The Andijan-based blogger Abdufattokh Nuritdinov was released on January 14, his lawyer Umidbek Davlatov told. According to the lawyer, as the first thing, Abdufattokh Nuritdinov went to the maternity hospital to see the newborn son and wife for the first time.
On December 30, the mayor of the Andijan’s Asaka district, Erkinjon Yakubov, the principal of a district school, Mukhayo Isoqova, the chief of the Andijan province department of public education Furqat Buzrukov, and the head of the district department of the Suvokova enterprise Bakhodir Kakhkhorov filed a complaint against the blogger. On the same day, the complaint were reviewed, a case was opened, an investigation was launched, and the case was further sent to court. The Andijan administrative court found Abdufattokh Nuritdinov guilty of libel, insult and petty hooliganism and sentenced him to a fine of 13 million soums, or US$ 1,320 and 15 days-arrest.
Abdufattokh Nuritdinov pleaded not guilty, saying that he did not deem personal opinion to be libelling and defaming the honor of officials of state bodies, and also said that he did not insult anyone on December 30.
On January 4, the cassation instance of the Andijan province administrative court rejected his complaint.
The director of the Information and Mass Communications Agency, Komil Allamjonov, commenting on Nuritdinov’s arrest Abdufattokh, noted the need for a prompt scrapping of the imprisonment for libel and defamation.
The blogger in his blog wrote about possible widespread corruption and embezzlement among officials of the city of Asaka.
