Uzbek citizen Alisher Tursunov (known as Mubashshir Akhmad, a religious blogger and founder of the Azon Global portal), 51, previously put on the international wanted list, was detained on May 8 by Turkish law enforcement agencies and deported to Uzbekistan on May 10, the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs said.
Reportedly, information was disseminated on the information platforms founded by Alisher Tursunov and on their pages on social networks, which, according to expert opinions, contained information that contradicted the legislation of Uzbekistan.
A criminal case has been opened against Alisher Tursunov:
- Manufacturing, storage, distribution or demonstration of materials containing a threat to public safety and public order charge of the Criminal Code. This article contains various crimes, and the sanctions vary - from a fine of 200-400 BCUs to from 5 to 8-year imprisonment.
- Illegal manufacturing, storage, import or distribution of religious materials charge, punishable by a fine of 100-200 BCUs or correctional labor for up to 3 years.
It was previously reported that a criminal case against Tursunov was opened under Creation, leadership, participation in religious extremist, separatist, fundamentalist or other prohibited organizations, punishable by to from 5 to 15-year imprisonment.
In August 2023, Mubashshir Ahmad announced the closure of all projects of the Azon New Media group, founded in 2017 (including the Azon.uz website, Azon FM online radio, and Azon TV online television). In November 2023, the Azon Global portal was launched, operating in four languages: Uzbek, Russian, English, and Turkish).
On December 28 of the same year, Turkish law enforcement agencies arrested Mubashshir Ahmad. The Consulate General of Uzbekistan in Istanbul then reported that the police had taken him from his home and placed him in a deportation center. "The Embassy and Consulate General of Uzbekistan in Turkey provide appropriate consular and legal assistance to our compatriot," the statement said. On February 21, he was released from the deportation center.
