Tashkent's Shaykhantakhur District Criminal Court has sentenced Aziz Khakimov, born in 1975, following a criminal case against him, the press service of Tashkent's courts reported.
Khakimov was found guilty on three counts:
- Article 139, Part 2 of the Criminal Code (Defamation)
- Article 140, Part 2 (Insult)
- Article 156, Part 2 (Incitement of national, racial, ethnic or religious hatred)
Combining the sentences under these charges, the court handed him a term of four years and two months in prison, to be counted from September 26, 2025.
The court acquitted Khakimov of a separate charge under Article 150 (War propaganda), finding no elements of a crime in his actions. The acquittal was issued under Article 83, clause 2, of the Criminal Procedure Code, which provides grounds for rehabilitation.
The court also ordered Uzbekistan's Ministry of Digital Technologies to block Comrade_Aziz, the Telegram channel Khakimov had run.
Six "victims" in the case
Six people were named as victims in the case. They were informed of their right to pursue a separate civil suit to recover material and moral damages.
In August 2025, Sherzodkhon Kudratkhoja, rector of the University of Journalism and Mass Communications, wrote on his Facebook page that Comrade Aziz had been fined by a court for spreading false information about him.
Blogger Nikita Makarenko has said that Khakimov "regularly published content glorifying the Uzbek SSR, disparaging the significance of Uzbekistan's independence, promoting war propaganda related to Ukraine, and encouraging Uzbek citizens to join foreign armed forces."
