Mubashir Ahmad’s case heard again in Tashkent

On September 15, the third court hearing of Mubashir Ahmad (Alisher Tursunov), a religious scholar and blogger, as well as the founder of the information and analytical portal Azon Global, was held at the Uchtepa District Court in Tashkent. This was reported by Azon Global.

A number of public representatives, journalists, and close relatives of Mubashir Ahmad gathered outside the court building to attend the trial.

During the nearly two-hour hearing, Alisher Tursunov gave testimony for the first time. He stated that he did not consider it necessary to obtain permission from the Religious Committee for the materials published during his activities in Turkey. He also addressed other charges brought against him.

According to Azon Global, “Mubashir Ahmad answered the questions asked on each article of the indictment at today's court session. The prosecutor requested additional time to decide what punishment to ask the court to impose.”

The judge announced a break for negotiations between the parties, and the next hearing was postponed until September 18.

For reference, a criminal case was initiated against Alisher Tursunov under Article 244-1 (preparation, storage, distribution, or demonstration of materials that threaten public safety and public order) and Article 244-3 (unlawful preparation, storage, import, or distribution of materials of religious content) of the Criminal Code. A preventive measure of arrest was applied. Tursunov’s previous court session took place on September 8.

It should be noted that in May this year, Alisher Tursunov was reportedly taken from his home in the Bahçeşehir area of Istanbul as a suspect. Later, social networks spread reports that he had been extradited from Turkey to Uzbekistan. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Uzbekistan subsequently confirmed that Tursunov had been extradited.