temur Avenue in the capital city of Tashkent is depicted. The Russian Federation flag is positioned behind it in the form of a ribbon.

"What is the main purpose of placing the Russian flag behind Amir Temur? Is it an idea, or perhaps a 'Muqaddas Burch'? Our national flag is displayed so small that it's hardly noticeable. And then there's the Russian flag..." Zavqibek Mahmudov chuckled during his interview with QALAMPIR.UZ.

This newspaper has been in circulation in the Navoi region since 2016, with a weekly print run of 1200 copies. Millions of copies of the newspaper have been published under the Russian flag to date.

For instance, in the October 22, 2022 issue of the newspaper, an article titled "We Serve Our Country and People with Loyalty," authored by Colonel Azat Tasbayev, the head of the IAD of the Navoi region, was featured.

On August 16, the judge of the Navoi Regional Court, Turgun Kakhorov, contributed an article titled "Legislative Innovations Focus on Effective Rights Protection" to this newspaper. However, none of the Navoi officials seemed to take notice of the fact that the newspaper was published under the Russian flag, or if they did, they did not raise any objections.

Another surprising aspect is that the entire Union of Journalists of Uzbekistan has commended this socio-legal newspaper published under the Russian flag as a "Muqaddas Burch" and a favorite publication.

"We cannot ignore the fact that some of our compatriots believe that newspapers are no longer necessary. Regardless of opinions, printed materials have always been regarded as beacons of spirituality. The 'Muqaddas Burch' newspaper, published in the Navoi region, is one such publication," the association praised.

However, the association turned a blind eye to the fact that their "favorite" newspaper was published under the Russian flag.

When historians raised objections to this situation, the association removed its contentious article about the newspaper.

"Why did the authorities not raise any concerns earlier? This should not be tolerated. Why did the Union of Journalists praise the newspaper and then delete their praise after our protest? It seems they didn't pay attention or didn't grasp the primary purpose of the newspaper," historian Mahmudov remarked.

Dilshod Mamarajabov, the head of the Navoi Regional Department of the Information and Mass Communications Agency, informed QALAMPIR.UZ that the newspaper is an independent publication registered in Navoi city on June 9, 2016, under the number 07/073, established by "Matbuot-taraqqiyot" LLC.

The primary focus of the "Muqaddas Burch" newspaper is to cover the activities of law enforcement agencies, as indicated by its name. Its enduring partners include the Justice system, the Chamber of Advocates, and law enforcement agencies," Mamarajabov stated.

However, it remains unclear when precisely the newspaper began to be published under the Russian flag. Yet, it can be deduced from the 2022 issues of the publication that it has been more than a year since the newspaper started being presented to the public with the Russian flag.